VANCOUVER, Jan. 27 /CNW/ - A&W Food Services of Canada announced today
that the company opened 20 new restaurants in 2008. This compares with 16
opened the previous year and brings to 695 the number of operating A&W's in
Canada.
    For the past several years, Ontario has been a key focus for A&W's new
restaurant growth and the 9 restaurants opened in Ontario this year brings the
company's total presence in this market to 140 restaurants. Included in this
year's openings were new locations in Leamington, Bracebridge, Oshawa,
Cobourg, Kapuskasing, a third freestanding restaurant in Windsor/Tecumseh, and
a second freestanding location in Brantford. In conjunction with major
franchise partner Petro-Canada, A&W additionally opened 2 new off-highway 401
locations in Napanee and Kingston.
    Graham Cooke, A&W's Vice President of New Restaurant Expansion, said the
company continues to be delighted with the performance of its Ontario
restaurants. At the same time, A&W continues to attract a great deal of
interest from potential franchisees and is looking to accelerate its rate of
growth in Ontario in the coming years.
    "We have just completed a major new strategy focused on franchise sales,
which we will begin to implement in 2009" said Cooke. "For the first time in
our 52 year history, we will begin to offer multi-site area development
opportunities in Ontario, Quebec and certain areas in Atlantic Canada. Based
on the early response from our existing franchisees, there appears to be a lot
of appetite for this approach to growing our business in eastern Canada".
Cooke went on to say that in the coming months, A&W will be seeking to attract
high-net worth individuals with an interest in multi-site franchise
development.

    A&W is 100% Canadian-owned and is one of the strongest brand names in the
Canadian foodservice industry. For the past six years, A&W has been recognized
as one of Canada's 50 Best Managed Companies, a national awards program
sponsored by Deloitte, CIBC Commercial Banking, National Post, and Queen's
School of Business. Operating coast-to-coast with 695 locations, A&W
restaurants feature famous trade-marked menu items such as The Burger
Family®, Chubby Chicken® and A&W Root Beer®.