The first drive-in restaurant in the Pacific Northwest was established in 1930 in Renton by A.H. Rutherford. The combination of Triple XXX Root Beer and food turned out to be a great idea which spread nationwide. Of all the XXXs that ever graced our country’s landscape, Issaquah’s is the only one left which sports the traditional barrel. Another Triple XXX still thrives in Lafayette, Indiana.
Issaquah’s original XXX Restaurant was located on Sunset Way near the location of Flintoft’s Funeral Home. That restaurant, which was known by locals as “The Barrel”, operated until the 1950′s when the location was needed for a car dealer’s parking lot. Today’s XXX Root Beer Drive-In opened in 1968 at its current location.
The restaurant serves up 1950′s style hamburgers and dairy concoctions in large serving sizes, and is proud to host frequent gatherings of vintage automobile and motorcycle enthusiasts.
Now a family-owned business, the restaurant was purchased in March 1999 by José Enciso and his grown children. Originally from Mexico, Enciso has worked in restaurants since he was a young teenager. He takes special pride in owning and improving such a visible Issaquah landmark and says, “XXX may not be the oldest historic building in Issaquah, but it’s probably the one which is most visited and enjoyed.”
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