Canada's second-largest quick service burger restaurant chain thriving -
    despite recessionary economyVANCOUVER, May 6 /CNW/ - A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. (TSE: AW.UN)
opened its 700th restaurant this morning in Penticton, British Columbia. The
company opened 20 new restaurants in 2008 and plans to add another 24 in 2009,
continuing its strong performance and ongoing growth despite Canada's
recessionary economy.
    "I am very proud to officially open our 700th restaurant today," said
President and CEO, Paul Hollands. "We are extremely grateful to Canadians for
sharing their experiences and memories with A&W at restaurants all across the
country for more than 50 years. As a small gesture of that appreciation, we
will be providing 700 Great A&W Root Bear teddy bears to children of Canada's
Armed Forces personnel at Canadian Forces Base Petawawa at a 'Welcome Home
Celebration and Family Day' later this spring."
    To mark the occasion of the 700th opening, Hollands was joined in a
ribbon-cutting ceremony this morning by Penticton franchisee Byron Gliege;
municipal and provincial government representatives; local business and
community leaders and, of course, the Great A&W Root Bear.
    A&W also welcomed Penticton residents to its newest location by giving
away Teen Burger combos to the first 700 customers to visit the restaurant.
Response was so enthusiastic that all 700 combos had been claimed within three
hours of the 10:00 am opening.
    "I'm thrilled to open the 700th restaurant", said franchise operator
Byron Gliege. "This is my sixth A&W restaurant and third in Penticton. I first
joined A&W as a franchisee 14 years ago for the same reasons that I decided to
open this new location: the company's respectful and positive climate, focus
on excellence, and track record of sustained growth."
    "A&W's success is a direct result of the hard work and dedication of our
entire national team, who take pride in creating and delivering great Teen
burgers, onion rings and mugs of frosty A&W Root Beer to our customers with
the consistently friendly and efficient service they expect and deserve from
A&W," said Paul Hollands.
    Hollands attributes A&W's strong performance to its continuing strategic
focus on baby boomers, who grew up with A&W. An important element of this
strategy includes the successful introduction of a premium 5 oz sirloin
burger, the Uncle Burger in September, 2008 and A&W's Cruisin' the Dub
program, which features car hops, hot rods and classic cars. A&W restaurants
across the country will hold over 5,000 Cruisin' events this summer to
celebrate and revisit all the good times and fond memories Canadians have
enjoyed at A&W.

    A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. is 100 per cent Canadian owned and is
one of the strongest brand names in the Canadian foodservice industry. A&W is
the nation's second largest hamburger restaurant company with 700 locations
coast-to-coast. A&W Restaurants feature famous trade-marked menu items such as
The Burger Family®, Chubby Chicken®, and A&W Root Beer®. For more
information, please visit www.aw.ca.