The owners of a used auto sales lot along SE 82nd Avenue listed the property for sale. Although unrecognizable from its original use, the site once housed a renowned restaurant that played a role in Portland’s hot-rod culture. In the 1950s, the 30,980 Square foot parcel was home to Rutherford’s Triple XXX Drive-In, serving as a frequent destination for families and car enthusiasts.
Charlie Rutherford operated the two Portland-based Triple XXX Drive-In locations situated relatively close to one another. The Montavilla drive-in sat on the corner lot at 1164 SE 82nd Avenue, and the other location at 6120 NE Sandy Boulevard occupies an entire triangle-shaped block. That building still hosts a restaurant but reflects the indoor seating design added to the Triple XXX eateries in the late 1950s.
The Rutherfords Triple XXX Drive-In chain began in Renton, Washington. It opened in 1930 and was the first drive-in restaurant in the Pacific Northwest. Archie H. Rutherford started the business with his sons Joel and Jerry. The family grew the drive-in chain serving burgers and Triple XXX Root Beer to many locations nationwide, including Portland. Two unaffiliated restaurants are in operation today. One is in Issaquah, Washington, and the other is in West Lafayette, Indiana.
Albert Drake captured the importance of these drive-ins to Portland’s hot-rod culture in his Fifties Flashback: A Nostalgia Trip! collection of articles:
“…Most Saturday nights were balmy, at least in the tricky circuitry of memory, and after we’d finished, I started the engine, turned on the lights, and waited for the carhop. Then I pulled out slowly, being cool, hoping the clutch wouldn’t chatter, rapping the pipes as we headed down the road. Many nights, we made the rounds of other drive-ins. On 82nd, I could hit Merhar’s, where many of the cycle guys hung out, then cruise through Rutherford’s Triple XXX and back through Flanagan’s again, just in case someone hadn’t seen me. On Sandy, there was Jim Dandy’s, a real hot-rod hangout, another Rutherford’s Triple XXX, then Yaw’s, a place where the rich kids from Grant hung out, then on up to the Tik-Tok, a favorite gathering place for rodders since the ‘Thirties.”
Nothing remains of the Triple XXX Drive-In on the SE Taylor Court and 82nd Avenue property. Past owners transformed the 3,678-square-foot structure into a traditional office building, and future owners may redevelop the land for a new use altogether. However, the site’s history built the car culture that took over the country, and its next use can indicate the further trend for American cities.
Update November 30th, 2023: According to the Seattle Times, the Issaquah Triple XXX Rootbeer Drive-in closed permanently on November 29th, leaving only one remaining location in West Lafayette, Indiana.
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