A&W Root Beer
Various locations around Sioux Falls
This location, new in 1976 was at 2601 West 41st Street.
A&W Root Beer has been around since 1919, when Roy W. Allen opened a stand at a parade honoring returning World War I veterans in Lodi, California. Allen hired Frank Wright to help out, and the two soon formed a partnership, naming the business after themselves. Before long, the two began opening restaurants which were set apart from others by a particular practice: Their mugs were kept ice cold before being filled with root beer. The company would later bottle and can the beverage, promising the same “frosty mug taste” when the product was purchased from super markets. Allen and Wright began franchising their business in 1926.
Gerald Palmer of Tomah, Wisconsin, came to Sioux Falls in 1940 to help his mother run a refreshment stand owned by Lydia Vinger, who was a big player in Wisconsin real estate markets. Palmer’s mother, Mrs. William Keller, had lived in Sioux Falls for a short time and Gerald had experience with this kind of business in Wisconsin. By 1945, this little refreshment stand 18th and Spring would become Sioux Falls’ first A&W Root Beer location. It may have even been the first restaurant franchise in the city. Business took off as post-war car culture took off and teens found that parking at the drive-up was a swell way to spend leisure time.
On October 28, 1950, Gerald Palmer married Rosemary Alice Nordland of Pierre. Everyone knew her as Alice. She’d graduated from Sioux Falls College in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree and worked at Sioux Valley Hospital thereafter, helping out at the A&W as her other duties permitted.
In early 1952, the drive-in was relocated to the southwest corner of 29th and Minnesota. This new location on the popular thoroughfare provided much better visibility. The Palmers would hire people to run the stand as they returned to Gerald’s old Wisconsin stomping grounds for extended periods of time. Alice worked at Tomah Memorial Hospital starting in early 1953.
For the most part, the root beer stand was a seasonal business, closing in the cold months, then making a brisk business once the temperature warmed up enough to make a frosty root beer float a real treat. The Palmers leased the land at 29th and Minnesota until 1959, at which point they purchased it for $18,000.
The following year, the franchise hit the 15-year mark and was recognized for this accomplishment by the A&W Company. Over the years, the business had expanded beyond malts, floats, and soft drinks to include burgers, fries, shrimp, and chicken. These little expansions required additional space and remodeling. Fortunately, as the business was closed during the winter months, there was some downtime in which to accomplish these upgrades.
In October 1969, after 25 years with A&W, the Palmers sold the land at 29th and Minnesota to the growing Southway Shopping Center, located just to the south, and started plans for a new location at 41st and Williams, near the new Western Mall. Many businesses were opening and moving to this new retail area, and the Palmers hoped to get in on the ground floor. They built a new brick building with a distinctive A&W style, with canopies extended to the south to shield cars from rain and sunshine while carhops delivered their cool treats. Built-in picnic tables on the north side provided patio dining space on nice days. The new location finally opened on October 9, 1972.
Gerald Palmer of Tomah, Wisconsin, came to Sioux Falls in 1940 to help his mother run a refreshment stand owned by Lydia Vinger, who was a big player in Wisconsin real estate markets. Palmer’s mother, Mrs. William Keller, had lived in Sioux Falls for a short time and Gerald had experience with this kind of business in Wisconsin. By 1945, this little refreshment stand 18th and Spring would become Sioux Falls’ first A&W Root Beer location. It may have even been the first restaurant franchise in the city. Business took off as post-war car culture took off and teens found that parking at the drive-up was a swell way to spend leisure time.
On October 28, 1950, Gerald Palmer married Rosemary Alice Nordland of Pierre. Everyone knew her as Alice. She’d graduated from Sioux Falls College in 1948 with a Bachelor of Science degree and worked at Sioux Valley Hospital thereafter, helping out at the A&W as her other duties permitted.
In early 1952, the drive-in was relocated to the southwest corner of 29th and Minnesota. This new location on the popular thoroughfare provided much better visibility. The Palmers would hire people to run the stand as they returned to Gerald’s old Wisconsin stomping grounds for extended periods of time. Alice worked at Tomah Memorial Hospital starting in early 1953.
For the most part, the root beer stand was a seasonal business, closing in the cold months, then making a brisk business once the temperature warmed up enough to make a frosty root beer float a real treat. The Palmers leased the land at 29th and Minnesota until 1959, at which point they purchased it for $18,000.
The following year, the franchise hit the 15-year mark and was recognized for this accomplishment by the A&W Company. Over the years, the business had expanded beyond malts, floats, and soft drinks to include burgers, fries, shrimp, and chicken. These little expansions required additional space and remodeling. Fortunately, as the business was closed during the winter months, there was some downtime in which to accomplish these upgrades.
In October 1969, after 25 years with A&W, the Palmers sold the land at 29th and Minnesota to the growing Southway Shopping Center, located just to the south, and started plans for a new location at 41st and Williams, near the new Western Mall. Many businesses were opening and moving to this new retail area, and the Palmers hoped to get in on the ground floor. They built a new brick building with a distinctive A&W style, with canopies extended to the south to shield cars from rain and sunshine while carhops delivered their cool treats. Built-in picnic tables on the north side provided patio dining space on nice days. The new location finally opened on October 9, 1972.
By March of 1977, a new Empire Mall location opened, providing two A&W locations to serve the public. In August, 1979, the Western Mall location closed, leaving Sioux Falls with one location. It is possible that the traffic, driven further west to the new mall, deprived the Western Mall location of much needed business. The Empire location was gone by 1982.
It’s unclear what the Palmers’ involvement with the restaurants was after 1979, but there is evidence to suggest they moved on to Missouri. They’d served a lot of root beer in a lot of frosty mugs to a thirsty public.
It’s unclear what the Palmers’ involvement with the restaurants was after 1979, but there is evidence to suggest they moved on to Missouri. They’d served a lot of root beer in a lot of frosty mugs to a thirsty public.
A&W turned up again in 1996 for a short time in the Shriver's Square Food Court. In 2003, a new location was established in a pairing with Kentucky Fried Chicken at 3401 E 10th St., where it remains to this day. Grab a frosty mug, why don't ya?
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