We stopped in Indianola, Iowa, the county seat south of Des Moines, this week around lunch time, and we had to go to Gib's. This old-style A&W has been here since 1956. They still take your order from your table over the little telephones! They had the traditional menu too - including Papa Burgers, Coney Dogs and those thin, crispy onion rings along with real mug root beer. You can get your order delivered outside to your car too, and the carhop/waitress used one of those little metal coin changers. I worked at a root beer stand one summer as a teenager, so it brings back memories.
We never stop anywhere else in Indianola for a meal - and while this very pretty town has grown a lot - many folks commute to the Des Moines metro area, and it is also the home of Simpson College and the National Hot Air Balloon Museum and is known for it's annual Hot Air Balloon Festival - Gib's has remained pretty much intact.
There are a few things I miss from the states and root beer is definitely on that list!
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