| Dog n Suds | |
| Type: | Drive-In |
| Foundation: | in Champaign, Illinois |
| Founders: | James Griggs, Don Hamacher |
| Location City: | Lafayette, Indiana |
| Location Country: | USA |
| Locations: | 15[1] |
| Area Served: | Midwestern United States |
| Industry: | Fast food |
| Products: | Hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, root beer |
| Owner: | Frostie Enterprises (1974) Don and Carol VanDame (TK&C's LLC)(1991) |
Dog n Suds is a midwestern United States-based chain of hot dog and root beer drive-in style eateries. The chain was started in 1953 and by the 1970s the franchise included over 650 restaurants across 38 states. In 2021, the brand continues to operate at approximately 15 locations and serves hamburgers, french fries and soft drinks.
The first Dog n Suds was opened in 1953 in Champaign, Illinois, by Champaign High School music teachers James Griggs and Don Hamacher. The second restaurant was opened after the owners were paid to build another by a wealthy patron and from there the owners decided to create a franchise. A training center was established in Champaign, named "Rover College" after the dog on the restaurant signage.[2] At its peak in 1968, the chain had about 650 restaurants.
In the early 1970s Griggs sold his interest in the business and a few years later in 1974 the company was sold to Frostie Enterprises who owned the Frostie and Stewart's brands of root beer.[3]
In 1991, the VanDames purchased the Dog n Suds trademark and identity rights. In 2001, they created a new company, TK&C's LLC, to administer licensing rights for the brand.[4] [5]
On March 3, 1966, the newly opened Dog N Suds at the Candlestick Park Shopping Center in Jackson, Mississippi was completely destroyed by an F5 tornado (the last to hit Mississippi until 2011) along with the main center strip and a nearby appliance store during the 1966 Candlestick Park tornado outbreak. The story was prominently spotlighted in a 2003 "Storm Stories" episode by the Weather Channel.
The West Lafayette location was featured on an episode of the Big Ten Network's Campus Eats in 2018.[6]
Currently, the oldest Dog N Suds is operated in Robinson, Illinois. It was built in 1954.