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A&W (Canada) facts for kids
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| Public | |
| Traded as | TSX: AW (A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.) |
| Industry | Fast food |
| Founded | 1956 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Headquarters | North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada |
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Number of locations
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1,029 (2022) |
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Key people
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Susan Senecal (CEO & president) |
| Products | Root beer, hamburgers, chicken burgers, veggie burgers, onion rings, french fries, sweet potato fries, breakfast items, fried chicken, and previously, hot dogs |
| Revenue |  CA$1.34 billion (2020) |
| CA$28 million (2020) |
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Number of employees
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20,000 (2020) |
| Parent | A&W Restaurants (1956–1972) Unilever (1972–1995) A&W Trade Marks Limited Partnership (Trademark only) |
A&W is a popular fast-food restaurant chain in Canada. It is run by a company called A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.
The first A&W restaurant in Canada opened in Winnipeg in 1956. It was originally part of the A&W chain from the United States. In 1972, a company called Unilever bought the Canadian A&W operations. This made the Canadian A&W separate from the U.S. company. Later, in 1995, a group of Canadian managers and restaurant owners bought the chain from Unilever.
A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. is a company whose shares can be bought and sold by the public. Its main office is in North Vancouver. As of 2022, A&W was the second-largest fast-food hamburger chain in Canada. It had 1,029 restaurants, right after McDonald's.
Contents
A&W's Story in Canada
The very first A&W restaurant in Canada opened its doors in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1956. Over the next ten years, more than 200 A&W locations opened across Canada. These Canadian restaurants were part of the American A&W chain until 1972. That year, they were sold to a large company called Unilever.
In 1975, A&W faced strong competition from McDonald's, which was growing fast in Canada. To stand out, A&W launched a fun advertising campaign. It featured a mascot called The Great Root Bear, who wore orange. The bear and his famous tuba jingle became very popular. The tune, called "Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum," was even released as a song! A famous Canadian composer, Robert Buckley, helped create the music. The Great Root Bear was so successful that the American A&W chain also started using him as their mascot.
In the early 1980s, A&W changed its restaurant style. They moved away from the old drive-in look. Instead, they created modern, brightly colored fast-food places. These new restaurants also started offering some healthier food choices. A&W also began opening many restaurants inside shopping malls. That's why you can still find A&W in many Canadian malls today.
New Owners and a Retro Look (1995–2001)
In 1995, the senior managers of A&W bought the chain from Unilever. Around this time, A&W started to bring back a "retro" or old-fashioned feel to its marketing and food. They brought back popular menu items like "The Burger Family." Their advertising also started to appeal more to older generations.
A new restaurant design was introduced, featuring bright orange and yellow colors. This design reminded people of the 1950s. Inside, the restaurants were decorated with items from that time period. Older A&W restaurants were updated to match this new style. A&W also began to focus on opening new standalone restaurants. These were often in smaller towns where McDonald's was the only other big hamburger chain. The last drive-in style A&W restaurant closed in 2000 in Langley, British Columbia.
Focus on "Good Food" (2002–Present)
In 2002, A&W created something called the A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund. This fund owns the A&W trademarks in Canada. It allows A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. to use these trademarks for a fee. This fee is 3% of the sales from each restaurant. This helps generate money for the fund.
In June 2006, A&W celebrated 50 years of serving Canadians. The company also started to focus its advertising on animal welfare. They highlighted that their chicken and beef were raised without antibiotics.
In February 2018, Susan Senecal became the company's chief executive officer. In June 2018, A&W announced a big change: they would replace plastic straws with paper ones. They were the first fast-food chain in North America to do this.
In July 2024, A&W Food Services of Canada and the A&W Revenue Royalties Income Fund announced they would combine. This will create a new publicly traded company called A&W Food Services NewCo. This change was expected to be completed in October 2024.
Delicious A&W Food
Besides their famous root beer, A&W's menu is well-known for "The Burger Family." This is a group of hamburgers that first appeared in the 1960s. While some were stopped in the 1980s, they were brought back and expanded in Canada starting in the late 1990s.
The Burger Family
Displays of "The Burger Family" outside an A&W in Morinville, Alberta in 2022
The original Burger Family includes the Baby, Mama, Teen, and Papa burgers. These are still sold today, along with other burgers named after family members:
- Baby Burger: A small beef patty with ketchup on a plain bun. You can add cheese.
- Mama Burger: A regular beef patty with onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and Teen Sauce on a sesame seed bun. Cheese is an option.
- Teen Burger: A regular beef patty with onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, bacon, Teen Sauce, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on a sesame seed bun.
- Papa Burger: Two regular beef patties with onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and Teen Sauce on a sesame seed bun. You can add cheese.
- Grandpa Burger: Three regular beef patties with onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, and Teen Sauce on a sesame seed bun. Cheese is an option.
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An Uncle Burger, french fries, and root beer in Okanagan, British Columbia in February 2011
- Uncle Burger: A large beef patty with red onion, pickles, ketchup, Chubby mayo, Uncle Sauce, lettuce, tomato, and two slices of cheese on a sesame seed bun.
- Double Teen Burger: Two regular beef patties with onion, pickles, ketchup, mustard, bacon, Teen Sauce, lettuce, tomato, and cheese on a sesame seed bun.
Chubby Chicken
Chubby Chicken was another popular item from the 1960s that returned to the menu. Chubby burgers are made with breaded white-meat chicken breasts. There are three kinds:
- The Original Chubby Burger: Made on a sesame seed bun with Chubby Mayo and lettuce.
- The Spicy Habanero Chicken Burger: Made on a seeded bun with a spicy chicken patty, jalapeño aioli, lettuce, and tomato.
- BLT Chubby Burger: Made on a 7-grain bun with Chubby Mayo, two slices of bacon, lettuce, and tomato.
You can also get all white-meat chicken strips, either 3 or 5 pieces. Chicken strips can also be ordered in wraps, like the "Chipotle Chicken wrap" and the "Bacon Ranch wrap."
Value Menu
In 2012, A&W introduced its first value burger, the Buddy Burger. It also came in a double patty version, the Double Buddy burger. Both could be ordered with or without cheese. These burgers helped A&W compete with other fast-food chains.
In 2015, A&W tested a new Chicken Buddy burger. It was very popular and became a permanent item on the value menu in 2016.
- Buddy Burger: One or two small beef patties with mustard, ketchup, Teen Sauce, and grilled onions on a plain bun. Available as a single or double, with or without cheese.
- Chicken Buddy Burger: One or two breaded chicken patties with mayonnaise and pickles on a plain bun. Available as a single or double.
Breakfast
A&W updated its breakfast menu in the summer of 2014. Besides the "Bacon N' Egger" and "Sausage N' Egger," they added new items. These included "The All-Canadian Special" and pancakes. Customers can choose to have their breakfast sandwiches on English muffins or buns. In 2017, A&W started offering their breakfast sandwiches all day long. This was to compete with McDonald's.
Beyond Meat Options
In July 2018, A&W restaurants started serving the vegan Beyond Burger from Beyond Meat. This burger is made from plants. In 2019, A&W added more Beyond Meat options. They released the Beyond Meat Sausage N' Egger.
- Beyond Meat Burger: A Beyond Meat patty with mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, red onion, pickles, lettuce, tomato, and A&W seasoning on a sesame seed bun.
- Beyond Meat Sausage N' Egger: A Beyond Meat sausage patty with margarine, egg, and cheddar cheese on an English muffin.
Other Popular Items
Glasses of A&W Root Beer in British Columbia, 2010
A&W also sells their Mozza Burger. It has a beef patty, lettuce, tomato, bacon, mozzarella cheese, and a special Mozza sauce on a sesame seed bun.
The Whistle Dog, a hot dog with cheese, bacon, and relish, was available in Canada. It was stopped at the end of 2016, along with the regular hot dog. However, in July 2022, all Canadian A&W locations brought back the Whistle Dog for a short time.
Animal Care
A&W cares about how their animals are raised. The chicken and eggs used at A&W come from hens that live in special "enriched cages." These hens are fed a vegetarian diet. Antibiotics are only used for the company's animals if they are sick and truly need them. Those animals are then taken out of food production. A&W also announced plans to use 100% open housing for their animals by 2021.
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