Dee's Drive-In

Dee's Drive-In was an American hamburger drive-in chain rooted in Utah and closely associated with the Wasatch Front. It grew out of the restaurant activities of Dee Frederick Anderson, a Utah entrepreneur who had begun selling hamburgers at the Ute Hamburger Shop near the University of Utah during the 1920s. Anderson opened his first Dee's Restaurant in 1932 and later developed the drive-in concept after observing the popularity of drive-in restaurants during a 1953 visit to Long Beach, California. The first Dee's Drive-In opened in Salt Lake City in 1954 at 753 East 2100 South. The purpose-built restaurant reportedly cost $125,000 and quickly developed a high-volume operating model. In its early period, the location served approximately 2,500 customers per day, offering inexpensive hamburgers, hot dogs, apple turnovers, French fries, and soft drinks. Anderson expanded rapidly, opening two additional drive-ins within two years and building an organization of roughly 100 employees. Dee's became known for a combination of accessible food, family-oriented presentation, and highly visible roadside branding. Its restaurants featured large, colorful clown marquees carrying the words “Dee's Hamburgers.” The signs used bright colors, flashing lights, Plexiglas and acrylic components, and a rocking motion intended to attract passing motorists. The original clown concept was designed by Salt Lake City designer Paul Jensen, while the prominent 1968 marquee was designed by the Young Electric Sign Company. The signs became one of the chain's most recognizable visual symbols and helped make Dee's a familiar part of Utah's commercial landscape. The brand also invested in memorable advertising. Its “Let's go to Dee's” jingle and later “Disco Down to Dee's” commercials gave the chain a distinctive local identity. The advertising emphasized an informal, family-friendly experience rather than a purely functional meal stop. By the height of its expansion, the Anderson family operated 53 restaurants and the business was reported to generate more than $20 million in annual revenue. A related Dee's franchise opened in Johannesburg in 1972 through an Anderson associate and was described as the first American fast-food outlet in South Africa. Dee's Drive-In existed alongside the related Dee's Family Restaurant business. In the late 1970s, the Anderson family changed its business priorities and focused more heavily on other ventures, including property management. The family sold its remaining Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's. Hardee's later withdrew from Utah, and the subsequent growth of Carl's Jr. in the state was not a continuation of the Dee's brand. The sale effectively ended Dee's Drive-In as an operating chain. The broader Dee's restaurant legacy continued for a time through Dee's Family Restaurants. Twelve family restaurants remained in the Wasatch Front area until March 2004, when five Salt Lake City locations were sold to real-estate developers and converted into Walgreens stores. A separate employment-discrimination matter involving a Dee's Family Restaurant location in Midvale was settled in 2005. Although Dee's Drive-In is defunct, its clown signs, jingles, low-priced menu, and drive-in format remain associated with mid-century Utah popular culture. A 1997 Utah Department of Transportation advertisement that reused historical Dee's commercial footage explicitly presented the chain as an emblematic part of the state's earlier identity.

Dee Frederick Anderson began selling hamburgers near the University of Utah through the Ute Hamburger Shop during the 1920s. He opened the first Dee's Restaurant in 1932, establishing the restaurant business from which the later Dee's concepts developed. Anderson became interested in the drive-in format after visiting Long Beach, California, in 1953 and seeing how dedicated drive-in restaurants combined automobile access, rapid service, and inexpensive food. The first Dee's Drive-In opened in 1954 at 753 East 2100 South in Salt Lake City. The building reportedly represented a $125,000 investment. Its menu centered on low-priced American fast food, including hamburgers, hot dogs, apple turnovers, French fries, and soft drinks. The restaurant served around 2,500 customers per day during its early operation. Anderson added two more drive-ins within two years, and the growing business employed approximately 100 people. Expansion continued across Utah, and Dee's eventually became a substantial regional chain. The business was connected to a separate but related Dee's Family Restaurant operation, allowing the Anderson family to operate more than one restaurant format. At its reported peak, the family operated 53 restaurants and generated over $20 million in annual revenue. In 1972, an associate of Anderson opened a Dee's franchise in Johannesburg, extending the name beyond the United States and making the outlet notable in accounts of early American fast-food expansion in South Africa. The chain's regional importance was driven not only by its food but also by its branding. Dee's restaurants used large clown signs, generally identified with the wording “Dee's Hamburgers,” to attract motorists. The original clown was designed by Paul Jensen of Salt Lake City. A later marquee created in 1968 by the Young Electric Sign Company used illuminated and translucent materials and was designed to rock back and forth. The colorful clown, oversized proportions, and flashing lights made the signs highly visible landmarks. Dee's also developed a memorable audio identity through the “Let's go to Dee's” jingle and later “Disco Down to Dee's” advertising. During the late 1970s, the Anderson family changed its strategy and concentrated on other business interests, especially property management. The family sold the remaining Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's. Hardee's subsequently left the Utah market, and later Carl's Jr. expansion in Utah was unrelated to the original Dee's chain. This sequence brought the Dee's Drive-In chain to an end. The related Dee's Family Restaurant business survived longer. Twelve locations reportedly remained in the Wasatch Front region until March 2004, when five Salt Lake outlets were sold to property developers and replaced by Walgreens stores. The remaining Dee's restaurants therefore represented a reduced continuation of the family restaurant side rather than the original drive-in chain. In August 2005, that business settled an employment discrimination case filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of three employees. The settlement included revisions to sexual-harassment policies and employee training. Dee's continued to appear in Utah cultural memory after the chain's closure. A 1997 Utah Department of Transportation commercial reused historical Dee's advertising footage, and the agency's advertising collaborators described Dee's as a defining feature of Wasatch Front life in an earlier era. Surviving clown signage and artistic representations of the signs have also helped preserve the visual memory of the brand.

1. 2005Employment discrimination case settled

   The related Dee's Family Restaurant business settled an EEOC case and agreed to strengthen harassment policies and training.

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2. 2004Five family restaurant locations redeveloped

   Five Salt Lake Dee's Family Restaurant sites were sold to developers and converted into Walgreens stores.

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3. 1997Historical advertising reused in Utah campaign

   The Utah Department of Transportation incorporated archival Dee's commercial footage into a new advertisement.

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4. 1978Drive-in chain sold to Hardee's

   During the late 1970s, the Anderson family sold its remaining Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's.

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5. 1972Dee's franchise opens in Johannesburg

   An associate of Anderson opened a Dee's franchise in Johannesburg, described as the first American fast-food outlet in South Africa.

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6. 1968Signature clown marquee developed

   The Young Electric Sign Company designed the prominent illuminated clown marquee that became central to Dee's visual identity.

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7. 1956Early expansion reaches three drive-ins

   Within two years of the first drive-in's opening, Anderson had opened two additional locations and employed about 100 people.

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8. 1954First Dee's Drive-In opens in Salt Lake City

   The first Dee's Drive-In began operating at 753 East 2100 South in Salt Lake City.

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9. 1953Drive-in concept inspired by California visit

   Anderson visited Long Beach, California, and drew inspiration from its drive-in restaurants.

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10. 1932First Dee's Restaurant opens

    Dee Frederick Anderson opened the first restaurant using the Dee's name, preceding the later drive-in chain.

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A value-oriented, family-friendly regional hamburger drive-in with strong roadside visibility and a distinctive Utah cultural identity.

• HamburgersBurgers1954

  Hamburgers were the core product of Dee's Drive-In and the basis of the chain's most visible advertising, including the “Dee's Hamburgers” wording on its clown marquees. The burgers were positioned as inexpensive, accessible drive-in food and were served in a high-volume restaurant environment.

• Hot dogsFast food1954

  Hot dogs formed part of the chain's early low-cost menu alongside hamburgers. They fit the drive-in model by being quick to prepare and easy for customers to consume as part of an automobile-oriented meal.

• French friesSide dish1954

  French fries were offered as a low-priced side dish accompanying the chain's burgers and hot dogs. They were part of the standard American drive-in menu that helped Dee's serve large customer volumes quickly.

• Apple turnoversDessert1954

  Apple turnovers were one of the named early menu items at Dee's Drive-In. Their inclusion gave the chain a sweet baked offering in addition to savory fast-food products.

• Soft drinksBeverage1954

  Soft drinks were sold as an inexpensive accompaniment to Dee's meals and were included among the products promoted through the chain's roadside signage.

• 1997Utah transportation heritage advertisement

  United States

  The Utah Department of Transportation combined new footage with historical Dee's commercials supplied by the Anderson family. The advertisement used the chain as a visual shorthand for Utah life in an earlier period.

  Outcome. The campaign was remembered as a nostalgic representation of Wasatch Front history.

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• 1970Disco Down to Dee's

  United States

  The chain used “Disco Down to Dee's” commercials to refresh its advertising with a contemporary musical style while retaining the restaurant's local personality.

  Outcome. The commercials became part of the surviving archive of Dee's promotional material.

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• 1960Let's go to Dee's

  United States

  A recurring Dee's advertising jingle created a simple verbal and musical association with visiting the restaurant. It helped reinforce the chain's family-oriented and locally recognizable identity.

  Outcome. The jingle became part of the brand's remembered Utah identity.

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• 1978Sale of Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee'sM&A

  The Anderson family had changed its priorities in the late 1970s and was concentrating on other ventures, particularly property management.

  What changed. The family sold all remaining Dee's Drive-In restaurants to Hardee's.

  Aftermath. The Dee's Drive-In chain ceased to operate as an independent brand. Hardee's later withdrew from Utah, and Carl's Jr.'s subsequent Utah expansion was not connected to Dee's.

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• 1970Shift toward other Anderson family venturesStrategy

  The family increasingly focused on business activities outside the drive-in chain, including property management.

  What changed. The family pursued a strategic exit from Dee's Drive-In through the sale to Hardee's.

  Aftermath. The independent regional chain disappeared, although the related Dee's Family Restaurant business continued for a period in Utah.

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• 2005EEOC employment discrimination settlementControversy

  The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought a case on behalf of three employees who alleged sexual harassment by a co-worker at a Dee's location in Midvale. The related Dee's Family Restaurant business settled the matter and agreed to revise its sexual-harassment policies and employee training procedures.

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• 2004Five Salt Lake Dee's Family Restaurant sites sold for redevelopment

  Five Salt Lake locations associated with the surviving Dee's Family Restaurant business were sold to real-estate developers and subsequently converted into Walgreens stores.

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• 1997Utah transportation advertisement revives Dee's commercial imagery

  The Utah Department of Transportation produced an advertisement combining new footage with historical Dee's Drive-In commercials supplied by the Anderson family, presenting the chain as a recognizable part of Utah history.

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• 1970Anderson family sells Dee's Drive-Ins to Hardee's

  In the late 1970s, the Anderson family sold its remaining Dee's Drive-In restaurants to Hardee's after shifting its priorities toward other ventures, including property management.

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1. Dee's Drive-In