A&W Restaurants Giving Away Root Beer, Raising Money for Vets on August 6 | QSR magazine

A&W Restaurants nationwide will give away free Root Beer Floats and collect donations for Disabled American Veterans on National Root Beer Float Day, Tuesday, August 6. From 2 to 8 p.m. participating A&Ws will serve free, small Root Beer Floats, no purchase necessary. Guests will be encouraged to make a donation to DAV

On June 20, A&W became the first American restaurant chain to turn 100. The first frosty mug of Root Beer was served in Lodi, California, at a parade honoring World War I veterans.

“A&W has a long history of supporting veterans,” says A&W CEO Kevin Bazner. “With this being our centennial year, National Root Beer Float Day is extra special.”

This is A&W’s seventh annual National Root Beer Float Day celebration and the third year it has partnered with DAV. A&W and DAV hope to raise $200,000 for the organization, which serves more than one million veterans annually. Fundraising began in late June.

The $150,000 A&W raised for DAV in 2018 provided an estimated $6 million in direct benefits to veterans. “Our partnership with A&W continues to grow each year, and we truly appreciate its support for our ill and injured veterans,” said Marc Burgess, DAV National Adjutant and CEO. “The needs of our American heroes are just as great today as 100 years ago, and we are very pleased to again be working with A&W on National Root Beer Float Day.”

Since 2013, A&W has raised more than $800,000 for veterans groups during National Root Beer Float Day.