Indiana's Triple XXX Root Beer Thirst Station Is The Last Of Its Kind

Root beer is a well-loved but often misunderstood beverage. From its murky origins, including how root beer got its misleading name, to how often root beer gets confused with cream soda, facts and history about root beer tend to get lost in the shuffle. Unfortunately, over the course of time, root beer stands have also become lost to time. 

Triple XXX root beer used to have soda stands, originally known as "thirst stations," across the country. However, now there is only one root beer thirst station left. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, the Triple XXX Family Restaurant is quite literally the last of its kind, standing as the final remnant of a niche in America's culinary history.

The restaurant gets its name from the root beer it serves. Triple XXX root beer is the restaurant's namesake, but the restaurant is also known for its excellent burgers. The restaurant even got so famous to the point that it was featured on "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives"!

Before the Triple XXX Family Restaurant opened in Indiana, Triple XXX root beer was invented at a brewery in Galveston, Texas in 1895. Thirst stations popped up, serving Triple XXX-branded root beer all across the country. The Indiana location first opened its doors in 1929, featuring the drink the restaurant is named after along with tasty, classic American eats.

When Indiana's Triple XXX Family Restaurant opened, thirst stations were at the height of their popularity. More than 100 other root beer stands were in operation all across the United States and even Canada. The thirst stations worked in collaboration with over 150 root beer bottlers to serve up frosty, frothy, ice-cold beverages for road warriors and families alike.

Today, Triple XXX-branded root beer is bottled exclusively in Chicago. As for the thirst stations, the Triple XXX Family Restaurant is the last one standing. The family owned and operated restaurant still proudly holds up the tradition of serving up deliciously cold root beer of the best quality, complete with mouthwatering burgers that even Guy Fieri loves.