| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Retail (grocery) |
| Founded | 1931 |
| Founder(s) | W.T. Dahl |
| Number of locations | 13 (2011) |
| Area served | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Website | dahlsfoods.com |
Dahl's Foods is a grocery store headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa with 13 stores in the Des Moines area.
Dahl's Foods was founded by W.T. Dahl in 1931. The first store was a 1,000-square-foot (93 m2) facility located on Des Moines' east side. The first Dahl's supermarket opened in 1948 and was the first supermarket bakery between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains.
Another store opened in 1952 featuring a scratch bakery, pharmacy, and a lunch counter, uncommon for a grocery store at that time. At the same store, until 1963, customers could drive to the corner of the parking lot to a small brick building known as the "Dahl House" where their groceries, already transported underground, would be available for pick up.
In 1981, Dahl's Food was the site of the world's first grocery purchase using a debit card. Proving successful, all stores were equipped with ATM POS terminals by 1983.[1]