A&W Restaurants

September 29, 2001

Not to be confused for the Canadian chain.

A&W Restaurants is a fast food chain founded in Lodi, California, prominently known for its root beer floats. It was founded in 1919, when Roy Allen opened a roadside stand to sell his root beer, made from secret blend of 16 herbs, spices, barks and berries. Five years later, he bought out Frank Wright and began selling franchises. The company's name is taken from the last letters of their founder's surnames: Allen and Wright. August 20, 2001

History
In June 1919, an entrepreneur named Roy Allen sold his first root beer for one nickel and shortly found success. He then opened a second root beer stand near Sacramento, thought to be the country's first "drive-in". Allen later took an employee named Frank Wright and the two became partners; they combined their initials "A" for Allen and "W" for Wright and dubbed their product A&W Root Beer.

A&W started expanding internationaly in 1956, after opening in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It expanded into other parts of the world, including the Phillipines and Malaysia.

Meals

 * Papa Burger
 * Bacon Double Cheeseburger
 * Original Bacon Cheeseburger

Sides

 * Fries
 * Chili Cheese Fries

Drinks

 * A&W Root Beer