The 411 - A & W**

A&W is a Canadian fast food restaurant chain. It was originally part of the American A&W chain, but was sold to and operated separately by Unilever. The chain is now owned and operated by A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It no longer has any connection to the American A&W.

The first Canadian A&W restaurant opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1956. The Canadian restaurants were part of the American chain until 1972 when they were sold to Unilever.

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 tuba jingle that accompanied him became a long-running campaign. The mascot was so successful that he was eventually adopted as the mascot by the American A&W chain as well.

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

In 1995, there was a management buyout of A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.

In the late 1990s, marketing and products began to take on a more retro approach. Former menu items, such as the Burger Family, were re-introduced, and marketing became more targeted toward the baby boomer generation. At the same time, the current restaurant design was introduced. The exterior features bright orange and yellow colours, reminiscent of the 1950s, while the interior is decorated with memorabilia associated with the same period. Existing restaurants were renovated to match the new style.

On February 15, 2002, the A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The initial public offering was 8.34 million units at $10 each. The fund owns the A&W trademarks in Canada and licenses them to A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. Revenue is generated by charging a three percent royality on gross sales of each restaurant. There are currently 654 A&W restaurants in Canada. Television advertisments are filmed at the Mission, British Columbia location. In August 2005, the Mission location became well known across Canada after nine employees won a $14.6 million Lotto 649 jackpot.

On the weekend of November 26th and 27th, 2005 residents of Saskatchewan were offered discounts on Mama Burgers and Bacon 'n' Eggers in honour of the province's centennial. From June 12th to 25th, 2006, A&W celebrated 50 years in Canada.

Participating A&W locations offer bi-weekly specials.

The original drive-in menu in Canada consisted of hotdogs, hamburgers, potato chips, and A&W Root Beer. Fish and chips and Chubby Chicken were added later. The Burger Family, which includes the Papa, Mama, and Baby Burgers, was introduced in 1959. The Teen Burger was added in 1961. The menu has undergone many changes over the years such as the removal of Fish and Chips and Chubby Chicken, plus the discontinuation of the Burger Family (except the Teen Burger) towards the general hamburger terms. In 1999, after a test-pilot reintroduction of the Papa Burger, the rest of the Burger Family (Mama, Baby, Grandpa) returned to the menu. Chubby Chicken returned as pieces, strips, and burgers in 2001. In late 2005, A&W introduced menu items such as the Garden Greens Tossed Salad, Swiss Veggie Deluxe and Chicken Grill Deluxe, some A&W's offer the option of substituting fries in a combo for the salad at no extra charge.

The Great Root Bear is the popular mascot for A&W Root Beer, an American soft drink. It was first used in 1974 by Canada's A&W, and was later adopted by the American chain. In the late 1990s, the Great Root Bear's role as mascot was reduced for the restaurant chain, although it still appears in various capacities for the restaurants and on A&W Root Beer cases in Canada.

Something interesting:

The Wizard ran various A & W's for 9 years. I have seen alot of these changes first hand, and have even donned the Great Root-Bear costume on several occasions. And, yes, I was even a car-hop! Coin changer and all! ( I told them I didn't have the legs for it, but...)

Note that even though the company can be good, (A & W was), the management in the company can make or break your experience, by trying influence your decisions... "Hire better looking people!" I was once told. You all know who you are! By the way, The Wizard refused to hire people based on looks, but ended up pissing off these management wackos, and ended up being trashed by them. I stuck to my principles and relish in the fact that I was and still am better than my supervisors ever were!

*From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**A & W stands for Allen and Wright, Albert and Walter were the first ads on television for A&W and the ads talked about Albert and Walter combining forces. It was Albert or Walter who had the Rootbeer Stand and the other having the Hamburger Stand.