If you grew up in the Bay Area, then you probably remember Doggie Diner and the iconic fiberglass dachshund that stood guard at every location.First opened by Al Ross in Oakland in 1948, Ross eventually expanded his hamburger and hot dog stand to 30 locations. Out done by McDonald's, however, the beloved diners were closed in 1984.
Al passed away this past weekend at the age of 93. Thanks, Al. Your diner's are so fondly remembered by me and so many other Bay Area natives.
When I moved to Boston (from SF, in '97) I made photo postcards of the Doggie. In a then-recent "Zippy the Pinhead" cartoon strip on the topic of email, Bill Griffith wrote in one corner to send him a "real" mail note and here's his address. So I sent him one of the Doggie postcards, since he liked to draw the Doggie into the Zippy strip. Griffith wrote me back asking if he could buy more of the postcards. So I just sent him the five or so I had left.
ReplyDeletenice. i LOVED doggie diner as a kid
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