Minnesota A&W Restaurant Caters to Pooches and People Alike

Some of A&W’s favorite guests have four legs. And for the A&W Restaurant in Faribault, Minnesota, there’s really no better guest star at its drive-thru window than a canine companion who’s along for the ride.

The 500-plus unit, 102-year-old global restaurant brand encourages its employees to pursue their passions and find unique ways to connect with their communities. For Grace Peach, an employee at A&W’s Faribault location, that passion is celebrating all the paws and wet noses peeking through the drive-thru window. The Faribault restaurant was recently featured on Fox 9 KMSP for the special treatment it gives its furry A&W fans.

Business boomed for the iconic brand during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for the drive-thru models, with A&W experiencing a 14% increase in average unit volume in 2020. At the Faribault location, where pups receive free dog treats and Pup Cups with soft serve and milk bones, guests began bringing their pets on their drive-thru ventures. That’s when Peach came up with a way to celebrate her four-legged friends.

“I love animals, and I love dogs — it always makes my day better to see them,” she said. So she started taking photos of each pup, sharing them on social media and posting printed photos on the drive-thru window for all guests to see. So far, she’s taken more than 300 snapshots of the drive-thru dogs.

“It’s pure joy to see people’s reactions to the pictures,” she said.

Dan Ballstadt, the franchise owner of the Faribault store, encourages his staff to find new ways to interact with guests and is thrilled to see such creativity in his restaurant. “I love seeing innovative ideas like this in my young staff members,” he said. “Serving both our guests and their dogs creates a strong connection between them and our brand, and it also teaches my staff valuable customer service skills.”

In an effort to cater to its newfound furry guests, A&W designed a branded dog toy to hand out with meals. Liz Bazner, the brand’s senior director of marketing, believes this will inspire guests to never leave home without their pet and inspire franchisees to explore new ways to interact with customers.

“The A&W dog toy is designed for our influencer program,” she said. “So we’re going to send the Faribault restaurant some samples of the toy to give out to their furry guests. We love seeing franchise locations finding new ways to promote the brand and its dedication to guests of all shapes, sizes and breeds.”

The total investment necessary to begin operation, not including rent or land costs, is $871,000 to $1,454,750 for a Freestanding Restaurant; $401,000 to $1,013,750 for an Inline Restaurant; and $276,000 to $704,000 for a Captive Restaurant, including a $15,000-$30,000 franchise fee. For more information on franchising with A&W, please visit https://franchising.awrestaurants.com/