(2 TIE) A&W closes after 75 years in Austin

Every spring for roughly 75 years, A&W All-American Food in Austin had opened and signaled the start of summer.

But after decades of running the landmark restaurant, A&W owner Gregg Johnson announced in May he had decided to retire. The decision wasn’t an easy one for him.

“I had great customers and great employees. I was really lucky,” he said Tuesday. “But at a certain point in time, you have to slow down and retire.”

Johnson’s father bought the drive-in restaurant in 1948, and Gregg had worked there in some fashion since he was 12. He estimates it opened about 10 years before his dad bought it.

Johnson said Tuesday that the building, across the street from the Austin hospital, is still for sale. The property is also next to three homes the hospital purchased over the past couple years.

“Mayo Clinic Health System – Albert Lea and Austin has not purchased the A&W property at this time,” said Tami Yokiel, hospital spokesperson, in October. “No final decisions have been made.”

Beside closing his restaurant, Johnson also sold more than 50 classic cars this summer. The Bud “Rootbeer” Johnson Collection Auction, named after Gregg’s late father and former A&W owner, attracted hundreds of car enthusiasts.

The event was advertised both locally and nationally, and bidders from around the world registered remotely and placed bids online. Among the auction’s highest bids were those for a 1957 fuel-injected Corvette Roadster, which went for $64,000, and a 1906 Cadillac Model M Roadster that sold for $37,500.