A longtime fast-food landmark in California’s Wine Country is preparing to serve its final root beer floats.
The A&W restaurant in St. Helena, located at 501 Main Street, will close on March 31, ending nearly six decades of operation in the Napa Valley town. The drive-thru restaurant first opened in 1966 and has remained a nostalgic local staple known for its burgers and frosted mugs of root beer.
A long-running local institution
The St. Helena location was founded by former mayor Lowell Smith and his wife, Marjorie, decades before the city adopted a 1994 ordinance restricting chain restaurants. Because it predated those rules, the restaurant was allowed to continue operating and remained one of the only chain establishments in the city.
Over the years, the casual burger stand became a gathering spot for locals and tourists alike. Its proximity to nearby St. Helena High School made it especially popular with students, and it developed a reputation for classic menu items such as its signature “Papa” cheeseburger and root beer floats served in chilled mugs…