Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Soda Fountain shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Soda Fountain offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Soda Fountain at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Soda Fountain? Wrong! If the Soda Fountain is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Soda Fountain then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Soda Fountain? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Soda Fountain and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Soda Fountain wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Soda Fountain then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Soda Fountain site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Soda Fountain, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Soda Fountain, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Soda fountain is a term referring to the carbonated drink dispensers found in fast food restaurants and convenience stores in the United States, Canada, and other countries. These devices combine syrup (commonly dispensed from a Bag-In-Box), carbon dioxide, and
water to make soft drinks.
History
The soda fountain originated with attempts to replicate
mineral waters that bubbled up from the earth's crust. Many civilizations believed that drinking and/or bathing in these mineral waters cured diseases, and large, profitable industries often sprang up around hot springs, such as Bath, Somerset in England or the many onsen of Japan. Thus, it isn't surprising that early scientists tried to create effervescent waters with curative powers. These scientists included Robert Boyle, Friedrich Hoffmann, Jean Baptiste van Helmont, William Brownrigg,
Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, and David Macbride. In the early 1770s, Swedish chemist Torbern Bergman and English scientist Joseph Priestley invented equipment for saturating water with carbon dioxide. In 1774 John Mervin Nooth demonstrated an apparatus that improved upon Priestley's design. In 1807 Henry Thompson received the first British patent for a method of impregnating water with carbon dioxide. This bubbly water was commonly called
soda water, even though it contained no soda.Anne Cooper Funderburg, "Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains" (Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Popular Press, 2002), 5-8
The soda fountain began in Europe but achieved its greatest success in the United States.
Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, was among the first to introduce soda water to America. In 1806 Silliman purchased a Nooth apparatus and began selling mineral waters in New Haven, Connecticut. Sales were brisk, so he built a bigger apparatus, opened a pump room, and took in three partners. This partnership opened soda fountains in
New York City and Baltimore, Maryland. At roughly the same time, other businessmen opened fountains in NYC and Philadelphia. Although Silliman's business eventually failed, he played an important role in popularizing soda water.Ibid., 10-17
In 1832 John Matthews of NYC and John Lippincott of Philadelphia began manufacturing soda fountains. Both added innovations that improved soda-fountain equipment, and the industry expanded as retail outlets installed newer, better fountains. Other pioneering manufacturers were Alvin Puffer, Andrew Morse, Gustavus Dows, and James Tufts. In 1891 the four largest manufacturers -- Tufts, Puffer, Lippincott, and Matthews -- formed the American Soda Fountain Company, which was a trust designed to monopolize the industry. The four manufacturers continued to produce and market fountains under their company names. The trust controlled prices and forced some smaller manufacturers out of business.Ibid., 21-29
Before mechanical refrigeration, soda fountains used natural ice to cool drinks and ice cream. Ice harvesters cut frozen lakes and ponds into large blocks of ice in the winter and stored the blocks for use in the summer. In the early 20th century, new companies entered the soda fountain business, marketing "iceless" fountains that used brine (cold salty water).
The L.A. Becker Company, the Liquid Carbonic Company, and the Bishop & Babcock Company dominated the iceless fountain business. In 1888 Jacob Baur founded the Liquid Carbonic Company in Chicago, becoming the Midwest's first manufacturer of liquefied carbon dioxide. In 1903 Liquid Carbonic began market-testing its prototype iceless fountain in a Chicago confectionary. Louis A. Becker was a salesman who started his own manufacturing business in 1898, making the 20th-Century Sanitary Soda Fountain. In 1904 Becker's company produced its first iceless fountain. In 1908 William H. Wallace obtained a patent for an iceless fountain and installed his prototype in an Indianapolis drugstore. He sold his patent to Marietta Manufacturing Company, which was absorbed by Bishop & Babcock in Cleveland.
Liquid Carbonic spawned another leading soda fountain manufacturer, the Bastian-Blessing Company. Two Liquid Carbonic employees, Charles Bastian and Lewis Blessing, started their own company in 1908. The newer manufacturers competed with the American Soda Fountain Company and took a large share of the market. The trust was broken up, and its member companies struggled to stay in business. During World War I, some manufacturers marketed "50% fountains," which used a combination of ice and mechanical refrigeration. In the early 1920s, many retail outlets purchased soda fountains using ammonia refrigeration.Ibid., 114-125
In their heyday, soda fountains flourished in
drugstores,
ice cream parlors, candy stores, dime stores,
department stores, and
train stations. They served an important function as a public space where neighbors could socialize and exchange community news. In the early 20th century many fountains expanded their menus and became lunch counters, serving light meals as well as ice cream sodas,
egg creams,
sundaes, and the like. Soda fountains reached their height in the 1940s and 1950s. With the coming of the Car Culture and the rise of suburbia, they began to decline. Drive-in restaurants and roadside ice cream outlets, such as Dairy Queen, competed for customers. Retail stores switched to self-service, and the labor-intensive soda fountain didn't fit into the new sales scheme. Today only a sprinkling of vintage soda fountains survive.
Notes
Resources
"Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla: A History of American Ice Cream" by Anne Cooper Funderburg (1995) ISBN 0-87972-691-1
"Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains" by Anne Cooper Funderburg (2002) ISBN 0-87972-853-1
See also
Soda fountain is a term referring to the carbonated drink dispensers found in fast food restaurants and
convenience stores in the United States, Canada, and other countries. These devices combine
syrup (commonly dispensed from a
Bag-In-Box),
carbon dioxide, and water to make soft drinks.
History
The soda fountain originated with attempts to replicate
mineral waters that bubbled up from the earth's crust. Many civilizations believed that drinking and/or bathing in these mineral waters cured diseases, and large, profitable industries often sprang up around hot springs, such as Bath, Somerset in England or the many
onsen of Japan. Thus, it isn't surprising that early scientists tried to create effervescent waters with curative powers. These scientists included Robert Boyle, Friedrich Hoffmann,
Jean Baptiste van Helmont, William Brownrigg, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, and David Macbride. In the early 1770s, Swedish chemist
Torbern Bergman and English scientist Joseph Priestley invented equipment for saturating water with carbon dioxide. In 1774 John Mervin Nooth demonstrated an apparatus that improved upon Priestley's design. In 1807 Henry Thompson received the first British patent for a method of impregnating water with carbon dioxide. This bubbly water was commonly called soda water, even though it contained no soda.Anne Cooper Funderburg, "Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains" (Madison, WI: The University of Wisconsin Popular Press, 2002), 5-8
The soda fountain began in Europe but achieved its greatest success in the United States. Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, was among the first to introduce soda water to America. In 1806 Silliman purchased a Nooth apparatus and began selling mineral waters in New Haven, Connecticut. Sales were brisk, so he built a bigger apparatus, opened a pump room, and took in three partners. This partnership opened soda fountains in
New York City and Baltimore, Maryland. At roughly the same time, other businessmen opened fountains in NYC and Philadelphia. Although Silliman's business eventually failed, he played an important role in popularizing soda water.Ibid., 10-17
In 1832 John Matthews of NYC and John Lippincott of Philadelphia began manufacturing soda fountains. Both added innovations that improved soda-fountain equipment, and the industry expanded as retail outlets installed newer, better fountains. Other pioneering manufacturers were Alvin Puffer, Andrew Morse, Gustavus Dows, and James Tufts. In 1891 the four largest manufacturers -- Tufts, Puffer, Lippincott, and Matthews -- formed the American Soda Fountain Company, which was a trust designed to monopolize the industry. The four manufacturers continued to produce and market fountains under their company names. The trust controlled prices and forced some smaller manufacturers out of business.Ibid., 21-29
Before mechanical refrigeration, soda fountains used natural ice to cool drinks and ice cream. Ice harvesters cut frozen lakes and ponds into large blocks of ice in the winter and stored the blocks for use in the summer. In the early 20th century, new companies entered the soda fountain business, marketing "iceless" fountains that used brine (cold salty water).
The L.A. Becker Company, the Liquid Carbonic Company, and the Bishop & Babcock Company dominated the iceless fountain business. In 1888 Jacob Baur founded the Liquid Carbonic Company in Chicago, becoming the Midwest's first manufacturer of liquefied carbon dioxide. In 1903 Liquid Carbonic began market-testing its prototype iceless fountain in a Chicago confectionary. Louis A. Becker was a salesman who started his own manufacturing business in 1898, making the 20th-Century Sanitary Soda Fountain. In 1904 Becker's company produced its first iceless fountain. In 1908 William H. Wallace obtained a patent for an iceless fountain and installed his prototype in an Indianapolis drugstore. He sold his patent to Marietta Manufacturing Company, which was absorbed by Bishop & Babcock in Cleveland.
Liquid Carbonic spawned another leading soda fountain manufacturer, the Bastian-Blessing Company. Two Liquid Carbonic employees, Charles Bastian and Lewis Blessing, started their own company in 1908. The newer manufacturers competed with the American Soda Fountain Company and took a large share of the market. The trust was broken up, and its member companies struggled to stay in business. During World War I, some manufacturers marketed "50% fountains," which used a combination of ice and mechanical refrigeration. In the early 1920s, many retail outlets purchased soda fountains using ammonia refrigeration.Ibid., 114-125
In their heyday, soda fountains flourished in
drugstores, ice cream parlors, candy stores, dime stores, department stores, and train stations. They served an important function as a public space where neighbors could socialize and exchange community news. In the early 20th century many fountains expanded their menus and became lunch counters, serving light meals as well as ice cream sodas,
egg creams, sundaes, and the like. Soda fountains reached their height in the 1940s and 1950s. With the coming of the Car Culture and the rise of suburbia, they began to decline. Drive-in restaurants and roadside ice cream outlets, such as Dairy Queen, competed for customers. Retail stores switched to self-service, and the labor-intensive soda fountain didn't fit into the new sales scheme. Today only a sprinkling of vintage soda fountains survive.
Notes
Resources
"Chocolate, Strawberry, and Vanilla: A History of American Ice Cream" by Anne Cooper Funderburg (1995) ISBN 0-87972-691-1
"Sundae Best: A History of Soda Fountains" by Anne Cooper Funderburg (2002) ISBN 0-87972-853-1
See also
