Stewart's Drive-In

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Stewart's Drive-In
Stewart's Drive-In Logo
Restaurant Information
Established	1948
Food type	Diner
Dress code	Casual
Country	United States
Website	http://www.stewartsdrivein.net/

Stewart's Drive-In is a classic 1950s style fast-food restaurant. Started in 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio by Frank Stewart, the chain has spread. Stewart's is famous for its Stewart's Fountain Classics root beer and hot dogs. It has over 60 locations in the United States, 38 of them in New Jersey with the rest in Maryland, Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania; the company is also trying to expand to Florida.

[edit] History

The first Stewart's Drive-In was opened by Frank Stewart in 1924 in Mansfield, Ohio. Stewart, who was also a school teacher, opened up a small stand to make extra money in the summer to accompany his teacher's income. [1]

The restaurant was originally a west coast style fast food eatery serving only root beer and popcorn. He added extra salt to his popcorn to boost his root beer sales. He opened up more locations, most of them with Car hops.

In 1931, Stewart was approached by an aspiring entrepreneur, John L. Mandt, who wanted to purchase a franchise to operate a Stewart's Drive-In. Subsequently, the first franchise opened a year later in Huntington, West Virginia, and is still owned and operated by Mandt's grandson, who took the business over from his father. The Mandt family still owns three Stewart's Drive-Ins in the Hunington area.

Over the next 38 years, the company operated successfully, changing ownership twice, first to Robert Ransbottom and then to Raymond Beck, both of whom were Ohio businessmen who operated as sole owners.

In March 1971, Beck sold the company to Frostie Enterprises, a Camden, New Jersey-based flavor manufacturer. Frostie Enterprises owned Stewart's until New Year's Eve, 1979, when Frostie was purchased by Moxie Industries, which then sold Stewart's to David Chapaton and Michael Fessler. They formed a new company, De Novo Corporation, to operate Stewart's and another franchise that Fessler owns in the Midwest, named "Dogs 'n Suds".

Two years later, Chapaton's share of the company was bought out by Fessler, who currently remains owner of Stewart's Drive-Ins.