Dick’s Drive-In plans to open new restaurant in South King County in 2023. Here’s where

Following a 20-minute drive south on I-5 on Thursday afternoon, the Dick’s Drive-In food truck pulled into The Commons at Federal Way, at the intersection of Pacific Highway and South 320th Street.

Here — in “a year or two,” said president Jasmine Donovan in a Facebook Live stream tracking the truck’s progress south — the storied Seattle burger joint will open its ninth restaurant.

“We’re very excited to finally be able to share with fans across the region where the next Dick’s Drive-In location is going to be,” she teased during the faux-radio broadcast on 1954 AM, so named for the company’s inaugural year in Seattle’s Wallingford neighborhood.

Since then, the company expanded slowly, sticking to its roots of fresh burgers, shakes and fries at fair prices. In 2018, one landed in Kent on Pacific Highway near Highline College — about 20 miles from its nearest locations in Seattle and Bellevue. During the past two years, the Dick’s Drive-In food truck has made its way to Tacoma and Puyallup a few times for city-sanctioned events.

“That [Kent] location is pretty far away from all of our other locations,” said Donovan. “We’ve been quietly looking, and we were lucky to find a really great spot.”

The Kent restaurant, she added, “needed a sister store, so we could share talent back and forth” for the employees more likely to live in South King County.

At a small celebration Thursday when the truck arrived at The Commons — also home to Dick’s Sporting Goods — Federal Way mayor Jim Ferrell recounted ‘70s-era memories of picking up burgers and fries with friends at the original location near the University of Washington in Seattle. After watching Saturday Night Live, they knew Dick’s Drive-In would be open until 2 a.m.

“It is really one of the legendary restaurants in our community, and we are really lucky to have it,” he said.

City council president Linda Kochmar said she has friends who met while working at one of the restaurants years ago.

“I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem for Chick-fil-A,” she joked, referring to the fast-food chicken chain across the street.

Some commentators on social media worried it might be too near the Kent store, which, without traffic, is about a 15-minute, 6.5-mile drive north.

“Coming from Maple Valley or Enumclaw, the true far South King County residents, this new location will feel no different than the other in terms of distance and time,” noted one fan.

“Of course someone is already mad. Can’t please everybody I guess,” said another. “This is great as it is the closest to Olympia. Woo Hoo!!”

In an email to The News Tribune, Donovan said the Federal Way restaurant increases the likelihood of a Tacoma restaurant down the line.

“It would have been a stretch for supplies, personnel and support to make that our next location, but this new location in Federal Way makes a Tacoma restaurant even more likely in the future,” she said. “We invest a lot in each new location and we want to grow sustainably. I’m not sure exactly when but I definitely see a Tacoma Dick’s Drive-In in our future.”

DICK’S DRIVE-IN - FEDERAL WAY

▪ 1928 S. Commons, Federal Way, ddir.com

▪ Details: storied Seattle burger group opens new restaurant, target opening 2023

This story was originally published April 29, 2022 at 5:00 AM.