Triple XXX Thirst Station in West Lafayette opened in 1929 as a root beer stand and then added sandwiches around 1932. I began working at the Triple XXX when I was 13 in 1969 and would ride my bicycle ten miles to get to work as a dishwasher and carhop. I mixed the root beer in the basement of the Triple XXX and by the time I was seventeen, I dreamed of owning the restaurant and even attempted to purchase the business.
Several years later in 1980, my parents had the opportunity to purchase the Triple XXX and I returned home to manage it. By 1999, my wife, Carrie, and I purchased the restaurant and expanded the business to include Route 66 Diner in town.
Since then, we have been awarded the Milestone Award from the Lieutenant Governor, were featured on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” on Food Network and covered by the Big 10 Network, Midwest Living and USA Today, just to name a few.
Triple XXX Premium Root Beer is now distributed in all 48 contiguous states with specific distributors in California, Texas, Illinois and Indiana.