The First Frosty Mug
One hot day in June of 1919 in Lodi, California an entrepreneur named Roy Allen mixed up a batch of creamy root beer and sold the first frosty mug of this delightful beverage for one nickel. Now, more than seventy years later, A&W Root Beer® is the world's number one selling root beer and is still mixed fresh daily and sold at hundreds of A&W® restaurants.
Allen purchased the formula for his root beer from a pharmacist in Arizona. To this day, the unique blend of herbs, spices, barks and berries remains a proprietary secret.
With the success of his first root beer stand in Lodi, Allen soon opened a second stand in nearby Sacramento. It was there that what is thought to be the country's first "drive-in" featuring "tray-boys" for curb side service, opened up.
In 1922 Allen took on a partner, Frank Wright, an employee from his original Lodi location. The two partners combined their initials - "A" for Allen and "W" for Wright and formally named the beverage, A&W Root Beer®. Three units were opened in Sacramento, then on to other northern and central California locations and to the states of Texas and Utah.
By 1933, the creamy beverage was such a success that there were over 170 franchised outlets operating in the mid-west and west. To insure uniform quality for the namesake beverage, Allen sold A&W Root Beer® concentrate exclusively to each franchise operator.
During World War II no new restaurants were opened and despite governmental sugar rationing and employee shortages most A&W® units remained successful. After the war, the number of A&W® restaurants tripled as GI loans paved the way for private enterprise to flourish.
In 1950, with over 450 A&W® restaurants operating nationwide, founder Roy Allen retired and sold the business to an aggressive Nebraskan named Gene Hurtz, who formed the A&W Root Beer Company. The post war era - the rapidly recovering economy and popularity of the automobile, provided the right environment for Hurtz's company to prosper. Drive-ins were becoming increasingly popular and A&W® had the privilege of being one of the few nationally established drive-in restaurant chains. By 1960 the number of A&W® restaurants had swelled to over 2000.
A standard core menu for the restaurants was introduced in 1978. It was the first time in A&W® history that there was a consistent menu offering. And, it was at this time that A&W Restaurants, Inc., the wholly-owned restaurant franchise subsidiary was formed.
The corporation launched a new restaurant concept in 1978, The A&W Great Food Restaurant. A modern up scale concept, these facilities featured fresh 1/3 and 1/2 pound 100% pure beef hamburgers, salad bars, ice cream bars and of course A&W Root Beer® in a frosty mug. This concept was perhaps ahead of its time, and while they still exist, they have been reformatted to blend in with the current chainwide concept - a modern, comfortable fast food environment at competitive prices serving the finest quality food.