But, according to A&W CEO Paul Hollands, it is right back to business. " We have aggressive expansion plans for the coming year, with the target of opening over 30 new restaurants on our base of 750," Hollands said in an email exchange with Western Investor. He said the iconic restaurant chain is opening "urban locations. Examples of this in Vancouver would be our relatively new locations on Robson Street, Alberni Street and at Waterfront Station."
All of A&W's outlets are in Canada, and Hollands estimates the franchise company has between 15,000 and 18,000 employees across the country. "We have over 170 restaurants in B.C. alone, and in total they employ between three and four thousand people," he said.
Hollands noted that the impressive productivity of A&W speaks to the honour of being named among the best-managed companies.
"A&W has grown total system sales every year for 20 consecutive years and has posted nine straight years of same-store sales growth," he said.
The cost of an A&W franchise begins with a $55,000 franchise fee, but the total investment can range from $900,000 to $1.2 million per restaurant.
from Western Investor April 2012
