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A&W Root Beer facts for kids
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| Type | Root Beer |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Keurig Dr Pepper (United States, Worldwide) A&W Canada, Coca-Cola Canada Bottling Company (Canada) Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines (Philippine restaurant only) |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Introduced | 1919 |
| Related products | Barq's, Mug Root Beer, Dad's Root Beer, Hires Root Beer, A&W Cream Soda |
| Nutritional value per 8.1 fl oz / 1 cup / 240 ml | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 120 kcal (500 kJ) |
|
31
|
|
| Sugars | 31 |
| Dietary fiber | 0 |
|
0
|
|
| Saturated | 0 |
| Trans | 0 |
|
Protein
|
0
|
| Vitamins | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Vitamin A equiv. |
0%
0 μg |
| Vitamin C |
0%
0 mg |
| Minerals | Quantity
%DV†
|
| Calcium |
0%
0 mg |
| Iron |
0%
0 mg |
| Potassium |
0%
0 mg |
| Sodium |
2%
30 mg |
| Other constituents | Quantity |
| Cholesterol | 0 |
| †Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults. | |
A&W Root Beer is a popular American root beer drink. It was started in 1919 by Roy W. Allen. You can find it mainly in the United States and Canada.
In 1922, Allen teamed up with Frank Wright. They created the A&W brand. This partnership also led to the start of A&W Restaurants that same year. When it first came out, A&W Root Beer cost only five cents.
Today, Keurig Dr Pepper owns the rights to the A&W brand in most places, except Canada. They let the U.S. A&W Restaurant chain use the brand. Different companies in the U.S. bottle and sell A&W Root Beer.
In Canada, A&W Food Services of Canada handles the restaurants and root beer. They are separate from the U.S. companies. The Coca-Cola Company bottles and sells A&W products in Canada. You can also find the U.S. version of A&W Root Beer in places like Southeast Asia, Italy, Australia, and Chile.
Contents
History of A&W Root Beer
How A&W Root Beer Started
Roy W. Allen opened his first roadside root beer stand in Lodi, California, in 1919. He used a special recipe he bought from a pharmacist. Soon, he opened more stands in Stockton and Sacramento. In Sacramento, "tray boys" delivered drinks right to cars, which was a new idea!
In 1920, Roy Allen joined forces with Frank Wright. This is how the "A&W" name was born. The "A" stands for Allen, and the "W" stands for Wright.
Growing the Business
Allen later bought out Wright's share of the business. He got a trademark for the A&W name. Then, he started selling franchises. This meant other people could open their own A&W stands. They could use the A&W name and logo. They also bought the special root beer syrup from Allen.
At first, these franchised stands did not have the same food or look. Some even sold other foods besides root beer. By 1933, there were 170 A&W franchises across the country.
A&W Through the Years
During World War II, A&W stands faced challenges. It was hard to find workers, and sugar was limited. But after the war, things got better. Loans from the G.I. Bill helped many people. This helped the number of A&W locations grow a lot.
By 1950, there were over 450 A&W Root Beer stands. This was also helped by more people owning cars. In 1950, Allen retired and sold the business to Gene Hurtz. Hurtz formed the A&W Root Beer Company. The first A&W Root Beer location in Canada opened in 1956. By 1960, there were more than 2,000 A&W restaurants!
New Owners and Products
In 1963, the company was sold to the J. Hungerford Smith Company. This company had been making Allen's root beer syrup since 1921. That same year, the first A&W restaurant outside North America opened in Guam.
In 1971, A&W Distributing Co. was created. This company started selling A&W Root Beer in bottles and cans in stores. They first tried it in Arizona and California. Soon, it was sold all over the country. They also offered sugar-free, low-sodium, and caffeine-free versions.
In 1974, A&W introduced its famous mascot, "The Great Root Bear." He became a friendly face for the brand.
Modern Changes
In the late 1970s, A&W Restaurants was formed to manage the restaurant franchises. In 1986, A&W Cream Soda and A&W Diet Cream Soda were launched. In 1987, A&W Sugar-Free was renamed Diet A&W.
In 1993, A&W Beverages joined Cadbury Beverages. Later, in 2008, it became part of Dr Pepper Snapple Group.
In July 2017, A&W Canada changed its root beer recipe. They started using cane sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup. They also added natural flavors like sarsaparilla root, licorice, birch bark, and anise. To celebrate, A&W Canada gave away free root beer on July 22, 2017.
In November 2020, Diet A&W was rebranded again. It is now called A&W Zero Sugar.
A&W Products
A&W offers several different drinks:
- A&W Zero Sugar: This is the sugar-free version of A&W Root Beer. It was first introduced in 1974 as A&W Sugar-Free. In 1987, it became Diet A&W, and in 2020, it was renamed A&W Zero Sugar.
- A&W Cream Soda: This creamy, sweet soda was introduced in 1986. There is also an A&W Diet Cream Soda.
- A&W Floats: In 2008, A&W started selling ready-to-drink floats. These are like a root beer float in a bottle!
- A&W TEN: This is a low-calorie root beer. It started appearing in stores in 2013.
Fun Promotions
A&W has had some fun promotions over the years:
- A&W once teamed up with actor Jim Belushi. They offered a trip to Los Angeles with a special pass to a concert and cookout.
- For its 100th anniversary, A&W offered free root beer. People just had to promise to be "technology-free for one hour every Friday night" that summer. This was called the Family Fun Pledge.
The Great Root Bear
The Great Root Bear, also known as Rooty, became the friendly mascot for A&W Root Beer in 1973.
In Canada, Rooty was famous for his TV commercials. He had a catchy jingle with a tuba sound called "Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum." This song was even released as a single! It was credited to "Major Ursus," which is a fun play on words. The famous Canadian composer Robert Buckley helped create the song.
In the late 1990s, Rooty appeared less often for the restaurant chain. He was sometimes replaced by "The Burger Family." However, he still appeared on A&W Root Beer cases in Canada.
In late 2011, the new owners of A&W started using Rooty again. You can often see him on A&W's websites and social media today.
A&W Restaurants
After Roy Allen bought out Frank Wright, he started letting other people open A&W restaurants. He made money from a small fee and by selling his special root beer syrup. For a long time, there was no standard food menu for all A&W restaurants. But by 1960, there were 2,000 A&W locations!
In 1989, A&W partnered with a company called Carousel Snack Bars. Many of their small locations, often in shopping malls, became "A&W Hot Dogs & More." Some of these places are still open today.
Many A&W locations that opened in the U.S. between 2002 and 2011 were "co-branded." This means they shared a building with other fast-food chains like Long John Silver's, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, or KFC.
As of December 2011, A&W Restaurants had new owners. Its main office moved back to Lexington, Kentucky. In the United States and Southeast Asia, A&W is now a company owned by its franchisees. This means the people who own the individual restaurants also have a say in the company.