Popular root beer stand in Madison Twp. opens this weekend

Dealing with licensing delayed opening; stepsisters looking forward to starting business.
J&E Rootbeer Stand, 6301 Germantown Road, will hold its grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be open six days a week year round. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

J&E Rootbeer Stand, 6301 Germantown Road, will hold its grand opening at 11 a.m. Saturday. It will be open six days a week year round. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

It took longer than expected, but customers at a popular drive-in can almost taste the footlongs and root beer.

In September, Brooke Solomito, 24, and her stepsister, Cortney Vitori, 35, said they planned to open J&E Rootbeer Stand, 6301 Germantown Road, by the middle of October.

But due to numerous delays related to the licensing and permits, that grand opening was pushed back until 11 a.m. Saturday when the ribbon will be cut and the first footlongs will be served.

Solomito’s father and Vitori’s stepfather, Dr. Joseph Solomito, a Middletown cardiologist, called opening J&E Rootbeer Stand “a real challenge” because of the many licenses. Since there was a lapse between when he bought the business and when it closed earlier this year, Dr. Solomito said it was treated “like a new business.”

What he figured would take a few days took two months, he said.

“It was like we took two steps forward and one step back,” he said. “We always kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

But now the business has passed all of its inspections and Dr. Solomito is eager about the opening.

“We’re ready,” he said. “Can’t wait.”

Brooke Solomito, a 2016 Madison High School graduate, recently earned her bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership from Wright State University and Vitori worked for six years in the Madison Elementary School cafeteria.

Solomito will be in charge of customer service and Vitori will oversee the kitchen.

Dr. Solomito said the women’s skill sets will “complement each other.”

J&E Rootbeer Stand, which has been open for more than 35 years, was a seasonal business, but the new owners plan to be open year around. But they’re not changing the menu. Customers can expect the same tasting footlong hotdogs, french fries and root beer and possibly some new items, they said.


HOW TO GO

WHAT: J&E Rootbeer Stand

WHERE: 6301 Germantown Road, Madison Twp.

WHEN: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, starting Dec. 3

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