A&W Restaurants Introduces Modern Heritage Prototype

This week, A&W Restaurants introduced a new restaurant prototype, which it describes as a modern heritage concept.

The prototype blends timeless Americana with contemporary architecture, enhanced guest comfort and a flexible footprint that can be adapted for a variety of market sizes. It ranges in size from 2,200 to 2,800 square feet and seats 40 to 70 guests.

“This new restaurant design represents the future of A&W while staying true to everything our guests have loved about the brand for more than a century,” says Betsy Schmandt, CEO and president of A&W Restaurants, in the release. “As many restaurant brands embrace increasingly transactional guest experiences, A&W is doubling down on what has always set us apart: handcrafted quality, genuine hospitality and meaningful connections with the communities we serve.”

The prototype will serve as the foundation for future A&W restaurant development across the U.S., supporting the brand’s expansion into new and existing markets.

A&W has over 850 locations in 35 U.S. states and Asia, of which over 600 are single-brand A&Ws and 230 are co-branded with KFC or Long John Silver’s.