QSR Magazine: A&W Ranks Fourth on Top 42 Emerging Fast-Food Brands to Watch in 2021

QSR Magazine published a roundup of the Top 42 Emerging Fast Food Brands to Watch in 2021, in which A&W ranked fourth thanks to its resilience and success throughout the pandemic.

Established in 1919, A&W is a classic American brand with 500-plus locations across the country, including more than 300 standalone restaurants. In 2020, the brand saw its ninth year of consecutive growth with a 9% increase in year-over-year sales and wrapped up Q2 with 14 new restaurant agreements and another 20 in the pipeline.

“Our development team and our dedicated franchisees did a great job facing the challenges of the pandemic and seeing exceptional growth despite all of the uncertainty COVID-19 brought to the restaurant industry,” said Kevin Bazner, CEO of A&W. “We’ve seen tremendous growth over the past year alone because of our commitment to seeing our franchisees succeed.”

The 102-year-old brand, which is literally older than sliced bread, remains a one-of-a-kind true original and still handcrafts its signature A&W Root Beer in its restaurants.

View the rankings here.