Well, now. . . .

When the first Dick's 19¢ hamburger drive-in opened in Seattle in 1954, I knew the manager of the place. He told me that people would often ask, "How can you sell these for only nineteen cents?" He got a little tired of being asked the question, so he started answering, "We lose money on each individual sale, but we make it up in volume."   A few people squinted at him kinda funny, but most people seemed to find the answer perfectly acceptable.

Dick's still exists, the original in the Wallingford District, one on Broadway not far from where I live, and I think there are a couple of others around. They do crank out a pretty good burger. Check the column on the right.

They don't have the 19¢ hamburger anymore. Their lowest priced burger is the "Dick's Special," $1.60. Not too shabby.

Don Firth