#FlashbackFriday: 1988—the First Frank’s Franks Opens

According to “One Hundred Years of Service: A History of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service,” the first Frank’s Franks, an Exchange-exclusive restaurant, opened May 1, 1988—37 years ago this week—at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

The opening was met with little fanfare in the Exchange Post, which makes only a passing mention of Frank’s in its 1988 editions. It wasn’t until the February and March 1989 editions, when the Exchange Post did a deep dive into the Exchange food program—which included in-house concepts such as Anthony’s Pizza and Robin Hood and more—that Frank’s got much attention.

Frank’s evolved from a previous Exchange hot-dog program, which called for 21 varieties of franks.

“Out of that original number, we took the cream of the crop, ending up with seven basic franks and one Polish sausage,” Bob Poulson, who oversaw the in-house restaurant program, told the Exchange Post. “The reduced number makes the operation manageable. It also reduces our inventory and the strain on our customer in deciding what to order.”

The stands’ looks were also important.

“When you look at Frank’s Franks, it’s got the bright-colored tiles that are easier to keep looking sharp and a distinctive logo,” Poulson said. “It’s a distinctive restaurant and people are drawn to that.”

An early Frank’s Franks, location unavailable.

Poulson pointed out that hot-dog stands (such as The Dog House) were nothing new for the Exchange, which had operated them all over the world. Frank’s Franks was more about serving a top-quality product and standardizing the stands’ offerings. As with Anthony’s Pizza, Robin Hood and other in-house restaurants, the goal was to get customers to identify with the product, as opposed to identifying the restaurant as an Exchange operation.

At its peak, Frank’s Franks had 109 restaurants and 24 carts in operation, including at outposts such as Eagle Base in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where it was part of a food court that opened in 2002, and at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras.

Eventually, Frank’s Franks and other Exchange-exclusive restaurants began giving way to name brands. The last Frank’s Franks closed in 2014.