Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
A & W DRIVE IN
A & W DRIVE IN. 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 for one nickel. 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, 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 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.
Perhaps the first drive-in established in the tri-state area was an A & W. One was opened by Leo Loes in Key West. In business from 1930-1931 it offered a miniature golf course. It closed after Loes was killed in an auto accident near Waverly, Iowa.
In Dubuque, Elmer W. Rommell opened the franchise on lower Dodge. It remained open from the mid-1950s to late 1970 with the construction of the new Highway 20. (1)
The 1957 and 1959 Dubuque City Directory listed 687 Dodge.
The 1962 through 1966 Dubuque City Directory listed 693 Dodge and 1005 Rockdale.
The 1968 through 1977 Dubuque City Directory listed 693 Dodge.
A & W DRIVE-IN (# 2). In the mid-1960s, Roger Rommel purchased COMET DRIVE-IN (THE). This restaurant at 1005 Rockdale Road had been opened in the late 1940s by Robert Hervey and his brother, Paul. The A & W remained in business through the mid-1960s.
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Source:
A & W Root Beer Stand - A&W Restaurant History--.aw-drivein.com/About_Us.cfm
1. Day, Mike. "The Golden Age of Drive-Ins," Telegraph Herald, June 24, 2012, p. 6A
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