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 operated from 1948 until 1986. Al Ross was the owner of this fun chain.
Contents
The Story of Doggie Diner
How Doggie Diner Started
The very first Doggie Diner opened its doors in 1948. It was on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland. People loved the food, and the restaurant quickly became popular. At its peak, there were about 30 Doggie Diner locations. Most of these were in San Francisco. The chain offered classic fast food items. You could get french fries, hamburgers, hot dogs, and sodas. Their catchy advertising jingle was: “Doggie diner, nothin’ finer. Doggie Diner, it's doggone good!”.
Why Doggie Diner Closed
Around 1969, the Doggie Diner chain was sold to the Ogden Corporation. However, the chain faced tough competition. Big restaurant chains like McDonald's and Burger King were growing. Doggie Diner found it hard to keep up. Because of this, the Doggie Diner chain closed down in 1986. Its founder, Al Ross, passed away in 2010 at 93 years old. Today, the Doggie Diner name is still used. You can find hot dogs sold under this brand at Oracle Park. This is the home stadium of the San Francisco Giants baseball team.
Famous Doggie Diner Heads
What Are the Doggie Diner Heads?
The most famous part of Doggie Diner was its unique sign. It was a giant, rotating head of a dachshund dog. This dog head was about 10 feet (3 meters) tall. It had wide, happy eyes and a big grin. The dog wore a bow tie and a chef's hat. These amazing signs were designed in 1965 or 1966. A Bay Area designer named Harold Bachman created them. Each dog head was made of fiberglass and weighed 300 pounds.
Where Are the Heads Now?
When Doggie Diner closed, all the big dog head signs were taken down. Many of them were sold to private collectors. In 2001, the city of San Francisco restored one of these dog signs. It was placed on a median strip 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 special San Francisco landmark. It was landmark No. 254.
In September 2022, a group called Illuminate.org installed three more Doggie Diner heads. They are part of the Golden Mile Project. You can see them on the car-free JFK Promenade in Golden Gate Park.
Doggie Diner Heads in Pop Culture
The Doggie Diner heads have even appeared in comics and movies! In December 2000, one of the heads was featured in the Zippy comic strip. It was part of an effort to save the heads. Zippy often had funny conversations with the giant dog mascot.
In 2004, a website called Laughing Squid sponsored three dog heads. They named them Manny, Moe, and Jack. These heads went on a cross-country trip. The journey ended with a show by Cyclecide at CBGB in New York City. This fun trip was even made into a movie called "Head Trip," which came out in 2008.
See also
- List of defunct fast-food restaurant chains
- List of San Francisco Designated Landmarks
