---
title: "Yahoo! Finance: Inflation and Labor ‘Continue To Be Challenges,’ According to A&W Restaurants CEO"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/52d8684a-85ec-464d-a64d-29508d06b848
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/yahoo-finance-inflation-and-labor-continue-to-be-challenges-according-to-aw-restaurants-ceo-2719873
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["Finance & M&A","People","Operations"]
published: 2022-09-30T16:11:27.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:11:48.578Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/b2d5c5d93d1021795f2e694506ee5e769913.jpg
---

# Yahoo! Finance: Inflation and Labor ‘Continue To Be Challenges,’ According to A&W Restaurants CEO

**TL;DR:** A&W Restaurants CEO Kevin Bazner discusses the challenges faced by the restaurant industry, including inflation and labor costs. A&W has adapted to these challenges through higher wages and technology like self-ordering.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2022-09-30. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/yahoo-finance-inflation-and-labor-continue-to-be-challenges-according-to-aw-restaurants-ceo-2719873).*

## Story

COVID took a big bite out of the restaurant industry, with several thousand restaurants permanently closing their doors. A&W Restaurants, the 102-year-old classic American brand with nearly 1000 international units and 500-plus in the U.S., is continuing to learn and adapt to current challenges and conditions.

A&W CEO Kevin Bazner says through the challenges, the restaurant brand has “been through a combination of things. One is higher wages, there's no question about it, where our wages are up 15 to 20% and from where they were pre-pandemic,” says Bazner. “Technology like self-ordering is also helping us with productivity from fewer employees.”

A&W has weathered quite a few market cycles over the years. As several economists and strategists talk about a potential recession, A&W is one of the restaurant chains that's lived through a pandemic.

“Hopefully, the R-word won't come to fruition, but we're ready for it,” says Bazner. “We've lived through this before, and we'll get through this one.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- restaurant industry (topic)
- labor costs (topic)
- inflation (topic)
- A&W Restaurants (company)
- Yahoo (company)
- technology adaptation (topic)

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Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/yahoo-finance-inflation-and-labor-continue-to-be-challenges-according-to-aw-restaurants-ceo-2719873). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/52d8684a-85ec-464d-a64d-29508d06b848).