Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
SANDY'S THRIFT & SWIFT DRIVE INN
SANDY'S THRIFT & SWIFT DRIVE INN. The local franchise, operated by Tony Helling, opened for business on July 8, 1960. Without publicity, four hundred hamburgers priced at 15 cents were sold in the first ninety minutes. (1) Jeanne Helling, his niece, and her father George made hamburgers in a motel room behind the drive-in. George would grind the beef, and Jeanne would place waxed paper between each patty. When a stack was created, Jeanne would rush them across the parking lot to place them in the restaurant freezer. (2)
Promotions often included fun events. Once a local disk jockey sat atop a crane until a certain number of hamburgers were sold. Another time brought famed Cedar Rapids television personalities "Dr. Max and Mombo" to the restaurant. (2)
The restaurant remained in operation from the early 1960s through the early 1970s.
The 1962 through 1972 Dubuque City Directory listed 703 Dodge.
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Source:
1. "Sandy's Thrift and Swift Drive Inn," Telegraph Herald, July 10, 1960, p. 26
2. Day, Mike. "The Golden Age of Drive-Ins," Telegraph Herald, June 24, 2012
3. Ibid.