A&W Root Beer Stands

On 20 June 1919, Roy Allen opened a root beer stand in Lodi, California, brewing the beverage from a recipe he had bought from an Arizona pharmacist. Allen’s gimmick was to freeze the glass mugs so that the root beer would stay icy cold to the last drop. He offered these “frosty mugs” of his home‑brewed special root beer for a nickel. Things went well, and Allen soon opened more stands in Stockton and Sacramento; one of these outlets was a drive‑in—a novel concept in those early years of the automobile age. “Tray‑boys” and “tray‑girls” (later called carhops) took orders and served customers who never had to step out of their cars. In 1920 Allen took Frank Wright, an employee at the Stockton stand, as his partner; combining their initials, they called the company A&W Root Beer. After opening A&W stands in California, Utah, and Texas, Allen eventually bought out Wright, trademarked the A&W Root Beer logo (an arrow and target), and began to franchise his operation.