Photo: A&W RestaurantsPapa Burger
The head of the Burger Family. Two beef patties with cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, onion and a tangy sauce, and it tastes like the kind of burger drive-ins served when drive-ins were new. Order it with a frosty mug of A&W root beer; that combination is the whole point of the place.
The story
A&W introduced its Burger Family in 1963, printing cartoon characters for the Papa, Mama, Teen and Baby Burgers on their wrappers so a whole family could order by size. It was a clever way to sell burgers to parents and kids at once, and the names outlived almost every other piece of 1960s fast-food marketing.
What’s inside
Make it at home
There is no copycat of the Papa Burger yet. Until there is, these recipes on the site come closest to it, judged by what goes into the bun.
- Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Whopper (Copycat) - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
The Mr. Smiley Burger - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
McDonald's Daily Double (Copycat) - Shares beef, cheese and a double stack
Big Beef Blopper
Similar burgers at other chains
Built around the same things as the Papa Burger.- Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers · beef, cheese and a double stack
California Style Steakburger - Johnny Rockets · beef, cheese and a double stack
Rocket Double - Wahlburgers · beef, cheese and a double stack
Our Burger Smash - In-N-Out Burger · beef, cheese and a double stack
SignatureDouble-Double
More from A&W Restaurants
About A&W Restaurants
A&W began in 1919, when Roy Allen opened a root beer stand in Lodi, California, for a parade welcoming soldiers home from the First World War. Frank Wright joined him a few years later, and they combined their initials into the name. It became one of America’s first franchise restaurant chains and the model for the drive-in, where food and frosty mugs of root beer came out to your car.
Several hundred restaurants, owned entirely by the franchisees who run them.
Not affiliated with A&W Restaurants. Trademarks belong to their owners. The photo is credited under it and is used to illustrate this menu item; it comes down on request.