Back in the 1970s, even the fast food restaurants were interesting. Dog N Suds, or “Arf and Barf” as some people flippantly called it, was a drive-in restaurant founded in Illinois in 1953 that supplied the 60s and 70s with coney dogs and frosted mugs of root beer.
This was back in the age of drive-in restaurants with window service, where carhops would bring your food directly to your car window, sometimes on roller skates. Looking at these pictures nowadays is like being transported back to a golden age. The aesthetic is so classic.
Neon signs, frothy root beer, and chili-covered hot dogs made this drive-in an American staple, and it’s a tragedy that only a few Dog N Suds locations remain today.
Take a drive down memory lane, then pull off memory lane, park in the parking lot at Dog N Suds, and enjoy a mug of the “World’s Creamiest” root beer.
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Owners of a family-owned Dog N Suds franchise, circa 1965
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“New concept” Dog N Suds restaurant art from the 1970s. Probably never came to fruition, as the 1970s began the downfall of the restaurant chain.
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Dog N Suds menu board circa 1970s
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Dog N Suds coupon from 1965. Probably not valid today.
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Dog N Suds Drive-In, Ann Arbor, MI, 1963
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The ‘Push-Me-Pull-You’ Dog N Suds Crosley of Lafayette, Indiana. Undated
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Postcard of the Dog N Suds location in Columbus, OH. 1964
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Late-night customers at Dog N Suds in Freeport, IL in the mid 1960s
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A Dog N Suds all lit up in New Brunswick, Canada, circa early 1960s
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One of the many Dog N Suds uniform styles from over the years
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Today, there are about 15 Dog N Suds restaurants still in operation
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A Dog N Suds in Dolton, Illinois, circa 1970s
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A Dog N Suds drive-in in Penticton, BC. People in the 70s used to call Dog N Suds “Arf and Barf”.
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Dog N Suds’s mascot, Rover
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An old Dog N Suds menu. Look at those prices!
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A Dog N Suds restaurant hoppin’ with customers. Circa early 70s
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Dog N Suds Drive-In Restaurant, Fort Lauderdale, FL, undated