D&D Drive In

“The good Lord, he put two people down on Earth over here. And that’s my thing. He couldn’t satisfy them two people, how in the hell are you gonna satisfy everybody?,” said Mr. Roland Ledet, in regard to his time here at the restaurant. And while his words ring true, I can’t help but think that he and the generations to follow were able to satisfy more than enough people for us to still be turning the open signs on after sixty years of business.

That’s right– sixty years. And you may be wondering specifically which day of this year marks our 60th year anniversary. The truth is, we honestly don’t know. Some remember it happening in June, and some remember our first day of operation occurring in August. So we’re starting our 60 Years of Service celebration now.

We’re D&D Drive In. Formally Double D Drive Inn, formally H&R Drive Inn, formally R&R Drive Inn.

Let’s start at the very beginning, before R&R was established. After returning home from serving in the Korean War, he met the love of his life, Ruth Hebert. One blind date and just a few months later, the two became one. After getting married and starting a family, he tried his hand at a few jobs; he peddled fruit and managed the local bowling alley alongside his older brother. After the long, late hours away from his wife and family, he was determined to find something better for his wife and four children. At this time, a small drive-in style restaurant in Larose called Neb’s Place was for sale. Roland and Ruth were tasked with running this new business venture, and although Roland didn’t have any restaurant experience, Ruth was an excellent cook and had previously worked as a waitress at a place in Golden Meadow. Roland always credited his wife for the restaurant’s success, saying that she was there the whole time, pushing him along. R&R is for Ruth and Roland. Each of their four children took their turn working in the restaurant.

In the summer of 1973, Ruth’s brother, Harry Hebert, showed interest in hopping into the food service industry, Roland took him in and split the business with him, creating H&R Drive Inn, for Harry and Roland. The two worked together till January of 1980, when it became time for Harry to leave the restaurant so that he could start his own place.

Roland, having full control of the business again, decided at this time to name the business Double D after his two sons, David and Darrell, who continued to live on the bayou. David and Darrell were children when their parents started their restaurant journey. And although David attended school and graduated high school, he didn’t care for school much because he knew what he wanted to do with his life post graduation– he was going to be in the restaurant like his parents. In August of 1989, an application for a kitchen position on David’s shift came. This server would later become his wife– a true restaurant romance.

When asked about the romance within the windows of the Double D, Darlene said “By October of ‘89 I knew I had feelings for David…We just cut up A LOT, he made me laugh…He was just different, and he made sure to include Tony, my son, as much as he could. I never gave the idea of potentially owning the restaurant with David any thought. I came here to work. But I am very grateful for what the restaurant has added to my life, like my husband and best friend, who in turn became the father to my son. And then we had our daughter, Erin. Life wasn’t always easy, especially working together, but we did it and continue to do it, it’s us for better or for worse.”

The two brothers worked together from February 1980 till November of 1997. David and his wife, Darlene, bought the business at that time and changed the name to D&D Drive Inn. D&D stands for Darlene and David.

And now we’re here, three generations later. Erin, David and Darlene’s daughter, has now come into the family business, along with her husband. They have no plans of changing the name, beside dropping the last “N” on Drive Inn. We’re D&D Drive In now. Four name changes, one family. It’s enough.

“I’ve been in this place since I was born, I had a playpen in the back room. My dad used to tell me to try to find a career outside of the business because of how demanding the business is. I tried a 9-5 job, but it wasn't for me. So Adam and I came back, ready to learn the ropes,” said Erin. When asked about what the business means to Erin, she said “I feel guilty for not realizing sooner in life that this was an amazing opportunity to carry along the legacy my grandparents started. But I’m thankful for their bravery and hard work, along with the hard work and dedication from my parents. Because now I get to work alongside the people who mean the most to me. It’s nice to share this opportunity with my husband by my side because we truly do make a good team. I look forward to our future here together.”

Roland Ledet unfortunately passed away in May of 2022. We know that he would be proud of where we are today. And we know that because his wife said so. When asked about her Late husband’s thoughts on the 60th anniversary, she said “He would be very, very proud. He would be proud that it lasted as long as it did; he could have never done it alone. It’s been a very long journey, but everything came out good.”

Since we’ve been around for a bit, you may have memories of visiting the restaurant. Maybe you came by to get a malt from Mr. Roland after school as a child. Maybe you remember riding the kiddie rides outside the restaurant or spending your last coins in the arcade. Perhaps you had a tradition of stopping by on your way to go fishing. Hopefully you do have memories of the food you were served and that you were able to enjoy those meals from us with the people who mean the most to you–your family, whether that family is one you were born into or one that you found along the way. We’re a family owned and operated restaurant, and we feel such pride that we were able to feed the families of our community for the last sixty years. We’re happy to be included in your families’ memories of sitting around the table enjoying each other along with the food that we prepared for you.

So let’s raise our milkshakes for a celebratory toast.

From our family to yours, cheers to sixty years!