A moment with ... Dick Spady, local hamburger chain founder

Friday, April 4, 2003

By DAN RICHMAN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

Dick Spady, 79, co-founded the first Dick's Drive-In restaurant in 1954, on Northeast 45th Street in Wallingford. Now, Dick's Drive-In Restaurants Inc. is a local landmark.

On how Dick's has survived: Dick's is very, very profitable, because it's a good business. We have a unique niche: We don't have all-inside seating. When we built our last restaurant, in Queen Anne, that's when we learned that (inside seating) is much more expensive. We said, "Phooey to that and we're just going to hunker down."

On how many burgers Dick's has sold: I don't know. We did know for a while, but we gave up on it.

On social issues: We have a serious disconnect between people and their governments. We have to build those bridges. In Olympia, I'm promoting House Bill 1282, a self-funded program that creates a "Citizen Councilor Network" allowing small-group dialogue and opinion-polling among citizens and elected representatives.

On eating: I follow (Barry Sears') Zone Diet, and it works for me. I have absolute control over my body. I eat at Dick's a couple of times a week. I call it ceremonial eating. When I'm at home, I have soy milk in the morning and three almonds. That lasts me five hours.

On how to succeed today: You'd better have working capital, because you can't expect to make it right away. Plus, you've got to believe in what you're doing. Find a human need and fill it.

On how McDonald's can recover: I'm not interested. I have my own life to live.

On what not to miss at Dick's: The milkshakes. Best milkshakes in the world.