Rooty the Great Root Bear holding mug of A&W Root Beer in one hand and a marker in the other. Rooty is marking dates on a calendar.

Cheers to 100 Years: Celebrating a Century of A&W® Restaurants

2019 was a special year for A&W® Restaurants, as we reached our milestone 100th anniversary. To celebrate this momentous occasion we're looking back at some of our favorite moments from the past 365 days.

Cheers to 100 Years

A&W 100th Anniversary Logo

On June 20, 2019, A&W® Restaurants became the first franchise restaurant chain to turn 100 years old. That's a lot of birthday candles.

Bring Back the Ampersand

GIF of orange ampersand in middle with photos of A&W menu items appearing from all sides.

We kicked off the year with our campaign to restore the ampersand as the 27th letter of the alphabet. Nearly 8,000 amper-fans signed the Change.org petition

Menu Madness

Rooty holding a Root Beer Float on top of a basketball. Text over the basketball reads "Menu Madness"

Our menu items faced off during #MenuMadness to find out which one was the all-time favorite. The undefeated Root Beer Float was crowned the champion for yet another year! 

Winner. Winner. 

Hand holding two Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sliders. Text in the top left of the image reads "New! Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sliders" with A&W Restaurants logo below text.

Hand-Breaded Chicken Tender Sliders made their debut in A&W® locations across the U.S. for a limited time. 

2020 Vision

Root Beer in an A&W Mug. Logo is an orange car. Text on top reads "Cruisin'" with "2020" text inside car windshield. A&W Restaurants logo is on the bottom of the car.

We asked fans to help choose the 2020 Collector's Mug logo design. Over 17,000 people cast their vote for favorite! 

We've Got This Covered

Kevin Bazner on the cover of QSR Magazine

A&W® CEO Kevin Bazner was featured on the cover of QSR Magazine reflecting on a century of good food & good times. (Photo Credit: QSR Magazine)

A Dynamic Duo

Nutter Butter® Creme Treats made with OREO® Cookie Pieces

Nutter Butter® Creme Treats made with OREO® Cookie Pieces debuted for a limited time, satisfying sweet tooths everywhere. 

Float On

National Root Beer Float Day 2019 Logo

On August 6, A&W® Restaurants across the nation gave away free Root Beer Floats to celebrate National Root Beer Float Day. Donations were also accepted to support DAV (Disabled American Veterans). 

Turn Up the Heat

GIF that starts with text reading "New Sriracha Cheese Curds" with Sriracha Cheese Curds spilling out from box.

Sriracha Cheese Curds joined the menu for a limited time to heat up the holiday season. 

The More You Know... 

Exterior of A&W Restaurant in Richmond, Kentucky

A new national learning center and prototype restaurant opened in Richmond, Kentucky serving as an educational resource center for franchisees and team members across the country. 

What was your favorite A&W moment of the year? Any that we missed? Let us know by connecting with A&W Restaurants on social! 

www.facebook.com/awrestaurants

www.twitter.com/awrestaurants

www.instagram.com/awrestaurants