What does A&W stand for?

I got to wondering, so I checked it out...

On June 20, 1919, while the citizens of Lodi, California held a parade honoring the returning World War I veterans, a young entrepreneur named Roy Allen would set up a roadside drink stand to cure the thirst of the spectators. His new thick and creamy drink concoction, root beer, was an instant success at a nickel per glass mug. In the 80 years that have passed, little did Allen know that his roadside drink stand would turn into a multi-million dollar international soft drink business.
 

So positive was the customer response for his root beer beverage that Allen immediately took on his first partner, Frank Wright. In 1922, Allen and Wright combined their initials "A" for Allen and "W" for Wright to formally name the beverage, A&W Root Beer. The letters "A" and "W" would appear on the glass mug for the first time.

With his drink stand success, Allen wasted little time in opening his first permanent root beer stand in Lodi. He soon followed with a second stand in nearby Sacramento where the country's first "drive-in" featuring "tray-boys" for curbside service, opened. The A&W Root Beer stands success grew rapidly as two more units were opened in Sacramento.

In 1924, Allen bought Wright's share of the business to actively pursue a franchise sales program. With the A&W Root Beer name trademarked with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, Allen began selling franchises to others. It enabled individuals to use their own capital to open A&W drive-ins and vending booths, thus establishing America's first franchised restaurant chain. By 1933, more than 170 A&W outlets were franchised. To ensure uniform quality for his beverage, Allen sold A&W Root Beer concentrate exclusively to each franchise operator.

Despite government rationing of sugar during World War II, A&W Root Beer stands remained successful. Following the war, the number of A&W outlets tripled as GI loans paved the way for private enterprise. Driven by the popularity of the automobile and the new mobile society, more than 450 A&W Root Beer stands were operating by 1950. It was in 1950 that founder Roy Allen retired and sold the business to an aggressive Nebraskan named Gene Hurtz, who formed the A&W Root Beer Company.
 

< Back to Interesting Stuff