A&W Restaurants
American fast food chain / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about A&W Restaurants?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
A&W Restaurants, Inc. (also known as Allen & Wright Restaurants) is an American fast food restaurant chain distinguished by its burgers, draft root beer and root beer floats.[5][6] The oldest extant restaurant chain in the United States[7] (the oldest being the Harvey House),[8] A&W's origins date back to 1919 when Roy W. Allen set up a roadside drink stand to offer a new thick and creamy drink, root beer, at a parade honoring returning World War I veterans in Lodi, California.[9][5] Allen's employee Frank Wright partnered with him in 1922 and they founded their first restaurant in Sacramento, California in 1923.[1] The company name was taken from the initials of their last names – Allen and Wright. The company became famous in the United States for its "frosty mugs" – the mugs were kept in a freezer and filled with A&W Root Beer just before being served to customers.
A&W All American Food | |
Company type | Private |
Industry | Restaurants |
Genre | Fast food |
Founded | June 1919; 104 years ago (1919-06)[1] Lodi, California |
Founder | Roy W. Allen Frank Wright |
Headquarters | , United States[2] |
Number of locations | 900+[3] |
Area served |
|
Key people | Kevin Bazner (CEO) Dale Mulder (Chairman)[3] |
Products | Hamburgers, chicken, hot dogs, root beer, Root beer floats, cheese curds, soft serve, french fries, and milkshakes |
Revenue | $330 million[3] (2020) |
Owner | A Great American Brand, LLC |
Number of employees | approx. 35,000 (2019[4]) |
Website | awrestaurants.com |
Evolving into a franchise in 1926, the company today has locations in the United States and some Southeast Asian countries, serving a fast-food menu of hamburgers, hot dogs and French fries.[10] A number of outlets serve as drive-in restaurants that have carhops.[11] Previously owned by Yum! Brands, the chain was sold in December 2011 to a consortium of A&W franchisees through A Great American Brand, LLC.[6][12] A&W restaurants in Canada have been part of a separate and unaffiliated chain since 1972.