History Seattle area news: Issaquah's XXX Root Beer Drive-In has closed

I saw a story on the news last night that yesterday was the last day for the XXX Root Beer Drive-In*** restaurant. They closed the doors after 55 years.

Part of the reason I make mention of it is the owner, Jose, is a car guy himself and big supporter of car clubs & car shows for the 24 years he owned the restaurant. They held a Saturday night cruise-in; and many different types of car shows were held on Saturdays & Sundays. A charity Christmas Toy Drive was also done each early December with a big turnout from the hobby car community. Also, the restaurant was festooned with a lot of americana car culture items.

A big thank-you to Jose, the XXX staff, and associated car clubs for all the great events and memories!

*** sidenote: car-side food service stopped many years ago with the stalls being converted into business spaces, but the restaurant had some indoor & outdoor seating.

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

This is really SAD news!!!

XXX & Jose were a great part of our hobby.

I had the extreme pleasure of transporting this beautiful Woodie Wagon from a friend of mine 13 miles from my place here in Ohio out to Jose. He met me at XXX & filmed the unload in front of a bunch of customers/car folks. He was one of the nicest guys I ever met, he treated me like a king. Even though I don't eat that type of food, he was insistent that he fix me one of his signature HUGE burgers (which was delicious), fries & of course their homemade root beer floats all on the house of course.

He showed me pictures of his other cars as well as the ones he had bought for his kids. He also gave me a T-shirt which had pictures of those cars on it. I was disappointed that my last trip to Washington was in & out via I-5 & did not get to see him that time. Very sorry he had to close.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

My wife an I were visiting her brother in Seattle about 12 years ago and he took us there. What a wonderful place, we had a great lunch and I got a shirt. Since then my wife has always wanted to open up a place like it in Michigan. We were planning on going back there but we still have the memories.

 

I remember when it first opened. Actually, I can remember when it was being built. Been there many times over many years. Too bad it has to go...lots of memories.

 

What!, surely you can’t be serious?! Closed?! It’s preposterous I tell ya, uncouth even. Somebody’s got some splaining to do.

 

That is so sad to hear! Everytime we go over there that was one of our "must" stops.,

 

The link to the short news story. https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/triple-xxx-root-beer-drive-in-closes-after-55-years/281-529554c8-5c8c-4b85-9600-2863fd3030c0

Hard to believe, an institution for so many years. I can’t count the number of shows I’ve been to there. The Saab and Volvo guys even did them in the winter.

Issaquah is a large town now, I can’t guess at what the property is worth (let alone the taxes).

Thanks Jose, for the years and the memories.

 

I can honestly say I’m sorry to see it go. When I was out there I tried to stop by and get a hamburger and root beer float ( best ones I’ve ever had).

 

My own take is that I witnessed so many families (in other words - kids) looking at the cars over the years, and enjoying hamburgers, fries & ice cream while doing so, that I think that is one of the unfortunate elements of it closing down. I'd like to think there are some kids who may have the XXX to thank in small part for any interest they may have in old cars, hot rods, 4x4's, etc, because they visited the XXX on purpose or by accident when a car event/show was going on.

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

I saw that yesterday. That had been one of my favorite stops since the late 70's early 80's. I'd make a lot of runs over the pass to car shows including Henry's Haulers at Marrymoor park in late April and after a rod trot my dad and I would drive to the Tripple X for a burger and I could head back over the pass and he took the back way to Renton. My wife and I would stop there when we were over on the sound with our sailboat as we could park in the hospital lot next door on Sundays without a hassle then. A big loss to the car folks in the PNW and a loss to those of us who liked to hit there on the way back from where ever for a burger, fries and Rootbeer before we headed home.
That Big burger that Bill mentioned filled most of a standard size dinner plate. You could cut it in quarters and feed four people real easy most of the time.

 

Last time I attended an event there was the Rat Bastards show. I remember the big bowl of Twinkys and Dingdongs. The burgers and onion rings were great. Took my 73 Plymouth wagon.

 

Never been there, but sounds like a cool place. Sadly, it’s happening all over the country, the old mom and pop places are being pressured out for chain stores and more tax revenue. I witnessed it in the truck stop industry as the old places with great restaurants were bought out and closed and sometimes replaced by the big chain stations. The first thing to go when a chain took over was the home style restaurants, always replaced with fast food junk. Fast food is OK sometimes, but I always liked a sit down meal once a day, it became increasingly hard to find.

 

I flew up from SoCal to go to the TriFive show at the XXX with my cousin in his '55. Great show put on by the North West Classic Chevy Club. How sad for the car guys of Washington to be losing this place.

Gordy

 

Definitely, the end of an era!
XXX was a great PNW tradition and cool place to cruise to and enjoy a high quality blast from the past !

Fortunately, for us that enjoy great old style burgers and fries and milkshakes, there is still the original "PickQuick" drive in, located in Fife, one of my favorite hamburger stands and picnic places!

 

If you didn't know, there is a PickQuick on 4th Ave S, just north of the West Seattle bridge. I just learned about it this past summer.

 

Hey @gotta56forme
That is correct, but let me bring you up to date about that fiasco on 4th Ave South in Seattle.
The guy that set that in motion ( Mr. Gerard Centioli), got the permission from the Burgi family, that owns the original one in Fife, to try to duplicate it.

Centioli spent years trying to convince the Burgi family to let him do it, and he spent 4 million on the unit that was in Auburn, that eventually failed.

The Burgi family was very resistant, to having anyone trying to duplicate the original, so they opted to not have any of the Burgi family money invested in Centioli's business, and that was a smart move.

I got in touch with Joe Burgi, after I tried out the new place when it opened in Auburn, and I asked him why the menu wasn't the same and why the food didn't taste as good as the one in Fife.

Joe said with a sad face, Centioli would not listen, and he changed the recipe, and he cut corners on the way things were prepared.
And Centioli failed to recognize the fact, that the grille in Fife was 50 years old and it was electric and it was well seasoned, and maintained properly.

Basically, Centioli thought he knew more about the burger business than the tried and true recipes and style of cooking that is still going strong after all of these years in Fife.

The name and sign is the only thing that remotely resembles the original one in Fife.

And it should be known, that the Burgi family doesn't operate the one that failed in Auburn, and it doesn't operate the one on 4th Ave. South

It was tried by Centioli, down in Auburn, and even though it started out great, it didn't last, and was closed, the one on 4th Ave South in Seattle, still operates, but don't be fooled, the service and the quality of the food, is sadly lacking the quality that is seen and enjoyed at the original location in Fife.

The original one in Fife, is the genuine article.
You can taste the quality, that has always existed from the one in Fife, that quality and taste, in my opinion, doesn't exist at the one on 4th Ave. South.

Ask me how I know.

Here are some shots of the original one in Fife, so the readers will know what the original one is.
Thanks from Dennis.

 

Believe it or not that location is about 100 yards from where I work.

 

Thank you for the background, I had no idea. I've not been to the one in Fife, and only learned of the 4th Ave S location this past summer, funnily enough, because I was walking out of Costco one day with my In&Out Burger t-shirt on, and the Costco receipt checker made a big deal out of the Pickwick having the best burgers in the city. I've been 2 or 3 times. I have a 'The Habit' burger joint near me. Of the two, I like the Habit burgers better; and prefer the Pickwick fries, so I've bounced between the two a few times.

Next time I'm in/near Fife, I'll try to remember to try that location for 'perspective'.

Gotta56forme/Scott

 

Hey Scott @gotta56forme .
Just a heads up to you.
The one in Fife at 4306 Pacific Highway East, Fife Washington 98424
Tel. 253- 922- 5599
Is closed from December 1st till February 1st for the winter season.
It's well worth your time and the drive down to Fife, to have the original high quality, and then you can judge for yourself !
I assure you, you wont be disappointed !
Thanks from Dennis.

 

I just had a nice email conversation with Jose (owner) of XXX & in typical Jose fashion....He was completely positive & was looking forward to the next phase of his life. I purposely waited a few days after his closing to reach out to him, because I knew he would be swamped with well wishers. He responded within 12 hours & talked more about me, my service, our friendship & how honored he was to have spent time with me when in reality it is ME that is honored to call him FRIEND! That is what this hobby is all about ....Great Friends with mutual likes! There is No Way that I will not see him in person next spring when I am out in Washington with a transport trip already scheduled!

Be sad that XXX is closed, but don't be sad for Jose! He is a shining example of the great folks in our hobby.

God Bless
Bill
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...ar-transport-hauling-open-or-enclosed.614419/

 

It sucks to loose the location but you can't blame Jose at all. 80 years old and gets a nice offer for the property, I would do the same thing!
His kids are taking the big sign, parts and all the memorabilia & photos inside and putting them in storage so it can be used later and not lost to history.

 

I'll miss stopping there for a burger before heading back over the pass but wish him well in his well deserved retirement.

 

I was an Olive Way, Rainier and Ballard Triple X goer when I lived in Seattle.
Issaquah was half way to the moon back then.
We used to have timed racing around the Olive Way building after they closed for the evening.

 

Does the Auburn Parks Department still own and run the property that the old XXX/Big Daddys is on on Auburn Way? I thought they still hosted car shows?

 

Sorry to read about the XXX closing. Back in the late 40's early 50's my mom was a car hop at the XXX in Bremerton, WA. It was the local hot rod hang out and she got to know all the guys and cars that frequented the place. She met her best friend there, who was the cook, and they shared a lifetime of fun. Even thou she was married with two kids (my younger sister and myself) she was an honorary member of the car culture at the time. I can remember going there with my dad and seeing the rods and having that great Rootbeer float. Unfortunately it closed a number of years later but she always remembered those years and the rodders she met while working there.

 

The XXX was a hub of the car culture in just about every town they were in in the 50's I'd go to the one in Yakima WA with my family in the 50's once in a while but we always went inside to eat. . I always hoped we would get a table by the window so I could look out and see what cars were outside. I don't remember going there after I started driving though so it may have gone away in the early 60's. That or it had lost favor with the car folk because they didn't have curb service and carhops anymore.

 

Had some friends that lived up in North Bend we used to stop in to that XXX when we were down that way Had some great times there .

 

Hope springs eternal, and that might be what this is. The latest news I’ve found on the future of the Triple X. At least a local company, and a regard for the history. Cross your fingers.

https://www.king5.com/article/life/...tion/281-b30727fc-874b-4170-a1aa-46ed1f9cb3ea

 

Well, a half of loaf is better than no loaf at all !
That being said, I sure hope that the people of Burgermaster, really take the time to do it right and keep the quality high.
It makes me smile, to know that potentially, this could be a great experience.
Time will tell.
Thanks from Dennis.

​

 

Damn, that burger looks good...