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 and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The c ...
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 in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...
with the rest 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
* '' ...
,
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
, and
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
.
Products
Stewart's is famous for its
Stewart's Fountain Classics
Stewart's Fountain Classics is an American brand of premium soft drinks. 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 Stewart in M ...
root beer and
hot dogs, but most locations also offer
hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches,
cheesesteaks,
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 ...
, and
milkshakes.
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.
See also
*Stewart's Fountain Classics
Stewart's Fountain Classics is an American brand of premium soft drinks. 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 Stewart in M ...
* List of hamburger restaurants
References
External links
*
{{Restaurants in New Jersey
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
Drive-in restaurants
Root beer stands
Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states
Restaurants in New York (state)