History

Johnny Ray was born in Holden, Missouri, in 1930. He then resided in Smithton until relocating to Lee's Summit in 1948. Johnny Ray worked for Winsteads before joining the 101st Airborne Division, where he served during the Korean War as a paratrooper. Before purchasing the restaurant, he worked as a truck driver and supervisor following his discharge. In 1956, Johnny Ray bought Winstead's Drive-In located in Lee's Summit and renamed it Johnny Ray's Drive-In. He had his favorite spot in the diner at one end of the horseshoe-shaped countertop, which still holds the worn-in spot where he sat over 60 years later. Johnny Ray passed away in the summer of 1990, and Martha has continued it until the present day. All their kids and grandkids have worked at one time or another.