Ontario, CA - The A&W Root Beer Drive-in in Ontario, CA shut its doors for the last time on April 30, 2006. This drive-in along Holt Avenue has been in business since 1960. Unfortunately with sales down and reduced corporate interest, the owners decided to close down. Those who used to frequent the monthly cruise nights will now need to find another location. 04-06

A&W Root Beer sign close-up April 30, 2006
Ontario, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Along Holt Boulevard in Ontario, a stop at A&W Root Beer came with a parking space, a speaker, and a meal delivered right to the car. Press the Order-matic button, place an order, and wait for a window tray to arrive. No need to unbuckle and head inside. The automobile had already supplied the seating.

Opened in 1960, the drive-in carried on a style of eating that once seemed right at home throughout Southern California. Burgers, fries, and frosty mugs of root beer made a comfortable excuse to pull off the boulevard. Add a scoop of ice cream, and getting back on the road could wait a little longer.

A&W Drive-in Carport
Ontario, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The carhop service was part of the attraction. Rather than rolling past a pickup window, customers stayed put while the food came to them. A crackling intercom and a tray hooked over the window gave the visit its own familiar routine. Hopefully the driver remembered to return the mug before leaving.

Cruise nights gave the lot another role. Classic cars gathered where generations of motorists had already been stopping for something to eat, turning an ordinary meal into an evening of automobile watching. Owners could compare engines and paint jobs while roadside visitors admired the whole scene. This was one restaurant where looking around the parking lot could take longer than reading the menu.

A&W Root Beer
Ontario, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Over the years, the place became a gathering spot as much as a root beer stand. Families returned, cars changed, and the boulevard grew busier, but the drive-in kept offering a little piece of the earlier cruising era.

When word spread that A&W was closing, customers came back for a final visit. The last day, April 30, 2006, ended a 46-year run. For longtime patrons, ordering one more float was also a chance to say goodbye to a place that had been part of their trips along Holt.

There are a couple of unverified ghost tales supplied with the history, too. One describes an intercom crackling in the darkness after closing, with a faint voice ordering fried zucchini and a frosty mug before the sound of an engine fades away. Fact or fiction? Apparently the closing announcement didn’t reach every customer.

A&W Drive-in Carport
Ontario, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Another tells of a roller-skating carhop crossing the lot before disappearing near the old mailbox. An empty tray supposedly goes along for the ride. Quite a late shift, assuming there’s anyone left to tip.

UPDATE: The buidling has been reused by a used car business. 11-13

UPDATE: Ontario’s A&W closed on April 30, 2006, and the property later became a used-car lot. The restaurant’s familiar branding was removed, while the old A&W mailbox was reported to have remained beside the curb after the conversion. Cars still occupied the pavement, but the window trays and root beer floats had reached the end of the road. 10-26

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