FOX Business: A&W CEO Discusses How the Worker Shortage and Consumer Demand Could Turn Fast-Food into Drive-Thru Only

In an interview with FOX Business, A&W CEO Kevin Bazner discusses how the worker shortage is affecting the restaurant industry and how the changing consumer climate will impact the future of fast-food restaurants. A&W, the 102-year-old classic American brand with 500-plus units, has been prioritizing the growth of its standalone, drive-thru models, and with good reason. The brand is seeing same-store sales in the high teens compared to 2019, and Bazner credits that growth to the drive-thru models.

2020 also marks the ninth year of consecutive growth for A&W; the brand saw a 9% sales increase last year. The brand is also using the changing consumer climate to strike a balance between nostalgia and a forward-thinking style to appeal to Gen X and millennial consumers. The brand was also recently ranked on QSR Magazine’s top 17 Restaurant Franchising deals.