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A&W Restaurants

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A&W Logo
A&W Logo

A&W restaurant in Page, Arizona
File:A&W bullseye.JPG
Original A&W Logo from 1956

A&W is a chain of fast-food restaurants distinguished by their draft root beer and root beer floats, made on the premises from concentrate and served in large glass mugs. It is the oldest fast food franchise company in the United States. They serve a typical fast food menu of hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries. Many are 1950s-themed and sponsor classic car cruises. A number of them are drive-in restaurants with carhops.

History

A&W began in 1922 in Lodi, California when Roy Allen took on partner Frank Wright to help with the root beer business he had started in 1919. They branded their product A&W root beer after their last names. Two years later Allen bought out Wright and began franchising his product. His profits came from a small franchise fee and concentrate sales. There was no set food menu for franchises until 1978.

A&W may have been the first drive-in and by 1960 they had 2000 stores. In 1971 a beverage division was started, supplying bottled A&W products to grocery stores. The soft drinks sold under this brand are root beer and cream soda, made by Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.

In the United States and southeast Asia, A&W is currently a Yum! Brands, Inc. company. Most A&W locations that have opened in the U.S. in recent years have been co-branded with Yum!'s fish and chips chain Long John Silver's, or with Kentucky Fried Chicken.

For a more complete list of menu items, see the menu items reference section.

The original drive-in menu in Canada consisted of hotdogs, hamburgers, potato chips, and A&W Rootbeer. Fish and Chips, as well as Chubby Chicken were added later. Then, in 1959, the burger family was introduced, consisting of the Papa, Mama and Baby Burger. In 1961 the Teen Burger was added. Although the menu has undergone many changes over the years, many items remain to this day unchanged since 1956.

Healthier Choices (Canada)

In late 2005 and early 2006 A&W Canada announced that it was getting healthier by introducing the "Healthier Choices" menu. During this promotion, A&W stores made the menu additions of the Swiss Veggie Burger, and the Garden Greens Tossed Salad. The Chicken Grill was also changed to the Chicken Grill Delux.

Previous to the Healthier Choices menu, There were 2 additions to the breakfast menu: the Homestyle Ham and Sausage 'n' Eggers. This made Whole Wheat buns available in most stores.

International

Canada

File:Awcanada.gif

The first Canadian A&W restaurant was opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1956.[1] The Canadian division of A&W was sold to Unilever in 1972, and no longer has any other relation to the American chain.

In 1975, facing tough competition from the growing Canadian operations of McDonald's, the company launched what was to have been a temporary advertising campaign starring an orange-clad mascot, The Great Root Bear. The bear and the catchy tuba jingle that accompanied him wherever he went became a long-running success story. The mascot was so successful that he was eventually adopted as a mascot by the American A&W chain.

File:Awcanadaconcept.jpg
This late 1990s concept store for Canadian chains has been used for many locations.

In the early 1980's, the drive-in style of restaurant was phased out in Canada, replaced with a modern, pastel-coloured fast food outlet and healthier options.

In 1995, there was a management buyout of A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., the franchisor of A&W restaurants and manufacturer of A&W root beer in Canada.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, marketing, design, and products began to take on a more "retro" approach, with older menu items (such as the Burger Family and Chubby Chicken) being re-introduced to the menu, new orange, yellow, and brown interior & exterior design (older restaurants have since been painted to match this style), and they have introduced breakfast items.

On February 15, 2002, the A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund TSX: AW.UN was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The initial public offering was 8.34 million units at $10 each. This fund owns the A&W trademarks in Canada and licenses them to A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. Revenue is generated by charging 3% of gross sales of the restaurants for use of the trademarks. There are currently 650 A&W restaurants in Canada. The franchise is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.

On the weekend of November 26th and 27th, 2005 residents of Saskatchewan were treated by A&W as part of the province's centennial celebrations. Mama Burgers and Bacon 'n' Eggers were reduced to $1.00 and Papa Burgers to $2.00. Preparations in stores across Saskatchewan started weeks in advance for the busiest weekend in any store's history.

Starting June 12th, 2006 and ending June 25th, 2006 A&W celebrated 50 years of service in Canada. Restaurants were decorated with many items with the slogan "Celebrating 50 years". Mama Burgers and Bacon 'n' Eggers were also on sale for $1.50 a piece.

Okinawa, Japan

First opened in 1963, A&W drive-in restaurants were the first fast-food franchise to appear in Japan. Currently, they are found only in Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, where it remains very popular. It has become something of a regional specialty among Japanese tourists who visit Okinawa.

Australia

A&W operates in Australia. Until 2003, Tasmania did not have any A&W stores however, a trial run was tried, with A&W being combined with KFC stores, offering both store menus in the one location. The trial ended in late 2004, with the A&W branches closing down. In March 2005 A&W opened a joint-branch with Long John Silvers in Kings Park NSW. This was a huge success and has raised the prospect of opening more such branches.

Bangladesh

A&W opened its first outlet in Bangladesh on the 15th of December 2004. This 165-seat outlet is located in Gulshan, Dhaka.

Malaysia

A&W's first store in Asia Pacific opened at Kuala Lumpur's Batu Road in 1963. It was also the first fast food corporation from the US to set foot in the country. However, A&W had a declining business season in 1997-2000. The most famous A&W outlet in Malaysia is undoubtedly the Drive-In outlet at Jalan Utara, Petaling Jaya, a satellite city of Kuala Lumpur. It opened in the mid 1970s and was also a favourite filming location for Malaysian movies during the 1970s and early 1980s.

To date, several more A&W outlets have opened in Malaysia, mostly in shopping malls. The largest A&W mall outlet is located in Suria KLCC, the most prominent shopping complex in Malaysia. An A&W outlet opened for a number of years in Kota Kinabalu, but was closed down in 2004.

Singapore

The first A&W store opened at Dunearn Road in Singapore in the year 1966 as the first fast food restaurant from America in the country. The chain expanded in the later years including one at Singapore Zoo which closed down in 1999. The chain's Singapore operations dwindled in the 2000s, and by 2002 it had 7 outlets around the island. A&W finally closed in 2003.

United Kingdom

There are a few A&W outlets appearing in the United Kingdom, all of which share retail space with KFC. These include outlets in Derby, Ashton-Under-Lyne and Glasgow.

Germany

Like in the UK, there were a few KFC restaurants with A&W outlets attached. Today (2006) just one branch is left, located in Berlin.

United Arab Emirates

There are quite a few A&W outlets in UAE. The very first outlet was opened over 10 years ago in 1996 in a large shopping mall called Bur Juman Center, located in Dubai. After a while, more started popping up, mostly in Westernized shopping malls and areas. Business in these outlets seemed to be doing well, however, it appears they have stopped opening any new outlets. Because of this, only a few A&W outlets exist in the UAE. Many say this is due to the growing Anti-American sentiment in the country during recent times.

List of menu items

Canadian Menu

The current A&W menu in Canada consists of several food items:

  • The Burger Family:
    • Baby Burger - a half sized burger (1/8 lb.) meant for smaller children. Contains only ketchup (and optional cheese) inside a non-sesame seeded bun.
    • Teen Burger - a single (or optionally double) 1/4 lb. beef patty containing mustard, ketchup, diced onion, pickles, mayonnaise (also known as "Teen Sauce"), lettuce, tomato, bacon, and cheddar cheese.
    • Mama, Papa and Grandpa Burgers - a single (Mama), double (Papa) or triple (Grandpa) 1/4 lb. beef patty on a toasted sesame seed bun topped with mustard, ketchup, pickles, sliced onion, and mayonnaise finish off the burger. Cheese and bacon are extra.
    • Mozza Burger - a single (or optionally double) 1/4 lb. beef patty on a toasted sesame seed bun with a "Thousand Island" type dressing called Mozza Sauce, as well as mozzarella cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato.
    • Swiss Veggie Burger - a grilled portabella mushroom and tofu patty with a slice of Swiss cheese. Served on a whole wheat bun with butter ranch dressing, pickles, sliced onion, lettuce and tomato.
  • Chubby Chicken
    • Chubby Chicken Burger - all white meat chicken burger breaded and deep fried. Served on a toasted sesame seed bun with real mayonnaise (also known as "Chubby Sauce") and lettuce.
    • Chicken Grill Delux - grilled white meat chicken burger served on a whole wheat bun with butter ranch dressing, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and "Chubby Chicken Double Seasoning".
    • Pieces - with seasoned batter, deep fried until crispy, and seasoned again with "Chubby Chicken Double Seasoning". Available in various-sized portions with or without fries.
    • Strips - all white meat strips battered and deep fried. Comes in four sizes with or without fries.
  • Breakfast Items
    • Bacon 'n' Egger, Sausage 'n' Egger, Homestyle Ham 'n' Egger, Homestyle Sausage 'n' Egger
      • Based round an egg patty (an egg broken and basted in a circular mold) and cheese on a buttered and toasted bun, with additional ingredients (e.g.) bacon as per the title. Homestyle versions feature a brown roll instead, and a slice of tomato.
    • Hashbrowns
    • Toast
    • Bacon and Eggs
      • Classic Bacon and Eggs - two eggs prepared in your chosen method, three strips of bacon with two slices of toast
      • Deluxe Bacon and Eggs - as above, with a third egg and two more strips of bacon
  • Misc. Items
    • Whistle Dog - a hot dog, grilled, and served on a corn meal topped bun with relish, cheese and bacon. A regular hot dog is also available which comes with just ketchup on a corn meal topped bun.
    • Coney Dog - deep fried hot dog on a bun with Coney sauce. Not available at all outlets.
    • Coney and Cheese Dog - as Coney Dog, with cheese
    • Coney Sauce - a spicy tomato and meat sauce. Not available at all outlets.
  • Side Dishes
  • Drinks

See also

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