Dee's Drive-In facts for kids

Dee's Drive-In was a popular fast food restaurant chain in Utah. It was known for its tasty hamburgers and was a drive-in place. A man named Dee Frederick Anderson started it. He began selling burgers near the University of Utah in the 1920s. He opened his first Dee's Restaurant in 1932. Over time, Dee's grew into two types of restaurants: Dee's Family Restaurant and Dee's Drive-In.

Dee's was famous for being family-friendly. It had colorful "Dee's Clowns" at its restaurants. In the 1960s, it became a well-known place in Utah. At its busiest, there were 53 Dee's restaurants. They made about $20 million each year. In the late 1970s, the family decided to change their business. They sold all the Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's. About a dozen Dee's Family Restaurants stayed open. Today, half of them still operate in the Wasatch Front area of Utah.

History of Dee's Drive-In

Dee Frederick Anderson was a fast-food entrepreneur. He was from Ephraim, Utah. He opened his first Dee's Restaurant in 1932. In 1953, he visited Long Beach, California. There, he saw many drive-in restaurants. This gave him the idea to create Dee's Drive-Ins.

His first Dee's Drive-In opened a year later in 1954. It was a big building in Salt Lake City. This shop served about 2,500 customers every day. They sold burgers, hot dogs, and apple turnovers for 19 cents. French fries and soft drinks cost ten cents. Within two years, Anderson opened two more drive-ins. Dee's Drive-In then had 100 employees.

In 1972, one of Anderson's friends opened a Dee's franchise. This was in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was the first American fast food place there. Dee's Drive-In grew to have 53 restaurants. They earned over $20 million each year.

In the late 1970s, the Anderson family changed their focus. They wanted to work on other businesses. So, they sold all the Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's. Hardee's later left Utah.

Twelve Dee's Family Restaurants kept running in the Wasatch Front area. This was until March 2004. Then, five Salt Lake City locations were sold. These restaurants were turned into Walgreens stores.

Marketing and Fun Ads

Dee's Drive-In was well-known for its big clown signs. These signs were outside each drive-in. The clown was brightly colored. It had a large round belly. The clown held four big balloons. Each balloon spelled out a fast food item for sale. Paul Jensen from Salt Lake City designed the first clown.

To get more attention, the clown sign rocked back and forth. The Young Electric Sign Company designed this sign in 1968. They made it using special plastics and flashing lights.

The Dee's restaurant chain was also famous for its jingles. One popular jingle was "Let's go to Dee's." Gordon A. Johnson created this jingle. They also had "Disco Down to Dee's" commercials.

In 1997, the Utah Department of Transportation made an advertisement. It mixed new video with old Dee's Drive-In commercials. Anderson's family provided the old footage. The people who made the ad said, "What defined Utah in 1962? It was Dee's." They said Dee's was a "cultural icon" in Utah. The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper called the ad "a wonderful source of memories."