A&W units have been sliding in numbers in the U.S. since the recession, but this year marks a welcome turnaround. The chain has been franchisee-run since 2011.
A&W Restaurants is quietly doing something it hasn’t done for a decade: Open new restaurants.
The Lexington, Ky.-based quick-service chain operates 634 locations in the U.S., two more restaurants than it did at the end of 2016. And with another 11 locations under development, A&W said it will finish the year having opened more units than it closed for the first time since before the recession.
The reason for the newfound growth is simple: Franchisees are generating positive sales.
A&W chief operating officer Paul Martino said the average franchisee of a standalone restaurant has seen 30-percent same-store sales growth since 2011, when former parent Yum! Brands Inc. sold A&W to its franchisees. — Jonathan Maze, Nation’s Restaurant News
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Source: Buying a Franchise