Doggie Diner facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Doggie Diner |
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Doggie Diner head in San Francisco
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1948 |
| Closed | 1986 |
| Previous owner(s) | Al Ross |
| Food type | hot dogs and hamburgers |
| Dress code | casual |
| City | San Francisco and Oakland |
| State | California |
| Country | USA |
Doggie Diner was a popular fast food restaurant chain. It served tasty hot dogs and hamburgers. The restaurants were located in San Francisco and Oakland, California. Doggie Diner was open from 1948 to 1986. Al Ross owned the chain.
The first Doggie Diner opened in Oakland in 1948. It quickly became very popular. At one point, there were 30 locations. Most of these were in San Francisco. The chain closed in 1986. It struggled to compete with bigger chains like McDonald's and Burger King. Al Ross, the founder, passed away in 2010. He was 93 years old.
Meet the Doggie Diner Heads
The most famous part of Doggie Diner was its amazing sign. Each restaurant had a giant, rotating dog head. These heads were about 7-foot-tall (2.1 m). They were made of fiberglass. The dog had wide, happy eyes and a big grin. It also wore a bow tie and a chef's hat.
History of the Doggie Diner Heads
These unique dog head signs were created around 1965 or 1966. A designer named Harold Bachman made them. He was known for billboards and ads in the Bay Area. When Doggie Diner closed, all the big dog head signs were taken down. Many of them were sold to private collectors.
In 2001, one of the dog signs was brought back to life. The city of San Francisco restored and fixed it up. This special sign was placed on a median strip. You can find it at Sloat Boulevard and 45th Avenue. This spot is near Ocean Beach and the San Francisco Zoo. On August 11, 2006, the Doggie Diner dog head became a San Francisco landmark. It is Landmark No. 254. This means it's an important historical item for the city.
