Free Root Beer Floats for Life for Folks 100 and Older
To celebrate its centenarian status, A&W Root Beer will give its 100-years-old-and-older customers free root beer floats for the rest of their lives. As in FOREVER, with no strings attached. A promotional video, which was created for the launch of the giveaway, features jauntily attired seniors gleefully mentioning the new deal designed for the Greatest Generation.
Although A&W Root Beer is 105 years old, it’s far from the most geriatric soft-drink brand, according to a lineup listed on Oldest.org. That source says that Barq’s Root Beer is the ninth-oldest soda brand and was born in 1898 and adds that Pepsi was already a 5-year-old at the time. Coca-Cola dawned in 1886, and Dr Pepper’s 23-flavor blend was introduced the previous year. People also took their first sips of less well-known Moxie in 1885, and Fioravanti – from Ecuador – and Hires Root Beer launched in 1878. Vernors Ginger Ale (1866) is second-oldest. Now, please, a drum roll for the oldest soda pop by far: Switzerland’s Schweppe’s, harking back to 1783.
A&W Franchise Says Thanks for the Memories
So while it may not be the oldest soft drink, A&W root beer may have had the highest calling. Co-founder Roy W. Allen first served the beverage for the opening of his root beer stand in Lodi, Calif., in June of 1919. The occasion was a homecoming celebration for veterans of the Great War, or World War I, according to the company’s history. Even today the A&W Restaurants franchise continues to support military veterans through its ongoing work with the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) nonprofit organization, according to a news release from the Lexington, Ky.-based company.
And Allen’s brand does claim the title of being the United States’ oldest franchise restaurant, with its newly announced initiative calling attention to its age. “It’s our way of saying thanks to the fans who’ve been making memories with us since day one,” the news release states.
The Greatest Generation was born between 1900 and 1925, and several brands seem to be wooing centenarians and younger seniors these days. New York-based Northwell Health, for example, rolled out a 2024 New Year ad campaign that also featured centenarians. The digital marketing agency Giant Partners cited big-name brands such as L’Oreal, Bank of America, IBM, and specific law firms as succeeding with marketing campaigns targeting senior citizens, a rich market numbering more than 50 million Americans.
How to Snag the Free A&W Root Beer Float
A&W is doing its bit by serving up its complimentary iconic root beer floats, a mix of the fizzy brown beverage and creamy vanilla soft serve. The freebie is available upon request at all A&W locations in the United States, and no purchase is necessary. Some restaurants may ask that patrons show proof they are centenarians, however, so customers seeking to participate may need to be prepared to whip out an ID.
“We love our fans of all ages,” Liz Bazner, vice president of Marketing & Innovation for A&W Restaurants, says in the news release. “But there are around 108,000 centenarians in the U.S. that brands overlook. These are people that have been with A&W since the beginning. We wouldn’t have survived the last century without them, so we wanted to show our appreciation with something special just for them.” The creative agency Cornett devised the campaign for the A&W Restaurants chain, Ad Age reports.
Senior Influencer Starts the Party
Helen Van Winkle, aka Baddiewinkle – the original “granfluencer” on social media – stars in the A&W kickoff party video along with a pair of American heroes: World War II veterans Hazel Calloway, 104, and Glendell Bennet, 100. PR Newswire shows various still photos from the party. In the video, Baddiewinkle laments, tongue-in-cheek, that she has chalked up a mere 95 birthdays so far and therefore will have to wait a few more years to partake of the free root beer floats.
“I’ve been a fan of A&W and their Root Beer Floats for my whole life,” Baddiewinkle says in the news release, “so I think it’s super-cool that they’re showing some love to the Greatest Generation. I’m only 95 so I’m just jelly that I don’t qualify yet. But I’m totally gonna do it when I grow up.’
Free A&W Root Beer Floats for the Younger Set
And while that’s certainly a sweet deal for the Greatest Generation, what’s in it for the younger-than-100 guests of A&W Restaurants? An article by Southern Living notes that customers ages 13 and older are entitled to a free root beer float each year on their birthdays, along with some other special offers, if they join Rooty’s Mug Club. Details about this loyalty program are available on the A&W Restaurants website.
