---
title: "A&W Inks Five Franchise Deals in First Quarter as Same-Store Sales Surge 22%"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/d68eccd5-a625-497b-9898-39410f58bc07
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20210524_aw_inks_five_franchise_deals_in_first_quarter_as_samestore_sales_surge_22.html
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
topics: ["Finance & M&A"]
published: 2021-05-24T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:26:25.154Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1561758033-d89a9ad46330?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# A&W Inks Five Franchise Deals in First Quarter as Same-Store Sales Surge 22%

**TL;DR:** A&W Restaurants signed five franchise deals in the first quarter, with same-store sales surging 22% compared to 2020. New locations will open in various states, including Wisconsin, California, Nevada, Idaho, South Dakota, and Iowa.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-05-24. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20210524_aw_inks_five_franchise_deals_in_first_quarter_as_samestore_sales_surge_22.html).*

## Story

- Franchise Opportunities

- Food Franchises

- A&W Restaurants

- News & Articles

May 24, 2021 // Franchising.com // LEXINGTON, Ky. - 2021 is shaping up as another monumental year for A&W Restaurants as it approaches the tenth anniversary of being acquired by franchisees. In the first quarter, A&W signed development agreements with two new operators, while three current franchise partners committed to additional locations. The brand’s first quarter sales leaped 22% compared to 2020, when comp-sales were up more than 20% over the first quarter of 2019. Single-brand locations reported a Q1 sales increase of nearly 25%, with c-store units up nearly 20%.

The newest A&Ws will open before Memorial Day in travel centers. One is located in Jefferson, Wisconsin, between Milwaukee and Madison. The other is in Yermo, California, along busy Interstate 15 that stretches from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. Agreements signed so far this year will bring new restaurants to Clark County, Nevada, Pocatello, Idaho, Sioux City, South Dakota and Emmetsburg, Iowa. The A&W in Oak Ridge, Oregon, which closed last May, is being reopened by a new franchisee.

“A&W had tremendous sales momentum leading up to the pandemic,” said John Palumbo, who was recently appointed senior director of Development. “Over the last year, it has become even more apparent that A&W is extremely well positioned to keep growing."

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- location expansion (topic)
- Milwaukee (location)
- same store sales (topic)
- A&W Restaurants (company)
- franchise deals (topic)
- John Palumbo (person)
- q1 sales (topic)
- Clark County, Nevada (location)
- Pocatello, Idaho (location)
- Jefferson, Wisconsin (location)

---
Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20210524_aw_inks_five_franchise_deals_in_first_quarter_as_samestore_sales_surge_22.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d68eccd5-a625-497b-9898-39410f58bc07).