A Day in the Life of A&W Franchisee Pete Knight

According to Pete Knight, he didn’t choose A&W — A&W chose him. The California native first discovered A&W, the iconic restaurant brand with 500-plus units across the country, when he was in the Boy Scouts in high school. After learning that his two friends were going to quit their jobs at the local A&W, he took advantage of the opportunity and was hired in 1973.

He quickly climbed the ranks to shift lead and assistant manager (at 17 years old), and eventually became the owner of a location in Lodi, California, the birthplace of the brand. Now, he owns a second location in Napa Valley and has the only drive-thru window in a 20-mile radius.

“I only do things I love, and I love A&W,” said Knight.

As someone who has been with the A&W brand for more than four decades, Knight uses the managerial skills he has developed over the years almost every day as a franchisee. He says that although the restaurant workplace environment has certainly changed over the years, he and his restaurant managers have learned to be flexible.

“We used to be in a position where we’d have a stack of applications on the desk at any moment where we could pick and choose, but today almost anybody who applies gets a job,” he said. “So we’ve had to adjust our mentality. It’s definitely something the younger generation is aware of, but my past experience working as a manager has definitely helped me when dealing with these kinds of situations.”

Knight also believes that the A&W brand still has immense value to both young entrepreneurs and nostalgic guests alike. “A&W is perfect for pretty much any group that wants to come in and run an operation,” he said. “It presents a great opportunity. The A&W corporate team runs the brand like it’s a family-oriented business. I could call the CEO today, and he’d pick up. They know their franchisees are important, and that’s why I chose to expand with them.”

According to Knight, the average new A&W franchisee probably works a full six days a week. He says a franchisee might work 50 hours per week in the store, but still have 12 hours of work to complete outside of the store, like conducting interviews and recordkeeping.

For Knight, who has been with the brand for 48 years, the weekly schedule is a bit less strenuous. Knight says he currently works physically in the stores about two days per week and also works on the weekends. “Our store manager works Monday through Friday, and because she has kids, I work on the weekends so she can be with her family,” he said. “Before COVID, I was working two days a week per location. Other than doing managerial tasks, I also do a lot of maintenance stuff in the restaurants. I’m talented at that.”

Knight believes there’s never been a better time to invest in an A&W restaurant. With the brand awarding five new units thus far in 2021 and setting itself up to hit its development goal of 20 new stores by the end of the year, A&W is gearing up for significant growth.

“We’re one of the only franchises currently seeing double-digit sales increases,” said Knight.

Knight’s advice for potential A&W franchisees is to focus on building a strong management team. “Train, train, train. Get a good couple of managers in the store. You have to be able to let go of the reins sometimes,” he said. “You have to be a person who can manage people.”

“We rely on Franchise Partners like Pete Knight in order to keep the brand alive and thriving,” said Kevin Bazner, A&W’s CEO. “It’s an honor to have someone on the A&W team who has dedicated his life to the brand.”