A&W was one of the fast food brands I grew up with as a kid, as such when the last A&W restaurant closed in the late 90s at Lau Pa Sat market, it felt that part of my childhood also left with the franchises.
Not for long now. In a July media press release, A&W CEO Kevin Bazner had broken word that a Singapore leadership team had already been established, with the restaurant looking to reopen their doors right here in Singapore during the second half of 2018.
This is with response to public persistence to bring the brand back to the Singapore market, which rumored initially left due to franchising conflicts despite doing well in Singapore back then.
The A&W brand
To those who had never heard of the A&W brand A&W is a name which will probably resonate well with anyone born before the mid-90s in Singapore. Then, the fast food chain had restaurants located at almost every single major town center. Since their departure from Singapore around 1999, obtaining A&W food fare now only means traveling beyond the shores of Singapore. You can still find the iconic American fast food restaurant serving the delectable in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Return of classics
Food-wise A&W is bent on delivering classic American food to the masses. You will see the return of their signature favorites like Beef and onion-laddened Coney dogs (available in beef or chicken), as well as their unique curly fries.
These curled fries which are springy to the touch and a unique experience to consume in the era of conventional plagued by boring french-fries. These curly fries, popularized by A&W since then had been copied by the likes of other fast food restaurants such as MacDonald’s and Burger king as part of their seasonal menus.
A&W are also well known for their trademark root beer float, comprising of root beer soda drink topped with vanilla ice cream served in a cold heavy glass mug and spoon. You can still find the root beer being sold in Supermarkets under the A&Q brand.
New menu items
We could expect the standard A&W lineup to include an additional selection of burgers, waffles and fried chicken options to compete with the offerings of other fast food outlets, as seen in regional A&W restaurants in region. Like regional restaurants offering menus unique to their location. Also, we can also see the Singapore flagship store offering exciting menu innovations catering to local tastes.
The Singapore fast-food industry is extremely competitive, we had seen the departure of Wendys, and rise of 4 Fingers, but Mr Bazner is confident that A&W has “to the ability to leverage heritage” with its iconic branding which resonates as one of the first fast food outlets in the country.
Moreover, Mr Bazner assured that all restaurants will be halal certified to cater to Muslim customers. Hence, all beef patties sourced from Australia. There is no confirmation of a specific location for the line-up of Singapore outlets. However, Mr Bazner said that restaurants will be “opening in key neighborhood towns or regions as well as commercial malls and central business districts”.
Definitely be looking forward to that!
