Soda Fountains

Appears in

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

Published 2004

About

“The drug store soda fountain has brought something new into the modern world—a meeting place where both sexes and all ages may enjoy themselves in an atmosphere of decency and charm…. They combine an emporium where medicine is dispensed with a community center where the whole neighborhood has its good times. The prescription room for serious business, the fountain for gaiety and refreshment” (American Druggist, April 1935, p. 59).

The American soda fountain originated in the early 1800s with the sale of carbonated medicated waters and lasted through the 1960s. During this period, the soda fountain, whether in a drugstore, confectionery, department store, hotel, or sidewalk stand, was a gathering place for families, teenagers, courting couples, women, and, during Prohibition, working men, within walking distance of home or work. The soda fountain provided a clean, wholesome atmosphere in which to enjoy conversation and a tasty concoction. At a time when women did not eat in most restaurants without an escort and when more women were going into the workforce, soda fountains, particularly those offering a light meal in addition to the traditional sodas and sundaes, provided a clean, pleasant, inexpensive dining place.