First of two parts: From Piggly Wiggly to Taco Bell to Hooters, here are the details on some of the most popular brands that arrived in Anchorage and why they departed.
on Alaska history by Anchorage historian David Reamer. Have a question about Anchorage or Alaska history or an idea for a future article? Go to the form at the bottom of this story.
The first Anchorage establishment that might, while stretching the definition, be considered a chain store is K.A. Kyvig’s City Drug. Later called Anchorage Drug, it opened in 1915 as a licensed Rexall franchise, meaning it had purchased the right to sell and advertise Rexall-branded products. A better answer for the first chain store in Anchorage is the Piggly Wiggly grocery store that opened in 1929.
The 1970s saw the breakthrough of national chains into Anchorage, headlined by the arrival of McDonald’s on July 2, 1970, at the intersection of Arctic and Northern Lights Boulevards. Five months later, a second location opened on DeBarr Road near Boniface Parkway. The DeBarr location was then the largest McDonald’s in the country. The downtown location that opened in 1976 was larger still.Kentucky Fried Chicken requires more explanation than most chains.
The first national pizza chain to reach Anchorage was Pizza Hut, which opened a store on Spenard Road in 1969. Shakey’s Pizza came next in 1971, eventually followed by three more Anchorage locations, plus one in Eagle River. The last of these closed in 1990. Then there was Godfather’s Pizza in 1981, Chuck E. Cheese in 1982 , Dominos in 1985, Little Caesars in 1987, Papa John’s in 2000, and Papa Murphy’s also in 2000.
A common Anchorage misconception is that the Spenard Roadhouse on Northern Lights Boulevard and the Castle Megastore on Fifth Avenue buildings used to be Pizza Huts. The roofs, in particular, are somewhat Pizza Hut-shaped, but they were previously Sizzler steakhouses. At their peak, there were three Sizzlers in Anchorage, the previously mentioned two plus one on Dimond Boulevard. The Northern Lights location opened first in 1977. It closed around 1993.
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