Open since 1957, a drive-in spot is KY’s most ‘devotion-worthy’ trip, report says
A family owned restaurant about an hour from Lexington was just named the most “devotion-worthy” small business by one financial services company.
Business innovation company Advanced Funds Network surveyed more than 3,000 people to find the spots in each state visitors are willing to drive to reach. For Kentucky, that’s Wigwam Drive-In Restaurant in Ravenna.
When asked what makes the restaurant special, owner Tonya Floyd said it was the nostalgia.
“The Wigwam was started in 1957 and it’s been a family owned business since then,” Floyd said. “At that time it was a happening place for all the kids to come to [and] hang out.”
The restaurant, located at 419 S. Third St. in Ravenna, serves all day burgers, breakfast and homemade pies, as well as offers specials throughout the week. One of the Wigwam’s most popular and classic menu items is the Country Boy Burger, which you can get for $4.50. It has a double patty, three buns, coleslaw, tomato, pickle and cheese.
“We have served a Country Boy Burger here for 67 plus years,” Floyd said.
While the Wigwam is a drive-in restaurant, the spot also has indoor seating.
One Yelp review from 2023 called it the “perfect local restaurant.” Another one called the place a “great neighborhood diner.”
Floyd said the small diner has its fair share of return customers, both locally and from travelers who make the drive for a burger.
“I had a couple in the other day, and they’re like, ‘we’re on our way to Tennessee,’” Floyd said. “And she said, ‘every time we go to Tennessee … we come here and eat.’”
Drive-in restaurants are becoming less common. In 2022, Lexington’s historic Parkette Drive-In closed its doors after more than 70 years.
Floyd said even with the popularity of fast food and restaurant chains, there’s still something special about small, local diners that keep people coming back.
“People in our small town, of course, grow up, get jobs and move out of town, even out of state. But they always want to come home,” Floyd said. “And when they come home, it’s coming here. It’s coming home to the restaurant.”
The Wigwam Drive-In Restaurant is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
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