Although its origins lie in Europe, the soda fountain achieved its greatest success in the USA. Throughout the 20th Century they were to be found in American pharmacies, ice cream parlors, sweet shops, department stores, milk bars and train stations. They reached the height of their sales in the 1940s and 1950s.
Between 1810 and 1903, a series of US patents were issued for the production and distribution of imitation mineral and soda fountains. These developments led, in the early 20th Century, to pharmacies and other shops selling soda drinks, adding the syrup by hand to create flavored carbonated water. At first, the flavoring was added to mask the taste of the medicinal mineral water, but it quickly became an end product in itself.
By 1875, there was a soda fountain in almost every city across America and they were entrenched in American culture. Over the ensuing decades, the soda fountain became an ever more popular gathering place. The name became extended to mean both the dispensing equipment and the outlet in which sodas were sold. During Prohibition in the 1920s (when the sale of alcohol was banned), the soda fountain offered an alternative to the speakeasy. Later, as American consumers struggled through the Great Depression of the 1930s, the soda fountains provided an affordable luxury.
An early example of the benefits of combining the sale of refreshments within the retail environment, the soda fountain generated additional footfall to the stores in which they were situated. These customers lingered longer in the store, creating a captive audience that was more likely to purchase other goods before leaving.
By the 1960s, the popularity of soda fountains was declining, due to competition from fast food outlets, bottled soft drinks and the rise in diners and restaurants.
Contribution to Retail History
The soda fountain was a cultural and social phenomenon when it first appeared in US drug stores. Over the years, it has evolved at retail to include coffee bars, whiskey bars, wine and beer tasting rooms as well as self-service digital beverage centres that can automatically dispense dozens of beverages.