Hospitality Technology: A&W Shares Technology Initiatives

In a recent interview with Hospitality Technology, A&W’s Senior Director of Marketing Liz Bazner discusses how the brand has continued to develop and adapt its business model to meet the changing consumer landscape. A&W, the 102-year-old American classic brand with 500-plus units, including 300 standalone models, credits its 14% increase in average unit volume and signing of 15 new franchisees to its focus on developing efficient drive-thus.

“Most of our current tech projects are focused on increasing the efficiency of the drive-thru and trying to help our operators with any labor issues that they’re experiencing. We’ve had franchisees basically double their drive-thru through-put by providing their crew with tablets to line-bust or create a secondary point of order in their parking lots,” Bazner said. “We’ve also added more signage options for curbside and online order pick-ups, as well as more merchandising pieces that allow guests to place orders from their phones by scanning a QR code or texting a number to download our app.”

A&W, which was recently ranked by QSR Magazine as one of the 17 best restaurant franchising deals, saw its ninth year of consecutive growth in 2020 and is on track to exceed its goal of signing 20 new franchise agreements in 2021.