Meet the Huntingtons
Last updated 4/22/2021 at 8:49am
ODESSA – Dan and Becky Huntington are the new owners of the Odessa Drive-In. No sooner had they put paper on all the windows, painted "Coming soon" on the outward-facing side and began tearing into things they wanted fixed than people started knocking on the door looking for burgers and shakes. Sorry folks, but their plans are to clean, fix, paint, clean, do some minor remodeling, clean and try their best to open for business by July 4. With help from their son Andy, they might just make it by then.
The Huntingtons have spent the past few years visiting various smaller towns in the state looking for a place to spend their retirement. Nothing felt right until they visited Odessa, where Becky's cousin Vicky Pichon and her husband Bill had settled about five years ago. Finally, they felt comfortable enough to purchase a house, even though they would not live in it for another three years.
Dan has now retired after putting in 31.5 years working for Boeing in Everett. Born and raised in Whittier, Calif., Dan and his family moved to Wash. when he was still a young person. His stepfather was from Bellingham, so the family moved out of a problem-ridden neighborhood in Whittier to a more stable location in Washington. They settled in Everett in 1983.
Becky has worked mostly temporary jobs doing data entry and bookkeeping, while raising their daughter Kailyn and son Andy. Andy is a high-functioning autistic who is very friendly and personable, enjoys computer gaming and helps out his mom and dad however he can. Kailyn is married and has two boys, aged 9 and 5. She and her husband and boys recently moved to Ohio, but they will soon come to Odessa for a visit.
Dan says he has always wanted to be his own boss. Becky says that this new venture is just the thing for a guy who is always on the go. She knew he would not want to kick back and enjoy a life of leisure. So she was on board with their purchase of the business. She has also been painting and cleaning like a trooper.
As for the future, the Huntingtons say they are planning to open in July with pretty much the same menu as the drive-in has always had. Then they can tweak the menu as time goes on. So the public will have to be patient a little longer.
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