A&W (Root Beer)

A&W (Root Beer) is a national chain of franchise root beer and burger restaurants.

Wikipedia articles: A&W Restaurants and A&W Root Beer

In 1955 there was an A&W (Root Beer) drive-in on Lakeshore Drive in Spearfish Lake. Garth Matson sometimes bought a burger for lunch to get some meat because his wife, Helga, was strictly vegetarian.^FK1

Garth introduced Dr. Herman Luce to the A&W while waiting for a group of canoeing scouts to arrive. Garth also promised to buy lunch for the scouts after they'd been to the hospital.^FK9

By 1987 the location was a Frostee Freeze ice cream parlor which also sold burgers and hot dogs.