A&W has been a pioneer in the fast-food industry. It all started when Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, CA. From there, Allen partnered with Frank Wright, and together they coined the name A&W, which has become synonymous with root beer ever since. In 1963, A&W Franchisee Dale Mulder made history, serving the first Bacon Cheeseburger in a restaurant.
- It's Crunch Time
- Feeling Saucy?
- & then you asked for extra napkins
- & then it felt like summer
It's our signature 1/3 pound double, an A&W favorite for decades. Two juicy 100% U.S. Beef patties, two slices of American cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and our signature A&W Papa Sauce on a lightly butter-toasted bun. It doesn't get much better than this!
That's right. In 1963, our very own A&W Franchise Partner Dale Mulder made history, serving the first Bacon Cheeseburger in a restaurant. We're pretty proud of that. So next time you're enjoying an Original Bacon Cheeseburger, just know that it all started here, and we have our good friend Dale to thank!
- 1/3 Pound Double
- Mushroom Lovers this one's for you
- One Fish
- Two Fish
Nutrition Facts
The A&W StoryA W RestaurantsPioneers in the Industry
At A&W, we have a rich history that is actually older than sliced bread. Established in 1919, A&W has been a pioneer in the fast-food industry. It all started when Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, CA. From there, Allen partnered with Frank Wright, and together they coined the name A&W, which has become synonymous with root beer ever since.Root Beer Originators
"No matter how you drink A&W root beer, you can't go wrong," says a ranking from Mashed, listing A&W as the best root beer on the market. 'If you go to an A&W Restaurant and drink it out of a frosty mug, you'll love it. If you have a root beer float for dessert, nothing tastes as great as mixing the ice cream with A&W root beer. This beverage is a big hit in any situation and for practically any crowd."Our iconic frosty mugs of A&W root beer are a signature offering that can only be experienced in an A&W restaurant. These frosty mugs became the first-ever restaurant merchandise, and they continue to be a beloved symbol of our brand.
A&W: The 'Roots' of A&W Restaurants 1919 IT ALL STARTED WITH A ROADSIDE STAND...
Roy W. Allen opened his first Root Beer stand in Lodi, California on June 20th. It was a hot night that coincided with a city-wide party celebrating the homecoming of local World War I heroes.1922 SO THAT'S WHAT A&W STANDS FOR
Allen partnered with former Lodi employee Frank Wright. They leased their first two Root Beer stands to other operators so they could expand into the larger city of Sacramento. This was around the same time the partners coined the new name A&W, “A” for Allen & “W” for Wright.1925 ADDING TO THE FAMILY
Allen began to sell franchises to others, thus establishing the first franchise restaurant chain in America.1950 HERE WE GROW AGAIN
Thanks to the postwar boom & prevalence of G.I. loans, there was a flurry of new development & nearly 450 operating A&Ws. Allen sold the entire operation to the A&W Root Beer Co., a California company.1956 GOING INTERNATIONAL
A&W went international opening its first restaurant in Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1956. A&W restaurants in Canada were initially part of the American A&W restaurant chain until they were sold in 1972 and since then, have been owned and operated in Canada independently and separately from A&W operations in the United States.1963 BACON, MEET BURGER
A&W expanded to the Philippines, Malaysia, & Okinawa, Japan. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Original Bacon Cheeseburger was born.1969 FIFTY AND FABULOUS
A&W celebrated its 50th Anniversary.1971 CAN (AND BOTTLE) YOU DIG IT?
A&W Root Beer became available in bottles & cans.1974 UNBEARABLY CUTE
Rooty the Great Root Bear was born.1999 THAT'S A LOT OF ROOT BEER FLOATS
In conjunction with A&W's 80th Anniversary, the world's largest Root Beer Float was created. 2,562.5 gallons of Root Beer was used to break the world record.2003 CHEESY GOOD
100% Real Wisconsin White Cheddar Cheese Curds were introduced.2011 A GREAT AMERICAN BRAND
A&W was purchased by a group of domestic & international A&W Franchise Partners.2017 & BEYOND – THE FUTURE IS NOW
There are approximately 1,000 restaurants (& counting) in the United States & Southeast Asia. An estimated 46 new restaurant openings are planned for 2018 between the U.S. & International markets.
A&W Restaurants
WIKIPEDIAA&W Restaurants
American fast food restaurant chain distinguished by its burgers, draft root beer and root beer floats. The oldest still existing restaurant chain in the United States.On June 20, 1919, Roy W. Allen opened his first root beer stand in Lodi, California, the first day was for a homecoming celebration of soldiers who returned from battle in World War I. The following day, his stand was open for regular customers, selling root beer glasses for 5 cents (equivalent to $0.88 in 2023).
- The following year, Allen opened a second stand in Stockton, California. Shortly afterwards, the effect of the period of prohibition that existed in the United States from 1920 to 1933 gave Allen and his stand with a beverage with "beer" in the name a heavy rebound.
- Four years later, A&W began when Allen and Frank Wright opened their drive-in restaurant in Sacramento, California, combining both of their initials for the name, and selling the root beer from Allen's stand. Curbside service was provided by tray boys and tray girls.
- In 1924, Allen purchased Frank Wright's stake in the business.
- In 1925, Allen began franchising the root beer, while the franchisee added the other menu items and operated at their discretion. Most of the restaurants that opened under this scheme were in the highways of the Central Valley region, mainly to travelers. This may have arguably been the first successful food-franchising operation.
- Allen sold the company in 1950 and retired.
A&W is the only major fast-food chain in the United States to be owned entirely by franchisees, since the 2011 sale from Yum! Brands to A Great American Brand, LLC., which is mostly under the control of the National A&W Franchisee Association (NAWFA). The current owners rely heavily on single-brand restaurants, in contrast to combined, co-branded restaurants, which came from prior administrations. As of December 2021, there were 900 restaurants in the US and Asia. In the United States alone, the states with the most restaurants are California, followed by Wisconsin and Michigan.
A W Restaurants100th Anniversary
June 2019 was when A&W Restaurants celebrated its landmark 100th anniversary. To commemorate a century of good food & good times, we compiled a list of 15 things you probably didn't know about A&W. Which famous singer wrote portions of his hit song at an A&W? How long does it take to make our signature Root Beer? Read on to find out!
- A&W is the first American chain restaurant to reach the 100 year milestone.
- Dale Mulder, an A&W franchisee in Lansing, Michigan, created the Bacon Cheeseburger in 1963. Mulder later served as A&W's president and chairman.
- In 2018, A&W purchased 679,735 pounds of bacon, serving approximately 13,594,700 slices on its Bacon Cheeseburgers.
- Roy Allen served the first frosty mug of A&W Root Beer on June 20, 1919 in Lodi, California, during a homecoming parade for WWI veterans. A&W historically has supported veterans since then.
- On National Root Beer Float Day, August 6, participating A&W Restaurants serve free small Root Beer Floats, requesting donations for veterans' groups.
- A&W Root Beer is named for partners Roy Allen and Frank Wright.
- A&W Root Beer (1919) is older than sliced bread (1928).
- A&W was the first American quick-service restaurant to open in Malaysia (1963) and Singapore (1966). In 1963, it was the first American hamburger shop to open in Okinawa. Today, there are more than 370 A&Ws in Asia, including Singapore's new Jewel Changi Airport.
- Guests at A&W Restaurants in the U.S. and Asia consume more than 1.1 million gallons of Root Beer a year.
- By serving its Root Beer in reusable glass mugs, A&W Restaurants keep 180 paper cups per mug out of landfills each year.
- The Burger Family personified A&W's burger offerings in the 1960s and beyond: Papa Burger, Mama Burger, Teen Burger and Baby Burger.
- All associates in A&W's Lexington, Kentucky headquarters work a shift in a restaurant each quarter. Yes, your burger may have been grilled by the president.
- A&W Root Beer is made fresh in each restaurant. It takes about 45 minutes to prepare.
- Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bob Seger wrote portions of "Night Moves" at a Michigan A&W drive-in. The classic hit is among the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll," according to the museum.
- Marriott International began as an A&W franchise in Washington, D.C. during 1927.
The Untold Truth of A&W
MashedRoot Beer Floats and "All American Food" for 100 years
A&W got its start from the growing popularity of root beer in the early 1900s, and the chain has continued to capitalize on its signature beverage's popularity ever since. With close to 1,000 locations throughout the world, the chain has held a steady hand in the fast food game. With a variety of burgers, chicken options, coney dogs, and the beloved root beer float on their menu, A&W has played a consistent deck of cards. And a lot can happen in 100 years.A&W was named after its founders
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Roy Allen put up a temporary stand just in time for a parade celebrating soldiers returning from World War I, serving up ice-cold root beer in frosty glass mugs for 5 cents on a hot June day.After success with the stand, Allen brought Frank Wright into the picture in 1922. The two joined forces and leased the first two root beer stands out to their first franchisees in order to focus their attention on expansion in Sacramento, California. At the time, the partners decided to name the chain A&W, using the A for Allen and the W for Wright.
A&W has been supporting veterans since the beginning
Every year, A&W hosts National Root Beer Float day on August 6. On that day, the chain gives out free small root beer floats to all customers at participating locations (no purchase necessary), asking encouraging customers to make donations to the Disabled American Veterans, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans find jobs, get to doctors appointments, and to provide additional resources. According to Business Wire, A&W has raised more than $800,000 for veterans groups since 2013, and the chain only hopes to see that number continue to increase.Prohibition helped with A&W's growth
Once the 18th Amendment passed in January, 1920, the constitution banned the manufacturing, selling, and transportation of alcohol.It was a hard hit for many who liked to imbibe, but for Allen, who was selling a product with "beer" in the name, it may have been the best time in his life. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the timing for Allen couldn't have been any better, noting that supporters of prohibition had actually tried to ban root beer 1895, assuming that it was alcoholic because of the name. Instead of getting it banned, though, they had given it more publicity. The entire soda industry did well during the times of Prohibition, and several makers of beer actually switched to making soda to stay above-board and still have a business to speak of. Customers and brewers alike turned to soft drinks as a replacement for alcohol, ultimately growing the popularity of Allen and Wright's stands at the time.
A&W still makes their own root beer
A&W helped to make root beer popular, but the history of the beverage goes back further than 1919. According to Thought Co, the first introduction of root beer was in 1876, when a pharmacist named Charles Elmer Hires introduced a recipe combining 25 herbs, berries and roots, with a bit of carbonated water to top it off. This was loosely based off colonial recipes for "small beers," drinks and medicines brewed from herbs they had on-hand. In 1919, Roy Allen bought a root beer recipe so he could start making the root beer for his stand.A&W claims they served the first bacon cheeseburger
At this point you can't visit any fast food joint without seeing a bacon cheeseburger on the menu. Whether your go-to is the Burger King Bacon King or the Wendy's Baconator, you owe all the kudos for your favorite combo to A&W.There's a totally separate A&W operation in Canada
A&W restaurants in the United States and Canada were one in the same for a short period of time, but not anymore. A&W first went international in 1956, opening their first Canadian location in Winnipeg, Manitoba. But in 1972, the Canadian franchises were sold and continued to operate independently from their American counterparts.The Canadian menu offers the whole burger family, featuring burgers in varying sizes such as the Papa, the Mama, the Teen, and the Grandpa. Oh, and in Canada, you can get breakfast at A&W, and of course the Canadian favorite, poutine. You can get the classic Papa burger in America, but the American menu just doesn't give you as many options as its northern counterpart.
A&W is leading the charge on adding the ampersand to the alphabet
The franchise started a petition to Merriam Webster to add the ampersand to the alphabet, making it the 27th letter. For A&W, it's frustrating that they can't use the joining symbol in URLs or hashtags to represent their brand name, and it's time for a revolution. Currently, their web addresses for both the U.S. and Canada do not reflect their full brand name, instead they skip the ampersand entirely. Of course, not being able to use their full name online likely creates problems with customers trying to connect - something no business wants.A&W was the first franchised fast food chain
A&W has officially been around a long time - 100 years is nothing short of a huge deal. A&W started in 1919 and has continued its steady incline since. But they're not just celebrating old age. The franchise is also celebrating the fact that it's the first to hit a pretty cool fast food chain milestone.A&W set a world record
With A&W being known for its signature root beer, it's no wonder their classic root beer floats, combining root beer and vanilla soft serve ice cream, are popular across the globe. But as A&W serves up root beer floats from 16 ounces up to 32 ounces in-house, they once took the popular treat one step further, earning the world record for the largest root beer float in 1999.The giant float was meant as a celebration of the chain's 80th anniversary, and A&W smashed the world record by combining 2100 gallons of their signature root beer with 400 gallons of vanilla ice cream to create the 2,562.5 gallon behemoth of a float.
The Original Home of A&W Root Beer
Atlas ObscuraLodi, California
A plaque and memorabilia collection mark where A&W got its startA&W had a humble start, for what was to become both a root-beer behemoth as well as the first-ever franchised restaurant chain.
Roy Allen, a hotelier by trade, bought a root-beer recipe and ingredients from a pharmacist in Arizona in 1919. Being the entrepreneur that he was, he soon decided to sell his brew. Allen settled in Lodi, California, and on June 14, 1919, he began selling root beer to townsfolk during a parade. His original root-beer cart is long gone, but a plaque in front of the Beauty of the Beast Pet Salon at 13 Pine Street commemorates the spot.
In the next few years, Allen partnered up with an employee, Frank Wright. The duo named their beverage A&W Root Beer, as in A (Allen) & W (Wright). Soon after, the partners opened up stands in the nearby cities of Sacramento and Stockton, where they sold the beverage in cold mugs for just 5 cents. Eventually, Allen would buy out Wright's shares, and, in 1924, he launched his franchise business, selling his root-beer concentrate and brand name to restaurant operators across the country.
Lodi's current A&W is a few blocks away from the original location. The venue acts as both a restaurant (even serving via curbside car-hop) and a display of what owner Peter Knight believes is the largest A&W memorabilia collection in existence.
12 Frosty Facts About A&W Restaurants
Mental FlossA&W Restaurants
A&W has been serving up root beer and burgers for nearly 100 years-grab a frosty mug and see how this California chain kicked off a new era of American eateries.
- A&W IS NAMED AFTER ITS FOUNDERS, ALLEN AND WRIGHT.
Roy Allen (the "A") jump-started the A&W chain in 1919, taking advantage of crowds attending a veterans' parade in Lodi, Calif. The traveling entrepreneur, originally from Illinois, looked to capitalize on a root beer recipe he bought from an Arizona pharmacist years before. On a warm June day, Allen hawked mugs of his nameless root beer at five cents per cup, and realized the drink was a hit. Allen partnered with Frank Wright (the "W"), and the pair quickly opened root beer drink-stops in nearby California cities before venturing east. The business duo were partners for only five years before Wright was bought out and left A&W, but even after his departure, the name stuck. Allen went on to create the A&W franchise, adding food options to the root beer hotspots.- A&W SUPPOSEDLY OFFERED DRIVE-INS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE.
Roy Allen allegedly created the first drive-ins for his A&W restaurants in 1921, just two years after his first root beer stand. The second A&W restaurant in Sacramento offered so called "tray-boys" who delivered burgers and root beer to visitors who ate from the comfort of their cars. Whether A&W truly coined in-car food is contested through fast-food history. Another California restaurant, the Pig Stand Number 21, is said to have had the first drive-thru window, created 10 years later, and another Cali chain, In-N-Out Burger, was the first to add a two-way speaker to their drive-thru in 1948. A&W also claims to be the world's first franchise and the inventor of the bacon cheeseburger.- THE GREAT DEPRESSION AND WORLD WAR II WEREN'T THAT HARD ON A&W.
A&W didn't slow down after Wright's departure, and economic downturn didn't stop it either. Despite the Great Depression, the chain continued to add root beer stands in quick succession. By the time the U.S. entered World War II, Allen had opened 260 A&W locations. Rationing of sugar and meat during the war did temporarily stifle expansion, but by 1950, the chain expanded to 500 restaurants and into Canada. With more traveling families on the road after World War II, Allen's success boomed to nearly 2000 A&W franchise locations by the 1960s.- A&WS IN CANADA ARE TECHNICALLY DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS.
If you dine above the northern border, you'll find that A&Ws in Canada are pretty similar, just with a few alterations. While the chain opened its first Canadian restaurant in 1956, the link between the American and Canadian locations lasted less than 20 years. By 1972, the chain of Canadian restaurants was sold to Unilever (yes, the same company that makes soap, laundry detergent and tea, among other things). Both A&W chains offer root beer and hot foods, and have similar logos, though in Canada, A&Ws don't serve up the tagline “All American Foods,” because that just wouldn't make sense. Instead, the northern chain is focused on hormone and steroid-free meat products, which caused a huge beef with Canadian beef producers.- A CANADIAN A&W ONCE HAD A FLOAT-THRU.
While the U.S. and Canadian chain generally offer the same foods, A&Ws up north sometimes take marketing to a new level. Take for instance the world's first Float-Thru, where swimmers and floaters on the Okanagan River unexpectedly got free burgers as part of an A&W commercial.- FREE ROOT BEER IS THE BEST ROOT BEER.
If there's any day to find your closest A&W, it's probably August 6. The chain celebrates National Root Beer Float Day with free mini floats. A&W restaurants also use the holiday to collect donations for selected charities. Unfortunately, there's no big deal for National Burger Day.- EACH FAMILY MEMBER ONCE HAD THEIR OWN BURGER.
Ever wondered why A&W has the Papa Burger? It's because there used to be a line of burgers named for every member of the family: Mama, Teen and Baby, too. Each came with its own toppings and sauces named for the burger (like Papa Sauce and Teen Sauce, which sound just a little strange), and varied in size, with Papa as the largest and Baby offered to kids. The Burger Family became a marketing tactic throughout the 1960s, and A&W invested in roadside statutes of all four family members, complete with burgers and frosted mugs of root beer. Like the statues, most of the Burger Family is gone for American A&W fans. But, Canadian A&Ws still offer the entire Burger Family, along with some new members, like the Grandpa and Uncle burgers.- ONE BURGER HAD A HORRIBLE NAME.
A&W used to offer the Awful Awful burger. The jumbo burger really wasn't anything unusual-stacked with two burger patties, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo and pickles. But, considering most A&W burgers only had one patty, this was an awful lot of sandwich.- YOU COULDN'T GET ROOT BEER IN A BOTTLE UNTIL 1971.
That's because A&W only offered their standout beverage in frosted mugs within its restaurants. By the late '60s, widespread demand pushed A&W headquarters to look at distribution, and in 1971, the first cans and bottles of A&W Root Beer rolled into stores.- ROOT BEER HAS A SHELF-LIFE, AND IT'S PROBABLY NOT AS LONG AS YOU THINK.
If you've ever thought of stocking up on A&W soda, take note. Root beer's freshness all depends on the container and sugar content. Glass bottles and cans of A&W root beer will get you the furthest with a “best by” date of 39 weeks after they leave the factory. The brand's diet sodas and soft drinks that come in plastic bottles have a shelf-life of only 13 weeks.- THE MARRIOTT FAMILY OWNED AN A&W BEFORE LAUNCHING THEIR HOTEL CHAIN.
J. Williard and Alice Marriott, the founders of Marriott Hotels, first ran an A&W root beer stand together in Washington, D.C. The couple opened the root beer spot in 1927, adding in chili, coffee and hot tamales, and called their restaurant Hot Shoppes. Within a year, the Marriotts opened two more restaurants and began exploring other monetizing options. During the late 1930s, Hot Shoppes' meal became a standard food item for airplane passengers flying through Washington D.C., and in the 1950s, the Hot Shoppes restaurants began providing food to area hospitals, meanwhile buying other fast-food chains. The Hot Shoppes success helped support construction of the first Marriott Hotel in 1957.- A&W'S MAMMAL MASCOT IS A PRETTY GOOD PLAY ON WORDS.
A&W's mascot, Rooty the Great Root Bear, emerged from the restaurant's marketing department in 1974. But, for the past four decades, he's been occasionally sent back into hibernation as A&W considers other marketing campaigns. In 2013, A&W revived the pants-less, root beer-loving bear with his own YouTube show about leaving his den and returning to work at A&W. But this decades-old bear isn't completely old school; Rooty is pretty active online and even has an app. Perhaps that's what's made A&W a century-long success-being able to change with the times while offering a little nostalgia.
14 Things You Didn't Know About A&W Restaurants
ThrillistA&W
Root beer floats? Classic bacon-y burgers? Mascots?! You might as well spell America A&W because this outpost to patriotic eats is the oldest restaurant franchise in America.
- They invented the bacon cheeseburger
The story goes that in 1963, long-time Michigan franchise owner Dale Mulder took cues from his repeat customers always requesting slabs of bacon on top of their cheeseburgers and put the thing on his restaurant's menu. And before you scoff that “that can't possibly be true,” check this: not only did several regional journalists investigate and corroborate the claim in the '60s, but when A&W launched an ad campaign in 2014 boasting about it, no one came forward to contest.- It's historically veteran-friendly
The very first A&W root beer was served during a homecoming parade for WWI vets, which is pretty damn patriotic.- They invented a holiday for root beer floats
Speaking of vets, A&W tip their mugs to Wounded Warrior Project every year during the invented-because-they're-obsessed-with-floats holiday: National Root Beer Float Day on August 6th. Donations to the veterans' charity are encouraged, and each patron gets a free small float.- They're the first franchised restaurant chain
Impressive fact: the company started in 1919. Even more impressive fact: it only took them two years to figure out that franchises mean restaurants with owners who care a ton about their establishment. They became the first franchised restaurant company in 1921, and by their peak in the '70s had even more stores than McDonalds. Hamburgle that.- It was the first drive-in to open in CA
The Golden state is so synonymous with driving that we almost forget a time when it wasn't a destination for cars. But A&W lays claim to the first ever Cali drive-in, which opened in Sacramento in 1923.- The company is 100% owned by franchisees
A&W has changed ownership close to a dozen times in the past century, but the most interesting shift happened at the end of 2011, when it was purchased by a group of franchisees (including old bacon-burger Dale), and today that group has final say on all decisions -- including initiatives launched by corporate. So much for "the man."- Some franchises serve spaghetti
Because there are franchises freakin' everywhere, A&W estimates that there are roughly 35,000 menu variations across their restaurants, including those cheese curds up there, pork tenderloin sandwiches in the Midwest, burritos in California, and, yes, spaghetti at select franchises.- A bunch of stores are family operations
A&W franchises have such lasting power that around 30 of them are currently run by second- or third-generation owners, including franchises in Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, and more. Which poses the inevitable question, who's gonna petition for A&W & Sons first?- Most restaurants make their own root beer on-site
Most A&Ws use a fancy, paddle-stirred brewing kettle to whip up their own root beer in-house, every single day. The thing is so refined it only takes an hour to brew.- Their mascot has gone in and out of hibernation
A&W's mascot, Rooty the Great Root Bear, appeared in 1974 but was sent into hibernation in the 2000s. Recently, A&W brought him back and stuck him in charge of their Twitter account. But Rooty's tough breaks didn't end there: He was kicked off LinkedIn for inexplicable reasons (okay, fine, it was because he's a mascot bear, not a human professional).- America's confusion with fractions deemed one of their ads ineffective
In the early '80s, A&W launched a third-pound burger and an accompanying “third's the word” ad campaign to rival Micky D's ubiquitous quarter pounder. While taste tests yielded positive results, consumers didn't go for the bigger patty. Why? Well in a Times article, aptly titled, “Why Do Americans Stink At Math?” it was determined by focus group that most readers didn't understand that the third-pounder was actually bigger than the quarter pounder. (Because: math... hard) Face, meet desk.- They've got a mug for any brand of collector
A&W is known for their collector mugs, and throughout the 2000s wooed collectors by randomly selling secret special-edition mugs. They'll design a new one most years, and throw in one-of-a-kind editions on occasion -- making the mascot pictured on the mug hold up a peace sign instead of a waving hand, for example. For one of their mugs, they even got the rights to a super-rare '60s Mountain Dew logo. You can't drink out of a stamp, can you?- They hold the record for the world's largest root beer float
In 1999, Lodi, CA franchisee Pete Knight took it upon himself to make float history --no, not the amount of time in a pool lounger... like root beer floats. He scored the Guinness World Record for largest vat of ice cream soda deliciousness by flooding it with 2,562.5 gallons of root beer and plopping in 400 gallons of ice cream.- They've also got the record for the world's longest hashtag
Not stopping with physical world records, A&W turned its glory-seeking attention to Twitterland and launched the longest hashtag in history to promote their new hand-breaded chicken tenders on Texas Toast, you know, because Texas-sized toast requires Texas-sized social sharing. The tag? [deep breath]#supertastylargeandinchargetexastoasttwohandwichmadewithdeliciousonehundredpercent whitemeathandbreadedchickentendersandyourchoiceofclassicorspicypapasauceeitherway youcan'tgowrongwowthatsoundsgoodyouneedtotryoneitsonlyavailableforalimitedtimeImgoing tohavetogogetonemyselfareyoustillreadingthisseeyouatAandW
In 1919 Roy W. Allen opened a roadside root beer stand in Lodi, CA. From there, Allen partnered with Frank Wright and coined the name A&W.
