Remembering: The Dog 'n Suds
Want a good hot dog? Want a good root beer? Back when we were in high school, you would probably have gone to the Dog 'n Suds on the corner of State Route 59 and Colford Avenue. The food was good and affordable. The car-hops were friendly, cute and personable. Where else could you go and hang with your peers? Especially if you had a car!
Some of us hung out there frequently. Some of us visited occasionally. A few of us even worked there! If you worked at, or have any memorabilia from the Dog 'n Suds, please send us pictures and/or stories about your experiences.
Some of us hung out there frequently. Some of us visited occasionally. A few of us even worked there! If you worked at, or have any memorabilia from the Dog 'n Suds, please send us pictures and/or stories about your experiences.
Menu (Courtesy of West Chicago City Museum)
Car-hop with a drive-in customer (Courtesy of West Chicago City Museum)
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Rover's Patio walk-in customers (Courtesy of West Chicago City Museum)
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The History of Dog 'n Suds
According to Wikipedia - The first Dog n Suds was opened in 1953 in Champaign, Illinois, by University of Illinois music teachers James Griggs and Don Hamacher. The chain grew rapidly throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and a training center was established in Champaign, named "Rover College" after the dog on the restaurant signage.
At its peak in 1968, the chain had about 650 restaurants. Griggs sold his interest in the business in the early 1970s. Later owners abandoned the franchise business and sold the rights to make Dog n Suds branded root beer to another company. The chain's root beer is billed as "The World's Creamiest Root Beer", and is also sold in bottles in vending machines, retail stores, and online. In 1991, Don and Carol Van Dame, owners of a Dog n Suds in Lafayette, Indiana, purchased the Dog n Suds trademark and identity rights. In 2001, the Van Dames created a new company, TK&C's LLC, to administer licensing rights for the brand. Don Hamacher died on January 4, 2013. 
Courtesy of the Internet
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Dog & Suds Root Beer is still available today!
And it tastes just like just it back in the 60's. 
This bottle was purchased on June 19, 2025, at Steamboat BBQ in Wheaton, Illinois
Courtesy of the Internet
Courtesy of the Internet
Courtesy of the Internet
Courtesy of the Internet
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