THE ROOT BEER STAND

The Root Beer Stand has been a Sharonville and Cincinnati eating tradition since 1957.

First called the “A & W” Root Beer Stand”, the eatery has always been on the same site, which back in 1957, was the main road from Michigan to Florida ( Cincinnati-Dayton Road). In those days, before interstate highways crisscrossed America, a large number of daytime customers were travelers or truck drivers. Saturdays packed The Stand with little league baseball teams coming in after their games for a nickel mug of root beer.

Mick and Nancy Ridenour – along with Nancy’s parents, Jim and Catherine Clark – were the original owners. They liked the idea of running a seasonal restaurant, a perfect fit for schoolteacher Mick.

Catherine was an excellent cook. She loved experimenting with different spices; this is how she came up with the secret recipe that became the Root Beer Stand’s chili. And the namesake recipe – the root beer – is still made from the water out of the 280 foot deep well that is on the property.

Most of the employees have always been teenagers – carhops back in the early years. Customers loved the carhops with their black slacks, white shirts and white gym shoes serving cold glass mugs of root beer and foot-longs.

Except for the addition of exterior siding a few years ago, The Stand looks pretty much the same as it did in 1957. The building was set up so customers were either waited on by carhops or walked up to two screened windows for outside carryout service. Today’s kitchen was the old storage area. With the growth of the business and bringing the carhops inside as counter help, more space was needed. Changes were made and completed by the 1973 season.

In 1982, the A & W franchise expired and the name was changed to “The Root Beer Stand”. By late 1989, both Jim and Catherine Clark had passed away. Mick and Nancy decided they were ready to retire, and when The Stand opened in late March for the 1990 season, Scott and Jackie Donley became the new owners.

The Root Beer Stand has always been a close-knit family operation and a neighborhood landmark. Stop in this summer and say hello!

Did you know?...........

• A trucker left his hat 15 years ago and each year some 15-20 hats are donated to the collection that hangs from the ceiling.
• The Root Beer Stand has never served French fries.
• Ten years ago, a nice young man named Tim walked in and ordered a foot long with everything – thus the “Timmy Dog” was born.
• The root beer mugs are served chilled, not frosted, and never with ice.