---
title: "The Charlotte Business Journal: A&W Inks Deal for Local Restaurants"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f94af69e-d1e6-49dd-ae3e-0f83360a27ea
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/the-charlotte-business-journal-aw-inks-deal-for-local-restaurants-2716461
category: "Burger"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Burger"
published: 2021-08-18T13:08:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:25:03.281Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/f22f8f45a0605b3bac22919a99595f551712.jpg
---

# The Charlotte Business Journal: A&W Inks Deal for Local Restaurants

**TL;DR:** A&W is expanding into the Charlotte market with three locations through local business owners Ronald and Nadyne Jennings. The expansion is part of A&W's larger growth plan, which has seen a 9% increase in year-over-year sales across the system in 2020.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2021-08-18. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/the-charlotte-business-journal-aw-inks-deal-for-local-restaurants-2716461).*

## Story

In an article featured in The Charlotte Business Journal, local business owners Ronald and Nadyne Jennings discussed their plan to bring three A&W locations to the Charlotte market. The Jennings, who own franchise locations with Schlotzsky’s and Moe’s Southwest Grill, will bring A&W locations to Gastonia, Kings Mountain and Rock Hill. John Palumbo, A&W’s senior director of franchise development, says the Jennings plan to bring these three locations to the market over the next four years with a mix of new construction and renovated spaces.

A&W’s entrance into the Charlotte market is part of a larger expansion plan for the iconic brand that has 550-plus locations across the country, including 300 standalone restaurants. The brand, which experienced its ninth consecutive year of growth, saw a 9% increase in year-over-year sales across the system in 2020. A&W ended Q2 of 2021 with 14 new restaurant commitments and 20 deals in various stages of the franchise pipeline.

*The total investment necessary to begin operation, not including rent or land costs, is $871,000 to $1,454,750 for a Freestanding Restaurant; $401,000 to $1,013,750 for an Inline Restaurant; and $276,000 to $704,000 for a Captive Restaurant, including a $15,000-$30,000 franchise fee.*

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise development (topic)
- market growth (topic)
- Moe's Southwest Grill (company)
- Schlotzsky's (company)
- John Palumbo (person)
- Rock Hill (location)
- Gastonia (location)
- Kings Mountain (location)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/the-charlotte-business-journal-aw-inks-deal-for-local-restaurants-2716461). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f94af69e-d1e6-49dd-ae3e-0f83360a27ea).