Kent A&W to Open Wednesday

The familiar fizzing of A&W's signature root beer floats will be heard again in Kent starting March 2, when the drive-in restaurant reopens for the season.

The seasonal eatery first opened in Kent in 1957, just a few blocks from its current location at 1124 West Main Street.

It was the second A&W restaurant opened by Ravenna resident Vern Roen, whose
son Kevin now runs the business.

When he was 31, Vern Roen left his native Wisconsin and a sales job at Sears & Robuck to open his own business. After deciding A&W offered a good franchise opportunity, he drove around several states, including Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio, before selecting Ravenna as a good location for his new business. A loan officer at Second National Bank, then in Ravenna, agreed, telling the new business owner the northern third of Ohio was the "most thriving" part of the state. Vern Roen and his first wife, Lila, opened the
Ravenna store on May 5, 1956.

Within a few years, the Roens opened stores in Tallmadge and Maple Heights.

"I thought if I got one store going and it would support my family, then it would make me happy," Vern Roen said. Over the years, all three of the couple's children worked at the Ravenna store for some time before graduating from high school and then college. His sons, Kevin and Ted Roen, now manage the Kent and Ravenna restaurants.

"For a family business I couldn't have asked to have had a better experience," Vern Roen said. Though he worked hard, he said, "I've enjoyed life."

And it seems the root beer still bubbles in Roen's blood. Although at 86 he is past the "average" age of retirement, the owner-operator continues to work part time in the Ravenna store.

For a long time, on Tuesdays ­ nickel root beer days ­ "we hired an off-duty city policeman to direct traffic," because of the crowd, Roen said. "You could get a root beer and hot dog for twenty cents."

Regarding training to start the businesses, Roen said, "I didn't have any. My training was common sense."

That common sense and a 21-page booklet from the original A&W owners, titled
Successful Operation of an A&W Root Beer Drive-In, helped him run the business for 54 years — so far.

Roen noted that businesses faced fewer regulations when he was building his franchise locations. "Today I wouldn't even attempt it," he said. Costs and legal regulations make starting a business too difficult today, he said, and added, "if I could do it like I did it, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I only wish that anyone who wants to get in business for himself could do it like I did."

While that may not be quite possible, Roen said he and his sons have discussed that the future of A&W in Kent and Ravenna may be in another family’s hands, as the Roens are all considering retirement. Vern Roen said they will soon be searching for someone interested in learning the business willing to work very hard at it, to continue the A&W legacy in Portage County.

Kent's A&W Restaurant opens Wednesday. Operating hours are Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. The manager is accepting applications Monday-Friday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.