![Soda jerker flipping ice cream into malted milk shakes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Soda_jerker_flipping_ice_cream_into_malted_milk_shakes._Corpus_Christi%2C_Texas.jpg)
Soda jerk (or soda jerker) is an American term used to refer to a person — typically a young man — who would operate the
soda fountain
A soda fountain is a device that dispenses carbonated soft drinks, called fountain drinks. They can be found in restaurants, concession stands and other locations such as convenience stores. The device combines flavored syrup or syrup concent ...
in a
drugstore
A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...
, preparing and serving
soda drinks and
ice cream soda
An ice cream float or ice cream soda (also known as a spider in Australia and New Zealand), is a chilled beverage that consists of ice cream in either a soft drink or a mixture of flavored syrup and carbonated water.
When root beer and vanilla ic ...
s. The drinks were made by mixing
flavored syrup,
carbonated water
Carbonated water (also known as soda water, sparkling water, fizzy water, club soda, water with gas, in many places as mineral water, or especially in the United States as seltzer or seltzer water) is water containing dissolved carbon dioxide gas, ...
, and occasionally
malt powder over either ice or a few scoops of
ice cream
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a snack or dessert. It may be made from milk or cream and is flavoured with a sweetener, either sugar or an alternative, and a spice, such as cocoa or vanilla, or with fruit such as str ...
. The drink would then be served in a tall glass with a long-handled spoon, most commonly known as a "
soda spoon", and
drinking straw
A drinking straw is a utensil that is intended to carry the contents of a beverage to one's mouth. Straws are commonly made from plastics but environmental concerns and new regulation have led to rise in reusable and biodegradable straws. These ...
s.
Soda jerks were relatively common in the United States from the 1920s until the late 1950s; the occupation essentially no longer exists, due to economic and social trends.
Origin of term
The term ''soda jerk'' was a pun on ''soda clerk'', the formal job title of the drugstore assistants who operated soda fountains. It was inspired by the "jerking" action the server would implement to drive the fountain handle back and forth when adding soda. The soda fountain
spigot
A tap (also spigot or faucet: see usage variations) is a valve controlling the release of a liquid or gas.
Nomenclature
United Kingdom
* Tap is used in the United Kingdom and most of the Commonwealth for any everyday type of valve, partic ...
itself was typically a sturdy, shiny fixture attached at the end of a pipe which protruded over the counter and curved down at the end for filling glasses. Since most drinks required carbonated water, the tap handle was built large to accommodate frequent use of the fountain.
History
The practice of operating a soda fountain in a
drugstore
A pharmacy (also called "drugstore" in American English or "community pharmacy" or "chemist" in Commonwealth English, or rarely, apothecary) is a retail shop which provides pharmaceutical drugs, among other products. At the pharmacy, a pharmacis ...
reached its peak popularity in the 1940s
[ but was popular from the 1920s through the 1950s. The position was coveted, and was commonly only awarded after protracted menial labor in the store.] Soda jerking was dominated by popular young men with loud personalities and good people skills because of the popular environment and "cool" association. These boys who worked at the shops were expected to serve the drinks and also socialize and entertain the guests.
Michael Karl Witzel describes an archetypal
The concept of an archetype (; ) appears in areas relating to behavior, historical psychology, and literary analysis.
An archetype can be any of the following:
# a statement, pattern of behavior, prototype, "first" form, or a main model that ...
soda jerk as " consummate showman, innovator and freelance linguist... the pop culture star of the Gilded Age
In United States history, the Gilded Age was an era extending roughly from 1877 to 1900, which was sandwiched between the Reconstruction era and the Progressive Era. It was a time of rapid economic growth, especially in the Northern and Weste ...
".[
The proliferation of ]ice cream parlor
Ice cream parlors (American English) or ice cream parlours (British English) are places that sell ice cream, gelato, sorbet, and/or frozen yogurt to consumers. Ice cream is typically sold as regular ice cream (also called hard-packed or hard s ...
s declined as drive-in
A drive-in is a facility (such as a restaurant or movie theater) where one can drive in with an automobile for service. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk or rollerskat ...
s and walk-up fast food
Fast food is a type of mass-produced food designed for commercial resale, with a strong priority placed on speed of service. It is a commercial term, limited to food sold in a restaurant or store with frozen, preheated or precooked ingredien ...
stands grew in popularity, and grill and fry cooks replaced soda jerks.[ Some modern theme diners are styled after establishments in the 1950s and include a soda jerk, along with ]retro
Retro style is imitative or consciously derivative of lifestyles, trends, or art forms from history, including in music, modes, fashions, or attitudes. In popular culture, the "nostalgia cycle" is typically for the two decades that begin 20–30 ...
jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media. The classic jukebox has buttons, with letters and numbers on them, which are used to selec ...
es and booth seating. Mixed soda drinks in the form of dirty soda Dirty soda is a beverage that became popular in the U.S. Mountain West in the 2010s, and in the 2020s began to expand to a national consumer base. Made of soda "spiked" with cream and flavored syrups or fruit juices, the drink has been described as ...
have seen a notable reemergence since the mid-2010's in modern establishments.
Generally, soda jerks wore iconic white paper or cloth caps called "soda jerk caps", button-up shirts with a bow tie and an apron as their uniform.
Lingo
Soda jerks were known for having their own lingo for how their drinks were made. They created nicknames for different drinks. For example, they called a glass of milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
"baby" and a strawberry 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, fruit syrup, or whole fruit into a thick, sweet, cold mixture ...
"in the hay". A Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...
with ice was called "scratch one". They also had lingo to express how they wanted their drink to be served. Coffee
Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world.
S ...
, or "draw one" would be served strong if called "draw one from the south". If a drink was ordered with extra ice it was "heavy on the hail".
Some of these terms are still used today. Egg cream
An egg cream is a cold beverage consisting of milk, carbonated water, and flavored syrup (typically chocolate or vanilla), as a substitute for an ice cream float. Despite the name, the drink contains neither eggs nor cream.
It is prepared by po ...
s, the shorthand for a chocolate soda with some milk, are served in many places and are especially known in New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
where they originated.
Another term from soda jerk lingo that remains in use is "concrete," a name for an extremely thick milkshake or custard. For example, Culver's
Culver Franchising System, LLC (Culver's) is an American fast-casual restaurant chain. The company was founded in 1984 by George, Ruth, Craig, and Lea Culver. The first location opened in Sauk City, Wisconsin on July 18, 1984 under the name "Cul ...
continues to serve their famous Concrete Mixers.
See also
* Dirty soda Dirty soda is a beverage that became popular in the U.S. Mountain West in the 2010s, and in the 2020s began to expand to a national consumer base. Made of soda "spiked" with cream and flavored syrups or fruit juices, the drink has been described as ...
* Barista
A barista (; ; from the Italian/Spanish for "bartender") is a person, usually a coffeehouse employee, who prepares and serves espresso-based coffee drinks.
Etymology and inflection
The word ''barista'' comes from Italian where it means a male ...
* Bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...
* Lunch counter
A lunch counter (also known as a luncheonette) is, in the US, a small restaurant, similar to a diner, where the patron sits on a stool on one side of the counter and the server or person preparing the food serves from the opposite side of the ...
* Milk bar
In Australia, a milk bar is a suburban local general store. Similar, but not identical, establishments include tuck shops, delicatessens or "delis", and corner shops or corner stores. Milk bars are traditionally a place where people buy new ...
* 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, fruit syrup, or whole fruit into a thick, sweet, cold mixture ...
* Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...
References
External links
* Albright, Andrea.
Longtime soda jerk closes up shop
, ''The Topeka Capital-Journal
''The Topeka Capital-Journal'' is a daily newspaper in Topeka, Kansas, owned by Gannett.
History
The paper was formed following numerous name changes and mergers, including the merger of ''The Topeka Daily Capital'' and ''The Topeka State Jour ...
'', July 9, 2000.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soda Jerk
Cultural history of the United States
Obsolete occupations
Food services occupations