Waukesha community working to keep John's Root Beer afloat

Dozens of people lined up outside John's Root Beer to get an iced cold root beer and a hot dog. 

But just last week, the owner said there were barely any customers. 

"Within the first week I was horrible like we had no customers," said Jessie Ripplinger, works at John's Root Beer.  

The City of Waukesha started construction on Arcardian Avenue to put in new gas, water and sewer systems. Customers had to drive through road blocks to get to John's Root Beer. 

"I had a tough time getting here, you have to go through a few signs that basically say the road is closed. But if you do that, its worth it," said Gary Nice. 

Ripplinger turned to Facebook to communicate with their customers about recent challenges. She posted, "Construction won't stop us and we hope it doesn't stop you."

Within days, customers started sharing the post and many flocked over to the drive-in. Long-time customer Joe McDonald said he's been going to John's Root Beer since he was a kid. 

'It's been here so long and you hate to see it do poorly or go away completely," said McDonald. 

It's still uncertain what will happen but Ripplinger said they will not let a road block get in the way. 

"It's kind of a rollercoaster. I don't know if this is going to be for a week but as of now it looks good," said Ripplinger. 

The road construction is expected to be completed by October of 2017. There are "roads closed" signs posted on Arcardian Avenue but Waukesha Public Works said drivers can still access the businesses during construction.