The first Iceberg Drive Inn was opened by Lamar Sorensen on April 12, 1960. A local ice cream machine salesman named Hap Vitale had the idea for a building with a distinctive roof that served great milkshakes, burgers and fries. He convinced Lamar to open this concept and Iceberg Drive Inn was born. It was located on the corner of 900 East and 3900 South in Salt Lake City, Utah. The building was originally designed to be moved after a few years as he was only renting the land at the time. Many report that it was the first drive thru in the Salt Lake City area. Lamar insisted that Drive Inn be spelled with two “n’s” as he felt it appeared friendlier to invite people to an “inn” rather than simply a “drive in”.

Iceberg was a great success from the beginning and was quickly bringing smiles and memories to children and families. It received a reputation for having innovative shake flavors that could not be found anywhere else.

At first, Lamar served “regular” shakes that used a straw. But then a group of regular customers asked for thicker shakes that didn’t have as much milk. These over the top shakes were only available at first to the regulars that requested them. When many other customers begin requesting these over the top shakes, Lamar and his staff abandoned the original formula for our now over the top Famous Thick Shakes.

Lamar ran the business for 36 years until 1996 when he sold it to new ownership in 1996. The new owner’s original intention was to tear the building down, but after meeting customers, seeing the history and realizing the potential, they decided that it was a good business decision to keep running the original Iceberg Drive Inn. The owners decided it should be run by a family member to keep the tradition of friendly service.