A Tale of Three Saginaw A&W Root Beer Stands
- Jun 28
- 4 min read
“Mrs. Farwell and her family moved to Saginaw in 1943. She owned and operated the A&W Restaurant on Gratiot for many years. She loved her business and her customers, and it was her life. After her husband passed, she bought the franchise from her brother-in-law Howard Farwell and had a new A&W drive in built. She later sold that in 1975.”
-From the obituary of Irene B. Farwell, The Saginaw News, January 8, 2004.
By World War II, Saginaw had two A&W Root Beer Stands – one on East Genesee and one on South Granger. While there is no known Saginaw connection with the founding of the iconic chain, the company’s distinctive orange and black drive-ins are woven into the fabric of our community. According to the A&W website:
“Roy W. Allen opened his first Root Beer stand in Lodi, California on June 20th [1919]. It was a hot night that coincided with a city-wide party celebrating the homecoming of local World War I heroes. [In 1922] Allen partnered with former Lodi employee Frank Wright. They leased their first two Root Beer stands to other operators so they could expand into the larger city of Sacramento. This was around the same time the partners coined the new name A&W®, “A” for Allen & “W” for Wright.” (https://www.awrestaurants.com)
A&W’s arrival in Saginaw is given as 1937 – a little less than two decades after the firm’s founding. While the earliest details are a little vague, it appears the first stand was located at 1709* East Genesee and was almost immediately joined by one at 807 S. Granger. The initial buildings were minimal – quite literally stands. According to tradition, W.J. and Dale Spry were responsible for opening the Saginaw locations. The first listing for an A&W Root Beer stand in a city directory is 1941 – a listing for Mae Spry, a widow who both operated an A&W root beer stand and resided at 807 Granger. The Saginaw News recounts the next local chapter:
“[Howard L. and Violet] Farwell came to Saginaw in 1939 from Wisconsin in 1939 to manage Saginaw’s two . . .A & W stands, at 1703 Genesee and 807 South Granger. He bought the Saginaw A & W franchise in 1947.” (The Saginaw News, February 26, 1958. )
Howard Farwell’s brother and sister-in-law, Irene and William Farwell, joined Howard in Saginaw about 1943 to manage the eatery on Granger. After William’s passing, Irene purchased the stand at 807 Granger.
In March 1958, a third A&W stand was completed at 4961 State Street. “Located on a 150 x 235 foot lot, the new 30 x 40 foot concrete block building is finished in the traditional A&W orange and black. A seven-foot A&W trademark sign has been erected at the property line.” (The Saginaw News, Martch 5, 1958.) The midcentury modern structure sported a flat roof with a pylon- visually anchoring the building, and more importantly, holding the sign. Each Saginaw A&W Root Beer stand featured the expected coney dogs and root beer; however, there was a surprising amount of latitude in the menus at each branch. And in the 50s, Saginaw products were featured – Rainbo Bread for the buns [our inside sources report early A&Ws featured top-sliced hot dog buns] and Mooney’s provided the Ice Cream. …And need we add? all three stands embraced customers in cars – providing curb service that enabled customers to dine in the comfort of their own vehicles.
The State Street A&W operated until at least 1967; however, by 1969, another business was at the site. The location only operated for about a decade. Competition for drive-in restaurants was fierce on the quickly developing six-lane State Street. An advertisement for Christmas trees at the stand indicates resourceful marketing and utilization of space.
Over the course of the following decades, the Genesee and Saginaw restaurants adjusted to meeting changing needs. In 1959, a new building was constructed at 807 South Granger. Showcasing the firm’s iconic black-and-orange color scheme and curb service, it was a much more substantial building than the original facility.
In 1975, The Saginaw News announced:
“Howard L. And Violet Farwell, 4165 Richard, have sold their business at 1703 E. Genesee, and Mrs. Irene Farwell, 2410 Oakwood, had sold the A&W stand at 807 S. Granger.”
The stand on East Genesee would operate through the 1970s, and the Granger branch would make a transition into an independent restaurant. It became The Old Town Drive-In – although no longer part of the chain, it was still housed in the 1959 building, with its roots as an A&W Root Beer stand, clearly apparent. Also, today, the chain operates restaurants in Birch Run and Shields.
And as summer sets in, we are reminded of an advertisement:
”Dry – You Need A Tall, Cool A&W Root Beer At Your A&W Stand.”
The Recipe: An A&W Root Beer Float
Initially, we contemplated attempting a recreation of the A&W coney sauce. There are numerous online recipes, each proclaiming to be the true sauce. As we reviewed – and debated – with our consultants, we realized it was not a sauce conversation into which we were willing to wade. Also, it isn’t like there aren’t options. Two official A&W franchises operate in Saginaw County, and Old Town Drive-in offers a sauce that brings back Proustian** memories of sitting in the back seat of a car, waiting for a tray to arrive.
So, we offer an easily created A&W Root Beer ice cream float for a summer day. After all, it all started with root beer…
Ingredients:
2- 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
1 Bottle of A&W Root Beer
Assembly:
Pre-chill mug in freezer.
Remove mug from freezer. Place 2-3 scoops of ice cream into mug. Slowly pour in root beer. As glass fills with foam, allow foam to settle and add more root beer. When glass is nearly full, top with an additional scoop of ice cream.
Serve with spoon and straw.
Note: If you have overfilled the glass, clean exterior of glass prior to serving.
*The East Genesee address started as 1703 and eventually transitioned to 1709 East Genesee. It is quite possible that this change represented the construction of a new building.
**For those who are not familiar with Proust - Or refer to Julia Child’s recipe for Madeleines.
