Stewart's Restaurants are classic 1950s style fast-food restaurants located throughout the United States. Restaurants are branded as Stewart's Root Beer or Stewart's Drive-In or similar variations. Started in 1924 in

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

by Frank Stewart, the chain became a franchise in 1931. As of 2021, there are 30 locations open in the United States, the majority of which are located in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

with the rest in New York,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

, and

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

Products

Stewart's is famous for its

Stewart's Fountain Classics Stewart's Fountain Classics is an American brand of premium soft drinks. History Stewart's are nostalgic "old fashioned" fountain sodas, having originated at the Stewart's Restaurants, a chain of root beer stands started in 1924 by Frank S ...

root beer and

hot dog A hot dog is a grilled, steamed, or boiled sausage served in the slit of a partially sliced bun. The term ''hot dog'' can also refer to the sausage itself. The sausage used is a wiener ( Vienna sausage) or a frankfurter ( Frankfurter Würs ...

s, but most locations also offer hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, Cheesesteaks,

ice cream Ice cream is a frozen dessert typically made from milk or cream that has been flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as Chocolate, cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit, such as strawberries or peaches. Food ...

, and

milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may ...

s. Root beer products can be sold as bottled or frosted mug drinks and floats. Products tend to vary from location to location, based on the type of service offered. Express locations offer a simpler menu, and full service locations offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

History

The first Stewart's Drive-In was opened by Frank Stewart in 1924 Mansfield, Ohio. Stewart opened up a small stand to make extra money in the summer to supplement his income as a school teacher. The restaurant was originally a West-Coast-style fast-food eatery serving only root beer and popcorn. Stewart added extra salt to his popcorn to boost his root beer sales. He opened up more locations, many of them with carhops. Entrepreneurs John and Ami Mandt helped expand the business by franchising the brand starting in 1931, and there are two such remaining locations in West Virginia. Ownership of the company was handed over to Ohio businessman Carl Ransbottom, then to businessman Raymond Beck. Carl's son, Robert E. Ransbottom continued to work under Beck, who sold the company to Frostie Enterprises in 1971, which was purchased by a company named Moxie Industries. In 1979, the company was handed over to a new company, DeNovo Corporation, which also operated Dog n Suds franchises in the Midwest.Stewarts Restaurants
Michael W. Fessler, one of the original owners of the DeNovo Corp., still owns Stewarts Restaurants, Inc.

References

External links

* {{Restaurants in Ohio Restaurants in Ohio Restaurants in New Jersey Restaurants in Pennsylvania Economy of the Eastern United States Regional restaurant chains in the United States Fast-food chains of the United States 1924 establishments in Ohio Restaurants established in 1924 Fast-food franchises Hot dog restaurants in the United States Hamburger restaurants in the United States Drive-in restaurants Root beer stands Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Restaurants in New York (state)

Products

History

See also

References

External links