A&W

While A&W Root Beer stands of the past have most always had some sort of food served at them, it was usually up to the discretion of the stand owner / operator as to what would be served. Most people reminiscing about A&W usually associate them with their chili / Coney dogs, or the "barbecues", also known as Sloppy Joes.
Prior to "A&W Restaurants" franchise chain spreading in the 1960s and 1970s, the recipes for these menu items were not standardized. An owner in one region might sell a completely different brand of hot dog than one from another, and the recipes for chili / coney sauce were closely guarded family secrets.
Today, A&W locations get their ingredients all from a centralized distributor, and the chili / coney sauce is not cooked on site, just re-heated from a can or bag. "Barbecues" / Sloppy Joes are not part of their modern menu.

My attempt here is to collect as many regional recipes for old A&W food items as I can find, because a small but growing number of them have been made public by previous employees, or people connected to A&W in some way.
CHILI DOGS

As early as 1965, A&W was distributing their official chili sauce in cans:


It was up to the stand owner to source hotdogs locally. Here is the 1965 instructions for choosing a proper hotdog:



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The earliest appearance of an old-school A&W chili dog recipe seems to have been published in a Louisville, KY radio station newsletter in 1979. A user on Instructables.com posted it HERE.


A&W Coney Island Chili Sauce
REVISED:(On Sept. 12, 2015, Lloyd sent the recipes that I left behind in 1987, this was one of them). In 1979 this recipe was published in the WXOX Radio Station’s (Louisville, KY) newsletter at Christmas Time.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck, uncooked
1 (12 ounces) can Hunt's tomato paste
1 (8 ounces) small can tomato sauce
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 cups water
1 large Spanish onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ tbsp. chili powder
2 tbsp. cumin
2 tsp. salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in a heavy duty saucepan, mix to combine. Over medium heat, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 1 – 1½ hours. Stir often to avoid sticking.


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In 2000, the Fort Worth Star newspaper out of Texas published a little article talking about a copy-cat recipe site they had found that had some A&W chili dog recipes. The author states that these came from someone who knew someone who "worked at A&W years ago". This article was posted to a number of other newspapers nationwide. These are usually the recipes you find on the numerous copy-cat recipe websites currently, usually without background or sources listed.
Scan of the original article HERE.


Recipe Exchange - A Recipe Site and A&W Tastes, To Root For

Perusing the internet the other day, I came across a terrific recipe site.
It's called www.kitchenlink.com, and it's a great place for cooks looking for recipes, food news, hunger relief agencies, and even specialty diet information and recipes. (I discovered the site when looking for gluten-free recipes for a reader.)
Another solid link on the site is for copy-cat recipes from restaurants around the country. Some are from the restaurants themselves; others have been concocted by home cooks trying to duplicate a dish.
The first two chili dog recipes were posted by people who said they knew someone who worked at A&W years ago, and that's how they got the recipe. I'm sure that nowadays, the sauce for these dogs is made at a central factory and shipped to stores. But if you'd like to try these at home, here are some decent versions.


A&W Chili Dogs

2 cups finely chopped onion
3 pounds ground beef
1 cup vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons celery seed
106-ounce can tomato puree
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon pepper

Saute onion and brown the hamburger .
Add remaining ingredients and simmer, stirring often, until desired consistency. (The simmering step can also be done in a crockpot on low.)



A&W Coney Island Sauce

5 pounds hamburger
2 small onions, finely chopped
64-ounces can Hunt's tomato paste
64-ounces can tomato puree
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon celery seed
3 tablespoons salt plus 1 teaspoon salt

Brown hamburger and onions in very large skillet, drain.
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 3 1/2 hours.
Stir frequently, as it will tend to stick. This freezes well.
Author's note: To get that authentic taste, use only Kogel franks and rehydrate dry minced onions in boiling water.


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In 2013, Julie Rothman from The Baltimore Sun newspaper in MD, posted an article in the Recipe Finder section. This one is specifically linked to Hank's A&W Root Beer Stand in Wabash, IN. The location became Hank's in 1963 so this would be a 1960s recipe.

It has evidently been tweaked a little but the details of the tweaks weren't mentioned.
Scan of the original article HERE.


Recipe Finder: Coney dog sauce
Julie Rothman, For The Baltimore Sun
John Van Meter from Dickeyville sent in a recipe for the sauce that was given to him by his late sister. He said the recipe is attributed to Hank's A&W root beer stand in Wabash, Ind. He sent the recipe to me exactly as it read, but he thought it needed a little tweaking, which I did without much difficulty.

Makes: 14-20 servings

2 pounds ground chuck, fine grind
2 large onions, finely diced
4 teaspoons chili powder
4 pinches of red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons prepared yellow mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
24 to 32 ounces tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute ground chuck and onions in a saucepan.
Add remaining ingredients once the meat has browned.
Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens, 30 to 40 minutes.
Top with shredded cheese and onions if desired.


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Also in 2013, a user named "jjspartan" on a sports web forum called "247Sports", posted a thread about how he found an original A&W coney sauce recipe.
Original forum post link HERE.


So I am at this guys place and he tells me a long story how he came into possession of the A&W original recipe. He seemed to be real nvervous about having it and explaining that I shouldn't tell anyway. So when he went to the bathroom I did what every good RCMBer would do and snapped a pic. If the pic is too small when I attach it, I will follow it up with a another post.
Oh, and yes, it was good.
OK, difficult to read in photo so here it is.

1 lb. hamburg
12 oz can Hunts tomato paste
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1-1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chopped onion
2-1/4 tsp celery salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3/4 tsp Accent
3 cups water

Brown hamburg and onion then add all the rest of the indgredients. Bring to boil and simmer for 3 hours. Stir often.


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In 2020, popular recipe finding website "Hungry Browser" posted a submission from user "Timm". It is unknown if these actual A&W recipes, but the submitter does say "modified for home use". It also states "two recipes" but the other one was for barbecued beef sandwiches. There is another submission from him on the site where he mentions working at an A&W.
Link to original post HERE.


As you may already know, A&W Restaurant recipes varied from region to region
using what was available in their respective region.
Here are two recipes from Oregon, modified for home use.

For the A&W Coney Island Chili Dog Sauce:

1 pound ground chuck
6 ounce can Hunt's tomato paste
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin heaping
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

In a 2 quart saucepan, brown the ground chuck, breaking into very small pieces.
Season with salt and pepper lightly while cooking.
Do not drain the fat.
Add the remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to  45 minutes until it thickens.
Stir occasionally.


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In 2022, a recipe was posted on the Facebook group "Coshocton County History and Memories", by Randy Berry for the 1964 version of the "A&W Coney Sauce" that was served at "Jolly's A&W" in Coshocton, OH. He stated that it was "from a lady that worked there in 1964".

Link to original post HERE. Link to original recipe card pic HERE.


A&W Coney Sauce

1Lb 80/20
6oz Tomato Paste
1 TB Sugar
1 Tb Mustard
1 Tb Dryed Mince Onion
2 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Wishire Sauce
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Celery Seed
1/2 tsp Cumin
1/4 tsp Pepper
1 Cup H2O

Drain grease
Add all ingredients
Simmer 30 min or till thick


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In a response to a 2015 post to the Facebook group "You know you are from Redwood Falls and surrounding communities", member Charles Hess posted the recipes used at "Hoppy's A&W" in Redwood Falls, MN. The restaurant opened on E Bridge St in Redwood Falls in 1947 and was owned by the Hopfenspriger family for 26 years. It was remodeled in 1968.

Link to original post HERE.


Hoppys Sauce
1 - 24 oz bottle Catsup (2-1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Cook 10 minutes stirring constantly over med heat. Add sugar cure or sugar and salt, cook 10 minutes more, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and add garlic powder – stir in well.

Hoppys A&W Coneys
1 pounds Ground Beef
2 teaspoons Dried Onions soaked 20 minutes blend in blender
2/3 cup Tomato Soup
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper1 1/4 teaspoons
Chili Powder2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons
Catsup
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Hoppys Special Sauce
2 Tablespoons +2 teaspoons Barbeque Sauce
pinch Garlic Powder
(0.041675 pound Suet melted and strained - I left this out
Brown meat slightly. Add rest of ingredients--cook til done. simmer 10 minutes. add tomato soup, salt, pepper, chili powder and catsup. Stir well and add Hoppys sauce, barbque sauce and garlic powder and mix well.


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"BARBECUES" (SLOPPY JOES)


A professor at the University of Wisconsin tracked down a recipe for the barbecue sandwiches served at the Eau Claire, Wisconsin A&W stand. The recipe is for "barbecues" which are pretty much sloppy joes, or also known as "loose meat sandwiches" in certain regions.
Link to original story HERE.


1950S A&W ROOT BEER STAND BARBECUE

8 pounds ground beef
1 cup ketchup
½ cup Open Pit Barbecue Sauce
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons pepper
2½ cups finely chopped onions

Brown and drain hamburger. Make an open space in middle of pan and add other ingredients except onions. Stir good and often. When it begins to simmer, add onions. Simmer until onions are translucent and done. Serve on buns. Makes 32 servings. Leftovers can be frozen.


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 In 2016, a recipe was posted on the Facebook group "Benton Harbor and Saint Joseph Michigan Memories". The recipe was for the sloppy joes they served at "Doebeli's A&W" in Benton Harbor, MI.
Link to original post HERE.


A & W SLOPPY JOE'S
This is from the Herald Palladium May 2004 from Jane Ammenson column.  Connie Yore of Days of Yore, an antique store in downtown St. Joseph, sent me the recipe for the sloppy joes they used to make at Doebeli's A & W at 432 E. Main St. in downtown Benton Harbor, which has been closed since the late 1950s or early 1960s -- she wasn't sure exactly when.
According to Connie, these sloppy joes were extremely popular, and Dorothy Doebeli used to make them at home and bring them down to the root beer stand.
"I've had the recipe for a long time," said Connie, who recently whipped up a batch for her boyfriend and his friends.
For those wanting to make them, here is the recipe:

Doebeli's Sloppy Joes
2 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup ketchup
3 dashes Tabasco sauce
2 tablespoons dried onions
A pinch each of oregano, basil, savory and thyme
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup water

Brown beef, stirring frequently. Mix all of the above and add to beef.
Simmer for several hours. Makes 12 servings.
Connie said the sloppy joes taste better the next day.


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A recipe for "Swiss Burgers" was posted on the Facebook group "You know you're from Fairmont, MN if you remember when...". This was evidently the name for their sloppy joe style sandwich at the A&W in Farimont, MN. The recipe is requested and re-posted multiple times. Someone named Marlan Mike Kutnink responded to a post and confirmed the recipe:
"that looks familiar,lol I actually still got the original that the owner gave Grandpa back in the early 70's when Grandpa was a Police officer. My girlfriend's Dad grew up in Fairmont also and is one that is real picky and did comment that it was the original just by taste. I said "Duh" The guy personally signed the receipt."
Link to recipe card pic HERE.


Swiss Burger

3# Ground Chuck
1 tbs Pepper
3/4 tbs Salt (can add more later)
1 Tbs Worchester Sauce
1 Small can tomato paste
1 can water from above tomato paste
1 C Ketchup
1 C Finely Diced Onion

Mix all ingredients with raw hamburger.
Put in large pan and cook over medium high heat stirring occasionally. Enjoy.


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In  2019 a member of the previously mentioned Facebook group "You know you're from Fairmont, MN if you remember when..." named Roger Cole, posted another, different Swiss Burger recipe.
He stated:
"I got it from the cook - originally at A&W.
I cant remember offhand, but she also cooked Swissburgers at the little restaurant at 4th and and hwy 16. I got in the 80s.
I’m thinking her name was Olson or Nelson."

This was also evidently the recipe used at a place in Lincoln, Nebraska called "Tastee Burgers". It was called a "Loose meat sandwich" there. Both restaurants opened in 1948. The owner also opened a place in Iowa which didn’t last.
Link to original post HERE.


By popular demand - The Original Swissburger Recipe.
Note: I purchased the use of the recipe with one condition: that it never be used to sell Swissburgers in Martin County. I ask that you abide by this condition. Bon appetit - - -
Hints: Follow the recipe exactly! Measure carefully and do  not leave anything out. Use a huge pan. Do not use any cooking oil. (I ruined a batch with this mistake and used barbeque sauce to make it edible.) If you want to make a a 2 1/2 lb. batch, be very careful when cutting the recipe.
We make the full batch and freeze it in small zip-locks.

Original Swissburger Recipe
5 lbs. Hamburger
1 cup yellow onion (minced)
1 tsp Accent flavor enhancer
Seasonings
4 oz. Catsup
3 tsp. Mustard
3 tsp. Horseradish
3 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
5 tsp. Salt
¼ tsp. Pepper

1.   Thoroughly mix catsup and seasonings in a 1-cup  measure.
2.   Add warm water to fill the 1-cup measure and then pour  over  the hamburger in the cooking pan.
3.   Add 1-cup warm water.
4.   Add 1-cup minced yellow onions and 1 tsp. Accent.
5.   Stir for 15 minutes as it comes to a boil, then simmer for    25 minutes, stirring regularly. Cook it longer  if it is too  moist.


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In a response to a 2015 post to the Facebook group "You know you are from Redwood Falls and surrounding communities", member Charles Hess posted the recipes used at "Hoppy's A&W" in Redwood Falls, MN. The restaurant opened on E Bridge St in Redwood Falls, MN in 1947 and was owned by the Hopfenspriger family for 26 years. It was remodeled in 1968.

Link to original post HERE.


Hoppys Sauce
1 - 24 oz bottle Catsup (2-1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons Vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dry Mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Allspice
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Cook 10 minutes stirring constantly over med heat. Add sugar cure or sugar and salt, cook 10 minutes more, stirring constantly. Turn off heat and add garlic powder – stir in well.

Hoppys A&W BAR-B-QUES
1 pound Ground Beef
2 teaspoons Dried onions soaked 20 minutes blend in blender
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Pepper
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Hoppys Sauce
2 table spoons + 2 teaspoons Bar-B-Que Sauce
pinch Garlic Powder
Brown meat slightly. Add rest of ingredients--cook til done. simmer 10 minutes. add Stir well and add Hoppys sauce, barbque sauce and garlic powder and mix well.


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BARBECUE BEEF SANDWICHES

The other recipe submitted by user "Timm in Oregon" from the HungryBrowser website mentioned above, was for "Barbecue Beef Sandwiches". A different post on the site from Timm mentions he used to work at an A&W. I'm guessing this recipe is from the very late 50s or 60s. Catalina dressing was only introduced to the world by Kraft in 1957.
 Link to original post HERE.


A&W Barbecue Beef Sandwiches

Ingredients:
4 cups cooked beef roast or round steak, shredded
1 cup Heinz ketchup
1 cup apple butter
1 cup Catalina dressing
1/4 cup Heinz 57 sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
8 hamburger buns

Instructions:
Combine all of the ingredients except beef and buns to make a barbecue sauce.
Mix barbecue sauce into the meat and then spoon into a 2-1/2 quart baking dish.
Cover tightly. Bake at 375F degrees for 45 minutes or until piping hot.
Fill 8 hamburger buns and serve at once.


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