In the 1920s, White Spot's founder, Nat Bailey, operated a travelling lunch counter in Vancouver, operating out of a 1918 Model T. He sold hotdogs for a dime and ice cream for a nickel. In 1928, Bailey founded the first White Spot restaurant. Initially, he had planned on naming the eatery the "Granville Barbecue", but changed his mind instead taking the advice of a friend who suggested he call it White Spot in honour of a restaurant on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles, California—in part because the name sounded spotless and clean. That White Spot restaurant in Los Angeles has long since closed.