A&W Root Beer (Demolished)
Ontario, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
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 - 1965 (Demolished)
Hawthorne, CA Photo courtesy Pat Underwood
A busy parking lot was part of the attraction at A&W Root Beer in Hawthorne. In 1965, this drive-in at Hawthorne Boulevard and 136th Street was right in the middle of a cruising scene where the automobiles could draw as much attention as the food.
The stand marked the southern end of a familiar route north to the Wich Stand and back. Drivers made the rounds, looked over the cars, and stopped when a parking space opened up. Known as “Cruising the A,” the routine gave a root beer stop a social life of its own.
One unverified story supplied with the history tells of a red 1957 Chevrolet appearing near the old intersection on foggy nights, then vanishing. Another describes a young man in a letterman jacket sitting on an invisible fender, watching traffic. Fact or fiction? Perhaps the cruise never quite ended for everybody.
UPDATE: The Hawthorne A&W drive-in was demolished. Its place in the boulevard’s cruising history survives through memories of the trips between the root beer stand and the Wich Stand. 10-26
A&W Root Beer (Gone)
Buena Park, CA Photo courtesy Louis Di Fazio
When a root beer float comes to mind, A&W Root Beer is usually somewhere in the picture. The Buena Park drive-in on Orangethorpe Avenue offered that familiar combination of frosty mugs, automobile dining, and a reason to stay parked a little longer.
The property eventually traded its drive-in identity for Korean dining. Han Yang took over the former A&W site, keeping food on the corner while giving customers a very different menu.
An unverified tale supplied with the history describes the sound of an old soda fountain pumping after hours, followed by a heavy glass mug landing on a counter. Perhaps somebody’s still waiting for the ice cream. Another tells of a young baseball player appearing near the parking lot with a coupon before fading from view.
UPDATE: The former Buena Park A&W site houses Han Yang restaurant. The root beer stand is gone, but the address continues its long association with feeding the neighborhood. 10-26
Dopey's Drive-in (Demolished)
Culver City, CA Photos courtesy Adriene Biondo
Culver Carburetors, which had been Dopey's Drive-In originally, was leveled. Many thanks to Adriene Biondo for info. 05-08
A roadside building can go through quite a change of menu. Dopey’s Drive-in in Culver City eventually became Culver Carburetors, trading meals for mechanical work while carrying part of its earlier appearance into another life.
The old drive-in structure remained useful long after the food service ended. Cars still came by, although their owners were now looking for help under the hood. From feeding motorists to tending their automobiles, the property kept its connection to Southern California car culture.
Unfortunately, that second career didn’t save the building indefinitely. Its demolition erased both the drive-in and repair-shop chapters, taking away a small piece of roadside history that could easily be overlooked beneath a later business name.
Dopey's Drive-in (Demolished)
Culver City, CA Photos courtesy Adriene Biondo
The supplied notes also carry an unverified tale of phantom tools clattering near the former site after dark. Another describes an order bell ringing where the diner once stood. Fact or fiction? Either somebody’s finishing a repair or a very late lunch is finally ready.
UPDATE: The former Dopey’s Drive-in building, later occupied by Culver Carburetors, had been leveled by the May 2008 report. Both of its roadside identities are now gone. 10-26
A&W Root Beer - 1965 (Demolished)
A&W Root Beer (Gone)
Dopey's Drive-in (Demolished)
Dopey's Drive-in (Demolished)
