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A&W Root Beer
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A&W Root Beer
A&W Root Beer is an American brand of root beer that was founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen and primarily available in the United States and Canada. Allen partnered with Frank Wright in 1922, creating the A&W brand and inspiring a chain of A&W Restaurants founded that year. Originally, A&W Root Beer sold for five cents (equivalent to $0.93 in 2025).
The rights to the A&W brand (except in Canada) are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which in turn licenses the brand to the U.S.-based A&W Restaurant chain. A&W Root Beer products are distributed via various U.S. bottlers. A&W Food Services of Canada, which is independent of both Keurig Dr Pepper and the U.S. restaurant chain, is responsible for the restaurants and marketing of root beer products in Canada, with retail products bottled and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. The U.S. variant is also sold as an import drink in Southeast Asia and Italy (where A&W has restaurants), as well as in Australia, Chile, and other countries.
Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, California in 1919, using a formula he had purchased from a pharmacist. He soon opened stands in Stockton, and five stands in nearby Sacramento where "tray boys" pioneered drive-in curbside service.
In 1922, Allen partnered with Frank Wright, birthing the A&W brand name. Allen bought Wright out, obtained a trademark, and began selling restaurant franchises - creating one of the early restaurant chains in the United States. Franchise owners could use the A&W name and logo and purchased concentrated root beer syrup from Allen. However, there was no common menu, architecture, or set of procedures, and some chose to sell food as well.
By 1933 there were 170 A&W franchises. During World War II, franchisees struggled with labor shortages and sugar rationing, but after the war the number of A&W outlets tripled, helped in part by the availability of GI loans. The proliferation of the automobile and the mobility it offered also led to growth; by 1950 there were more than 450 A&W Root Beer stands in operation. That year, Allen retired and sold the business to Nebraskan Gene Hurtz, who formed the A&W Root Beer Company.
The first A&W Root Beer outlet in Canada opened in 1956.
By 1960, the number of A&W restaurants swelled to more than 2,000.
In 1963, the company was sold to the J. Hungerford Smith Company, which had produced Allen's concentrate since 1921. Also in 1963, the first overseas A&W restaurant opened in Guam. In 1966, Hungerford was sold to the United Fruit Company, which merged with AMK Corporation in 1970 to form the United Brands Company. In 1971, United Brands formed a wholly owned subsidiary, A&W Distributing Co., to retail its root beer. After test runs in Arizona and California (Phoenix, Tucson and San Diego), the products were distributed nationally, including sugar-free, low-sodium, and caffeine-free versions.
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A&W Root Beer
A&W Root Beer is an American brand of root beer that was founded in 1919 by Roy W. Allen and primarily available in the United States and Canada. Allen partnered with Frank Wright in 1922, creating the A&W brand and inspiring a chain of A&W Restaurants founded that year. Originally, A&W Root Beer sold for five cents (equivalent to $0.93 in 2025).
The rights to the A&W brand (except in Canada) are owned by Keurig Dr Pepper, which in turn licenses the brand to the U.S.-based A&W Restaurant chain. A&W Root Beer products are distributed via various U.S. bottlers. A&W Food Services of Canada, which is independent of both Keurig Dr Pepper and the U.S. restaurant chain, is responsible for the restaurants and marketing of root beer products in Canada, with retail products bottled and distributed by the Coca-Cola Company. The U.S. variant is also sold as an import drink in Southeast Asia and Italy (where A&W has restaurants), as well as in Australia, Chile, and other countries.
Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, California in 1919, using a formula he had purchased from a pharmacist. He soon opened stands in Stockton, and five stands in nearby Sacramento where "tray boys" pioneered drive-in curbside service.
In 1922, Allen partnered with Frank Wright, birthing the A&W brand name. Allen bought Wright out, obtained a trademark, and began selling restaurant franchises - creating one of the early restaurant chains in the United States. Franchise owners could use the A&W name and logo and purchased concentrated root beer syrup from Allen. However, there was no common menu, architecture, or set of procedures, and some chose to sell food as well.
By 1933 there were 170 A&W franchises. During World War II, franchisees struggled with labor shortages and sugar rationing, but after the war the number of A&W outlets tripled, helped in part by the availability of GI loans. The proliferation of the automobile and the mobility it offered also led to growth; by 1950 there were more than 450 A&W Root Beer stands in operation. That year, Allen retired and sold the business to Nebraskan Gene Hurtz, who formed the A&W Root Beer Company.
The first A&W Root Beer outlet in Canada opened in 1956.
By 1960, the number of A&W restaurants swelled to more than 2,000.
In 1963, the company was sold to the J. Hungerford Smith Company, which had produced Allen's concentrate since 1921. Also in 1963, the first overseas A&W restaurant opened in Guam. In 1966, Hungerford was sold to the United Fruit Company, which merged with AMK Corporation in 1970 to form the United Brands Company. In 1971, United Brands formed a wholly owned subsidiary, A&W Distributing Co., to retail its root beer. After test runs in Arizona and California (Phoenix, Tucson and San Diego), the products were distributed nationally, including sugar-free, low-sodium, and caffeine-free versions.
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