A&W Root Beer is one of the most well know soft drinks in the United States today. Since 1919, when the first mug was sold, A&W Root Beer has been enjoyed by people all over the US. http://www.awrestaurants.com/#/timeline If you are looking to get your hands on some A&W Root Beer, there are a couple of different ways to do so. In the very beginning, the only way was to go to Lodi, California and buy a mug from Roy Allen, for a mere nickel.http://www.awrestaurants.com/#/timeline

Even in the 60s and 70s, with a change in ownership and over 450 franchises, the only place you could get your hands on A&W Root Beer was at an A&W Drive-In. It wasn’t until 1971 that A&W came out with canned and bottled root beer. This was something Americans across the country had been begging for. 4 years after that, A&W came out with another completely different form of their root beer, A&W Sugar Free, which was later rebranded Diet A&W.

In 1986, A&W launched another one of their most well-known products, A&W Cream Soda. Along with A&W Cream Soda, they came out with A&W Diet Cream Soda. Both of these products were immediately launched both at the drive-in and in stores.

First and foremost, A&W Root Beer in its truest form is meant to be served in a frozen mug. You can also buy the on-tap root beer at any of A&W’s Drive-ins. You can buy A&W Root Beer by the half and full gallon at most restaurants. Other forms of distribution are canned and bottled (both glass and plastic) root beer, which can be bought at most grocery stores. Another extremely popular version of A&W Root Beer is the A&W Root Beer Float. According to didit.com, an A&W Root Beer Float is the #2 thing you have to eat before you die. http://www.diddit.com/food-type-ffkbjl/100-things-to-eat-before-you-die/root-beer-float/ The A&W Root Beer Float is A&W Root Beer with vanilla ice cream added on top.http://www.momsneedtoknow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/root-beer-float.jpg

In 1919, Roy Allen set up a roadside drink stand during a parade for World War I veterans in Lodi, California to offer a new drink, root beer. The formula for the root beer was bought by Allen from a pharmacist in Arizona. http://www.aw-drivein.com/About_Us.cfm It was such a hit that in 1922, Allen decided to find someone to partner with. He partnered with Frank Wright and thus the name A&W was born. The name A&W comes from each of the owners last names, Allen & Wright. They wasted no time in opening a permanent root beer stand in Lodi, followed by one in Sacramento soon after. This was the birth of the first drive-in restaurant that offered curbside service. Two years after the partnership Allen bought out Wright in pursuit of franchising, making it the first American franchised restaurant chain. In less than 10 years, there were more than 170 franchised A&W Drive-In Restaurants. http://www.rootbeer.com/history

By the time World War II had come and gone, over 450 A&W franchises were open. This was in big part thanks to the popularity of the automobile and new mobile society. In 1950, the company was sold to Gene Hurtz. Mr. Allen had decided it was time to retire. No much happened between then and 1963, when the company was sold to J. Hungerford Smith Company. Even with ownership changing many more times during the 60s and 70s, the owners stuck to exclusively distributing the root beer concentrate to the franchises. Making A&W Restaurants the only place you could get your hands on A&W Root Beer. http://www.rootbeer.com/history/<ref><ref>http://www.aw-drivein.com/About_Us.cfm

It wasn’t until 1971, that A&W cans and bottles made their way to store shelves. Then in 1974, A&W introduced a healthy alternative to the original root beer, A&W Sugar Free. Which was later reformulated as Diet A&W. In more recent history, A&W has become part of the Dr. Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. Then in 2002 A&W Restaurants in bought buy Yum! Brand, Inc, the owners of KFC, Pizza Hut, Long John Silver’s, and Taco Bell.http://yum.com/company/ourbrands.asp