Changing Hands After 37 Years, Ron’s Drive-In Is Getting A New Owner, But Everything Else Will Stay As Joe And Ron Made It

On April 1, Joe Genova told longtime customers that he had sold Ron’s Drive-In. “Oh, yeah,” they answered. “April Fool’s.”

But it’s no joke.

Genova and his son, Ron Genova, the drive-in’s namesake, have sold the 37-year-old fast-food restaurant to Denny Hegewald and his wife, Pamela Crowell.

But Hegewald is quick to reassure customers that he’s not going to try to fix something that isn’t broken.

“You won’t notice any difference,” he said. “The only difference is that I’m out there cleaning tables.”

Customers will find the same kind of Big R burgers at the Spokane Valley restaurant, just east of Pines on Sprague, that they have since it opened in 1958.

A few items might be added to the menu, Hegewald said, but the employees and suppliers will remain the same.

And he won’t touch the big ‘50s-style yellow-and-red sign out front. “My friends say I should change my name to Ron,” said Hegewald, laughing.

Hegewald, 48, has stepped into some well-worn shoes as the owner of the Valley landmark - the area’s first hamburger drivein. It’s stayed successful despite the competitive strip of urban sprawl that has rolled past it.

The California-style hamburger stand has seemed to find a niche with Valleyites.

On Aug. 31, 1958, a Spokesman-Review reporter wrote:

“Right on the way to the lake for many people and close to home for Valley residents, this drive-in immediately ‘caught on.’ And because the hamburgers are so good, its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds.”

The building has grown, too. The hamburger stand was torn down in 1979 so that the Genovas could build a restaurant with inside seating.

And they have added fish, chicken and salad entrees along the way.

When asked why he decided to sell the business, Joe Genova replied, “(I’m) 80 years old. That’s a pretty good reason, isn’t it?”

“It’s been a good living,” he said. “I’m going to miss all my good friends.”

“When they were in high school, I used to kick them out,” Genova said of the Central Valley High School students who considered Ron’s the place to hang out.

And during that time, Ron Genova and his siblings got plenty of work experience at the restaurant. When Ron was 14, he peeled onions and took out the garbage.

“We were the only drive-in then,” Ron said.

“There used to be a lot of horse pastures here,” he said. Customers occasionally would ride up on a horse to grab a burger.

But over the years, the long hours, stress and a double-bypass heart surgery in 1993 convinced Ron, 49, that it was time to call it quits.

“It’s kind of sad, really,” he said.

“My health has been affected. It’s time to slow down.”

Both Ron and Joe Genova said they look forward to spending their new free time golfing and fishing.

Meanwhile, Hegewald is excited about his new job. The transition between the owners is a friendly affair.

The Genovas are sticking around to help out for several months while the new owner gets settled.

Hegewald, a Spokane resident since 1968, said that running the restaurant is a dream come true. “I’ve always wanted to own this restaurant,” he said, “ever since I was a little boy.”

“Everyone has a story about Ron’s DriveIn.”

Hegewald has one, too. While staying with friends in Mammoth, Calif., last month, he discovered that Ron’s Drive-In isn’t known just to the locals.

He told the Californians that he was going to buy the hamburger joint and they responded with enthusiasm: “That’s our favorite restaurant in Spokane.”

Tales like that don’t surprise Joe.

“We have very faithful customers - that makes you feel good,” he said.

John Hull, a 1963 Central Valley graduate, remembers when kids would drive up and “tool around” in their cars.

“It’s a restaurant landmark,” he said of Ron’s. “Not too many have been around and survived. McDonald’s and Burger King - those places have come and gone.”

“I’m happy for Joe and Ron,” Hull said. “I’d hate to see them leave - they’re good hosts and good restaurateurs.”

But if the new owner can maintain the quality of food at reasonable prices, he said, Ron’s Drive-In should remain popular.

Hegewald plans to do just that.

His background is in marketing, banking and insurance.

Now he’s traded in his suits for casual clothes and a white lap apron. “I don’t want to wear a tie,” he said.

Hegewald is putting in a lot of hours, but says he’s having fun.

And son Jan, 15, already has started helping out with the family business by clearing off tables. Jan’s sister, 10-year-old Alice, will start when she’s old enough, Hegewald said.

They’ll likely run into Joe as he sits down and chats with customers.

He’s not sure how quickly he can break the decades-old habit of getting up and going to the restaurant every day.

“I’ll probably drop in quite a lot,” Joe said.

Ron said, “It’s hard to walk away.”