Zip's Drive-In

Robert “Zip” Zuber opened the first Zip’s in Kennewick, Washington, in 1953, feeding the scientists and workers pouring into the Tri-Cities for jobs at the Hanford nuclear site. The motto was “Thrift and Swift”. A second restaurant near Gonzaga in Spokane became a student favourite, and the chain spread across the Inland Northwest.

When drive-ins across America were dying in the 1970s, Zip’s owners built some of the first drive-thru lanes in the Northwest and survived. Its regional cult following has been compared to In-N-Out’s. The Zip’s signature quirk is tartar sauce, which the region puts on far more than fish, and a menu of burgers loaded with ham as well as bacon.

About 40 restaurants in eastern Washington and northern Idaho, none of them franchised.

• Checkers & Rally's (United States, since 1986). Two names, one menu, double drive-thrus and fries everyone argues about. Also built on beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack.
• Hardee's (United States, since 1960). Biscuits in the morning, Thickburgers the rest of the day. Also built on beef, bacon, cheese and a double stack.
• Roy Rogers (United States, since 1968). A Mid-Atlantic chain named after a singing cowboy, where you dress your own burger at the Fixin’s bar. Also built on pork, beef, cheese and a double stack.
• Jackson Hole Burgers (United States, since 1972). A family-run New York burger saloon since 1972, where Jennifer Aniston once waited tables. Also built on pork, beef, bacon and cheese.