     
Mug Shots - Resources for A & W collectors
A & W Root Beer has a long and proud history, since 1919 in the United States.
No other food service company can boast their combination of longevity,
innovation, diversity, and memorabilia.
Yet little has been written about A & W Root Beer or A & W Restaurants.
There are a few books on soda, root beer, or drive-ins which devote
scattered references to A & W achievements. These web pages were developed
to aid collectors in finding, identifying, and assessing the value of
A & W memorabilia.
Contacting the A & W Companies
- A & W Restaurants Inc. - The main A & W company in the United States
is A & W Restaurants, Inc. There are separate companies controlling the
Root Beer, and other aspects of A & W throughout the world.
-
A&W Restaurants
div. of Yorkshire Global Restaurants, Inc.
101 Yorkshire Blvd.
PO Box 11988
Lexington, KY 40579-1988
tel: 859-543-7000
fax: 859-543-7111
for franchise info: Mr. Bryon Stephens, VP Franchise Sales and
Development, email: BStephens@YGRest.com, tel: ext. 7075
- A & W Food Services of Canada - A & W in Canada is a completely separate
company from A & W in the United States. The Canadian division, started in
1956, became a subsidiary company in 1969, and was sold in 1982.
For franchising information:
-
A & W Food Services of Canada
#300 - 171 W. Esplanade
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K9 Canada
Attention: Betty Johnson, Franchise Development Administrator
Phone: 604-988-2141, Fax: 604-988-5531
web site: http://www.awfranchise.com/
e-mail: awfranchise@aw.ca
- A & W Root Beer - The company that started it all. Ownership has traded
hands several times since the company started in the 1920s.
-
A & W Root Beer
Cadbury-Schweppes
Stamford, CT 06905-0800 USA
- A & W Root Beer - Contact in Canada:
-
A & W Root Beer Company of Canada Ltd.
North Vancouver, BC V7M 3K9 Canada
Please
let me know
if any of the above is incorrect or outdated.
A & W-related Web Sites
Books
- Root Beer: Advertising and Collectibles, by Tom Morrison, Schiffer
Publishing, 1992. This source gives a nice (brief) history of the
brand, and contains dozens of pictures and prices of various
memorabilia.
- More Root Beer Advertising & Collectibles, by Tom Morrison, Schiffer
Publishing, 1997. More pictures and values, though less than the
first book.
- The American Drive-in - History and Folklore of the Drive-In
Restaurant & American Car Culture, by ?, 19??.
- Everybody's Business, an Almanac - The Irreverent Guide to
Corporate America, by Milton Moskowitz, Michael Katz, and
Robert Levering, 1980.
- A History of the American Soft Drink Industry, by John Riley, 1958.
- The Hotel & Restaurant Business, 5th edition, by Donald E.
Lundberg, 1989.
- Soda Poppery - The History of Soft Drinks in America, by Stephen
N. Tchudi, 1986.
Documents
News
- In Canada, the CNW Group Newswire lists A & W press releases.
- In the USA, A & W Restaurants lists their press releases here.
- In June 2005, A & W Restaurants celebrated National Float Day. Included in the press releases are three paragraphs by or about me.
Magazines
Magazines are a hit-and-miss source of tidbits about the A & W companies and
their products. For the die-hard (like me), these are some worth checking,
especially when/if you can find their contents indexed:
- Advertising Age
- Beverage World
- Foodservice & Hospitality (Canada)
- Marketing (Canada)
- Nation's Restaurant News
and of course, various daily news papers.
Newsletters
- Root Beer Float - Produced by Dave and Kathy Nader in Wisconsin, this
newsletter has been around since 1992, with 4-6 pages reporting on
collector discoveries and queries about root beer, plus a page of
buy/sell/rade ads. Six issue per year for US$5. Contact
dknader@hotmail.com, or write to:
Root Beer Float
609 Devils Lane
Walworth, WI 53184 USA
Discussion Group
I have set up a discussion group (like a listserv or a Usenet newsgroup)
on Yahoo Groups (www.yahoogroups.com).
The Mug Shots eGroup is a message exchange for collectors and fans of A & W(R)
Root Beer memorabilia. Emphasis is on glass mugs, but discussion of related
collectibles is welcome.
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