VANCOUVER, June 1 /CNW/ - A&W is pleased to announce it has secured another multi-site development agreement (MSDA) in Ontario. The latest MSDA territory grants the right to franchise A&W restaurants in 5 southern Ontario communities, including Niagara Falls, Fonthill, Welland, Port Colborne and Fort Erie. The new developers will open new A&W restaurants in each of these communities at the rate of approximately one per year.

So far in 2010, A&W has granted 6 MSDA's representing commitments by franchisees to open 32 new freestanding restaurants over the next 3-5 years. All of this activity has been focused in southern Ontario and the Vancouver area in BC. This brings to 77 the number of new restaurant commitments the company has secured to open new A&W's over this 3-5 year period, since the MSDA program was launched in 2009.

Graham Cooke, A&W's Vice President of New Restaurant Expansion, says the multi-site franchise program has really caught fire. "We continue to be delighted with the level of response to the MSDA concept we are receiving from both existing and new franchisees" said Cooke. "We currently have interest from qualified groups all over Ontario and have more recently introduced the program in Quebec". Cooke said that the company has recently revamped its franchise website and undertaken a newspaper advertising campaign in Ontario to further promote its new franchise concept. "The quantity of the applications and the quality of the individuals coming forward is exceeding our expectations".

A&W is Canada's second largest hamburger chain. Operating coast-to-coast, A&W restaurants feature famous trade-marked menu items such as The Burger Family®, Chubby Chicken® and A&W Root Beer®.