Mike and Connie Zumstein will celebrate 40 years of serving up burgers and milkshakes on Aug. 10 as their business, Don & Jo’s Drive-In, marks four decades of service in the community.
The couple took over the Ridgefield-based business in 1982 after Don and Joanne Zumstein, Mike’s parents, passed the mantle to them.
Mike helped his father construct the building when he was 12 years old in 1968.
“(I feel) pretty awesome,” Connie said. “I don’t feel like I’m old enough to own a business for 40 years.”
Mike added, “it’s like Moses wandering in the desert for 40 years.”
Although the menu has slightly evolved over the years, Connie has strived to keep it similar to when the couple started working there as teenagers.
“They had deep fried chicken that had bones in it and stuff’s evolved now where most people sell it boneless,” Connie said. “We’ve tried to adapt the menu a little bit, but kept a lot of it the same. We try to keep the same retro kind of vibe.”
She said the restaurant is known for its large variety of ice cream and milkshake flavors. The business has more than 20 options to choose from. Their vanilla and chocolate twist ice cream, and berry flavor, are the most popular.
“A lot of people don’t like change,” Mike said. “They’d come in there 20 years ago and get a hamburger. They can come in there now and get pretty much the same hamburger and they kind of like that, so some things we don’t change too much.”
Mike said the restaurant “sells more burgers than we could ever dream of.” He feels blessed by the business’s employees and their many loyal customers.
Connie said the drive-in’s popularity is in part due to its location near Interstate 5. It’s located between Battle Ground and Ridgefield, which she said are “two really growing areas.”
Family, friends, and former employees are all set to attend the celebration highlighting the Zumstein’s four decades in business. The business will also be open to the public on its anniversary on Aug. 10.
“We’ve had three generations (of workers),” Mike said. “The kids would come in when they were little in the 80s and get ice cream cones, we’re talking 5 and 6 years old. Then pretty soon they’re teenagers and they’re working for us, and then they come in, they’re moms and they got their own kids, and they’re bringing their kids in for the ice cream that they used to get when they were kids.”
Ice cream appeals to people of all ages, which is one of the reasons Mike believes it’s so popular at the restaurant.
“It doesn’t matter if the person’s 4 years old or 80 years old, you hand them an ice cream cone and they usually smile,” Mike said.
Connie said the restaurant has become a staple in the community in part due to its “good service, good prices and good food.”
The Zumsteins have been married since 1975.
Don & Jo’s Drive-In is located at 21903 NE 10th Ave., Ridgefield.
More information on the business can be found online at donandjosdrivein.com.
