Classic Dog n Suds drive-in in Grayslake for sale

A heapin' helpin' of nostalgia is for sale in Grayslake.

After 23 years, Chris Beckord, proprietor of the classic Dog n Suds drive-in on Center Street just west of Route 83, wants to retire and turn over his apron to a new cook.

He's asking $850,000 for the 55-year-old business on about an acre of land and a small concession trailer. In only two days, the sale notice posted on Facebook has generated interest from about a dozen tire kickers, he said.

But what can't be valued in dollars and cents is the look and feel of an unchanged reminder of carefree summers days, car hops taking and serving your order and everything else that came with the drive-in culture of the 1950s and 1960s.

"The important thing for a business like this is that it stay the same," says Beckord, 63. "There are a lot of people who try to recreate a retro look. This is the original," he added.

And one of the few remaining. Founded in 1963 in Champaign by two music teachers from the University of Illinois, the chain rapidly grew to become an iconic part of American culture, known for creamy root beer, Coney dogs and Texas burgers.

In 1969, the chain was named by a business publication as a leader in the restaurant industry. At its peak in the mid-1970s, more than 600 Dog n Suds operated in 38 states and Canada with 15 new ones opening each month.

"There were 70-plus Dog n Suds in the Chicago metro market back in the heyday, (but) one by one, they went away," Beckord said.

Growing pains and corporate changes led to closings and conversions by operators who abandoned the brand in the ensuing decades. Only 11 remain, although some of the products are available at other places and root beer and sodas are available in some grocery stores.

One of the surviving drive-ins is the Grayslake store, which opened in 1963. There are three others in Illinois - one in Ingleside, which has been run by the same family for more than 50 years, another in Richmond and a third in Robinson.

In 1995, Beckord lived in Grayslake and was working as a product manager for the now-defunct Outboard Marine in Waukegan.

By chance, he saw a story in a local newspaper saying the Dog n Suds was for sale.

"I read the article and it grabbed me. I said, 'I've got to find out about this,'" he said. "I didn't know it was here. I never really came to this part of town. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the absolute truth."

He had worked as a vendor for the Brewers in his native Milwaukee but had no retail food experience. Beckord said he wanted to open his own business and a restaurant was not on the radar. But he was drawn by respect for the brand and culture of Dog n Suds.

"My logic was if it's been here for 32 years, I can't mess it up," Beckord said of becoming the fourth owner. "I was determined not to change anything."

Beckord operates from late February to late September, seven days a week.

"This is a good business. It requires a lot work, but in seven months you can make a good living," he said.

While the sales process is underway, Beckord knows it may not happen quickly. If need be, he is prepared to greet customers for the new season on Feb. 22, 2019.

"Every day when I put the key in that lock, I had a smile on my face," he said. "It's going to be hard to walk away."