Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
“How hot it was this summer, that slows us down actually,” Collins said. “You get to 100 degrees and nobody wants to eat. If they want something cold, it’s slushies.”
The Root Beer Stande sold about 50 sundaes the first night. After that, they were selling about 250 sundaes a day.
Collins and her family had to stop at multiple Menards locations in the Dayton region to stock up on the buckets.
“It worked out perfect because they’re coming in, getting food and then getting a bucket,” Collins said.
The Root Beer Stande sold about 2,000 dirt sundaes in nine days and their food sales were the highest they had been all year, Collins said.
“We were so busy from COVID, I didn’t have time to think about this stuff. Then the prices went up so high, I didn’t have the extra money to do any of this last year,” Collins said. “This year, I raised my prices and I caught us up a little, and I was like, this is working well.”
She had knee surgery at the end of July, so the buckets were temporarily unavailable.
The return of the buckets
Collins brought them back last week with the option of getting a Lowe’s mini bucket instead of a Menards. She has since bought almost all the Lowe’s mini buckets in the Dayton region.
“After this interview, I might go to West Chester,” Collins said on Wednesday. They got 500, but everybody else is out. We’ll run them until we’re out, but we picked up another 500 yesterday."
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
She hopes they will last through Sunday.
Each bucket starts with a layer of Oreos, followed by the customer’s choice of chocolate, vanilla or swirl soft serve, more Oreos and gummy worms. It comes with a shovel spoon for $6.50.
The Root Beer Stande thrives on specials
When asked why she thinks the dirt sundaes have become so popular, Collins said it’s because the mini buckets were already going viral and people love “cute, little, cheap things.”
As a business owner, it’s important to her to offer her customers a fun, affordable experience when the economy isn’t the best.
“I’ll run cheap floats and I’ll run cheap cones,” Collins said. “If you can’t afford anything else, you guys can come and have a cheap dessert at least.”
Other specials this month at The Root Beer Stande include:
- 32 oz. strawberry lemonade with popping boba for $6
- 34 oz. float buckers for $7
Meet the owner
Collins, who grew up in Harrison Twp., is a 2001 graduate of Stivers School for the Arts. She studied fine art at Ohio University after earning a full ride.
When she returned to the Dayton region, she couldn’t find any jobs in the art field. She was an adjunct at Stivers for a little while, but that wasn’t where her passion was.
“By the time I graduated, I wanted to own a business,” Collins said. “I wanted to do something with my art in a business, but then the reality of supporting that is just hard reality.”
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
Collins bought The Root Beer Stande from Alex Fabrick, a second generation owner, in 2008 at 25 years old.
She recalled her dad telling her that The Root Beer Stande was for sale.
“My grandpa owned Jed’s and my mom and dad worked there,” Collins said. “My dad has always worked the restaurant industry and I’ve always worked (in it) since I was young.”
Even though she was from Dayton, she never ate at The Root Beer Stande until she became the owner.
“My dad grew up over here,” Collins said. “We’d visit my grandma and grandpa every Sunday. They lived up the road, but (The Root Beer Stande) was closed on Sundays, so we never ate here.”
The Root Beer Stande was previously an A&W for nearly 20 years until the brand started charging a franchise fee in 1982. That’s when it became what it is today.
What customers love
One change that Collins made right away was the root beer. The former owners had always served Barq’s. When Collins took over, she worked with Frostop Root Beer out of Columbus to create a “bag in a box” recipe.
For those that choose to dine at The Root Beer Stande, Collins said a root beer in a frosted mug is a must. Plus, they offer 50 cent refills.
She estimates that they go through 60 gallons of root beer in two days on the weekend.
Credit: Natalie Jones
Credit: Natalie Jones
All food is cooked to order and the business prides itself in keeping their fryer oil clean.
“All that makes such a difference,” Collins said. “There are no fries sitting there in case someone orders it. We don’t drop the fry until the order comes in.”
Besides fries, customers love the onion rings, fried mushrooms, fried cauliflower and cheese sticks.
Foot longs remain the top seller with 1,800-2,000 being sold a week, but hamburger sales are quickly catching up.
“They used to sell this frozen patty, which I still sell, and it’s called our Classic Burger,” Collins said. “I brought in a handcrafted, high-end burger that we make and it is almost catching up with the foot long.”
The Hank’s Cheeseburger with American cheese is their top burger.
During the winter, The Root Beer Stande has cabbage rolls, chicken and noodles and pizza, along with other homemade specials.
“My favorite part of owning The Root Beer Stande is coming up with these crazy new ideas and packing the house out,” Collins said. “We all love when you guys make us so busy that we’re on an hour wait.”
MORE DETAILS
The Root Beer Stande, open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and noon-8 p.m. Sunday, is an old fashioned drive-in with carhop service at 1727 Woodman Drive.
The business is cash only, but accepts PayPal, Venmo or Cash App. There is an ATM on site.
The Root Beer Stande will be closed Sept. 22-29 for vacation. Collins confirmed they are not closing for the season.
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