Oldies But Goodies Getting back to their roots raises profits for A&W franchisees.
Opinions expressed by BIZ Experiences contributors are their own.
With all the millennial buzz about the future, it's nice toknow one franchise is blasting to the past. For more than 80 years,A&W restaurants have been serving their root beer, and nowfranchisees are getting on the nostalgia bandwagon and watchingtheir profits soar.
One of A&W's newest owners is Sean Ryan, who operatestwo units in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Ryan, 29, opened his first unitin October 1999 out of a Shell convenience store. Sales were sophenomenal, he decided to open his second store in April 2000."The A&W brand is representative in the consumer'smind of those times they miss," says Ryan.
A&W's design department has gone so far as to coin thephrase "contemporized nostalgia" when referring to theirunique dining experience. "The funny thing is some of thecolors, images, icons and the brand logo are all the same as theywere years ago. But in terms of design and cleanliness, it's amodernized version," Ryan says.
With start-up costs of $200,000 to $250,000, Ryan says he'sgenerating sales of $2,000 to $3,000 a day, even during the slowwinter months. Jukeboxes and old-fashioned booths aside, whatA&W is capitalizing on is the memory of a much simpler time."The big thing that our customers have always enjoyed andexpected is the ice cold root beer in that famous frosted glassmug," Ryan says. "That there is the essence ofA&W.
Contact Source
- A&W Restaurant, (920) 406-8212, aandw@netnet.net.
