A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY

Root beer, at least its more modern formulation, goes back a long time, almost to the Civil War. It was in 1870 that a Philadelphia pharmacist experimented with a mixture of herbs, roots and berries. Included were licorice, dog grass, birch bark, hops and vanilla beans. The drink theoretically had therapeutic properties which could be beneficial to your health. But it was the taste that won people over, and soon it became a popular drink just for the enjoyment of it.

According to some root beer historians, possibly 2,000 brands of root beer have appeared in the United States. Currently there may be more than 800 brands. They account for nearly 3 per cent of the soda market, a hefty amount but well below Pepsi and Coke. Still, root beer aficionados are loyal to that taste and nothing else will do.

Fitz’s Root Beer made its appearance in 1947, at a small drive-in hamburger joint in Richmond Heights, Missouri. The secret formula was developed with the help of a flavor house in St. Louis and remains a closely guarded secret to this day. Ask an older St. Louis resident about Fitz’s, and chances are he’ll remember parking his Chevy Bel-Aire convertible in the lot, ordering a couple of burgers with kitchen sauce, a side of fries, and a large mug of Fitz’s root beer. And the total bill was under two bucks. The root beer became the St. Louis favorite.

Fitz’s drive-in closed in 1970 when the owner retired. Their burgers and root beer became just a pleasant memory. Then, in 1985 the original Fitz’s root beer recipe was resurrected and St. Louisans once again could enjoy their favorite root beer in bottles.

FITZ’S AMERICAN GRILL & BOTTLING WORKS

In 1993 Fitz’s Restaurant opened in the Delmar Loop area of University City, a suburb of St. Louis. To assure authenticity, the call went out for a vintage bottling line. Incredibly, a 1940’s bottling line was found in an old barn in Shawano, Wisconsin. It was refurbished and installed at the restaurant, where it is visible from every table on the main floor. Fully operational, the bottling line can turn out a bottle every second….of root beer or other popular flavor, such as cream and orange.

The building that houses Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works was built in 1928, for the West End Bank. It became the Delmar Bank in 1933, and was remodeled in 1944 when the attractive art deco façade was added. For a while, during the 1980’s, it was a Chinese restaurant known as The Lantern House.

Today, Fitz’s American Grill & Bottling Works sits in the heart of the Delmar Loop, a ten-block section of distinctive stores, shops and even a renovated movie theater dating back to the 1930’s. One of the highlights of this area is the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Inaugurated in 1988, the Walk of Fame honors more than 100 men and women with plaques in the sidewalk over a 6 block area. These are St. Louisans who have made contributions to our culture in many different areas of endeavor. The honorees include Kevin Kline, Chuck Berry, Tina Turner, Tennessee Williams, Charles Lindbergh and Stan Musial.

to the top