Name

Dick's Drive-In

Legal name

Dick's Drive-In Restaurants

Website

https://ddir.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Dick's Drive-In is a family-owned, Seattle-area quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1954, operating 10 walk-up window drive-in locations and 2 food trucks across the Puget Sound region serving burgers, hand-cut fries, and hand-dipped milkshakes to local consumers, community organizations, and event organizers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick Service Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)

akta.pro primary industry

Burger QSR (THAFAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Food Trucks (Motorized) (THAFAHAA)

Keywords

• Fast food restaurant
• Drive-in restaurants
• Burger chain
• Food truck catering
• Quick service restaurant

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Drive-In Restaurant Sales: Walk-up window service at 10 drive-in locations and 2 food trucks serving burgers, fries, shakes, and ice cream. No customization policy for fast service.
2. DoorDash Delivery: Third-party delivery partnership with DoorDash. Delivery fee of $3.99 plus 9.99% service charge. Order limit of $75 before tax.
3. Food Truck Event Rentals: Private event rentals with three package options: 2-hour ($2,900, up to 200 guests), 3-hour ($4,500, up to 300 guests), 4-hour ($5,700, up to 400 guests). Travel fee of $4/mile beyond 180 miles round-trip.
4. Large Order Pickup: Bulk burger orders for events available at most locations. High capacity locations can accommodate up to 200 burgers (75 Deluxes max). Low capacity locations max 50 Deluxe burgers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dick's Drive-In is a family-owned quick-service restaurant chain founded in 1954 that operates 10 drive-in restaurants and 2 food trucks across the Puget Sound region. It sells a focused menu of fresh, never-frozen 1/8 lb beef burgers (Deluxe, Special, Cheeseburger, Hamburger variants), hand-cut fries, hand-dipped milkshakes, and ice cream through walk-up window service with no customization policy. Additional revenue comes from food truck event rentals, DoorDash delivery, and bulk order pickup for events.

Product overview

Dick's Drive-In is a family-owned fast-food restaurant chain founded in 1954, operating 10 drive-in restaurant locations and 2 food trucks across the Puget Sound region. The company offers a focused menu of burgers (made with fresh, never-frozen 1/8 lb beef patties), hand-cut fries, hand-dipped milkshakes, and ice cream. The core products are the burger menu and restaurant locations, supplemented by food truck services for events, DoorDash delivery integration for off-premises dining, large food orders for events, food truck rentals for private occasions, the Round Up for Charity donation program, and the annual 19¢ Burger Days celebration honoring the company's founding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dick's Drive-In Restaurant Locations Walk-up window service at 10 drive-in restaurant locations across the Puget Sound region serving fresh burgers, fries, shakes, and ice cream. Open 10:30AM-2:00AM daily with no customization policy for fast service.
• Burger Menu Burgers made with 100% fresh, never-frozen 1/8 lb beef patties sourced from Royal Family Farms on locally made buns. Includes Deluxe ($5.75), Special ($3.50), Cheeseburger ($3.25), Plain Cheeseburger ($3.05), Hamburger ($2.70), and Plain Hamburger ($2.50).
• Hand-Cut Fries Pacific Northwest potatoes washed, hand-cut, soaked, and fried in 100% High Oleic Sunflower oil daily. Sold at $2.95.
• Milkshakes and Ice Cream

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly $3.5 million in customer donations raised since 1998

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tulalip TribecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2026Partnership with Tulalip Tribe for new restaurant on the Tulalip Reservation across from Quil Ceda Creek Casino. Represents commitment to sustainable regional growth and community investment across the Puget Sound region. Will create approximately 50 jobs.
• Royal Family FarmscoreOthersThird-generation Washington ranch supplying 100% real beef that is always fresh and never frozen. Practices regenerative, carbon-conscious farming methods.
• Franz BakerycoreOthersLocal bakery partnership supplying hamburger buns delivered fresh every other day for generations.
• Tony's CoffeeminorOthersPartnership for proprietary Deluxe Blend coffee roasted in the Pacific Northwest style, brewed fresh multiple times daily.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership making Dick's Drive-In menu available for delivery within 12 minutes of any location. Delivery fee $3.99 plus 9.99% service charge.
• World VisionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCharity partnership for Venezuela Earthquake Response (July 2026). Dick's matched donations up to $20,000 through Round Up for Charity program.
• Nine Charity PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNine nonprofit partners receiving donations from Round Up for Charity: Cocoon House, Compass Housing Alliance, FareStart, First Place, Mary's Place, Operation Nightwatch, ROOTS Young Adult Shelter, St. Martin de Porres Shelter, and YMCA Social Impact Center.
• Sound TransitminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity partnership for Crosslake Connection light rail inauguration on March 28, celebrating community engagement with Microsoft, Kaiser Permanente, UW Medicine, Lime, and engineering/cultural organizations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• In-N-Out Burger: Family-owned West Coast burger chain renowned for fresh never-frozen beef, hand-cut fries, limited menu, and consistent quality. Closest large-scale analog to Dick's operating model and heritage brand approach.
• Five Guys: Premium burger QSR chain emphasizing fresh beef, hand-cut fries cooked in peanut oil, and customization. Direct competitor in burger category with similar quality-focused positioning at higher price point.
• Wayback Burgers: Growing American burger franchise emphasizing fresh, never-frozen beef and hand-crafted burgers. Comparable QSR burger category competitor with regional franchise footprint model.
• Whataburger: Family-founded regional burger chain (now BDT & MSD Partners-backed) operating primarily across the South/Southwest with a loyal regional following similar to Dick's. Comparable heritage-driven QSR with strong brand equity in core geography.
• Shake Shack: Premium "fine casual" burger chain founded in NYC emphasizing quality ingredients, transparent sourcing, and elevated customer experience. Comparable on premium ingredient positioning and brand-as-experience approach.
• SuperDuper Burgers: San Francisco Bay Area regional burger chain focused on fresh beef, house-made pickles, and local sourcing. Comparable regional independent burger chain with similar quality-first positioning.
• Burgerville: Pacific Northwest regional QSR chain headquartered in Vancouver, WA, serving burgers, fries, and shakes across Oregon and Southwest Washington. Comparable regional burger chain with community/regional sourcing positioning similar to Dick's.
• The Habit Burger Grill: California-originated fast-casual burger chain (acquired by Yum! Brands in 2020) known for chargrilled burgers and fresh ingredients. Comparable West Coast burger chain with similar quality positioning.
• Red Mill Burgers: Seattle-based independent burger chain operating multiple drive-in/burger locations in the Pacific Northwest with a similar focus on fresh, never-frozen beef and hand-cut fries. Closest geographic and operational peer to Dick's Drive-In.

Broad incumbents

• McDonald's: Global QSR incumbent and largest burger chain. Competes for the same consumer occasions (quick burger meals) but at a different price point and with mass-market positioning rather than Dick's regional heritage focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks1 record

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Dick's Drive-In