Next Steps

Join the A&W Franchise Family Today

We appreciate your interest in owning an A&W Restaurant franchise. We look forward to exploring the options available to you that will help you achieve your entrepreneurial goals. To get started on your journey toward becoming an A&W franchise partner, follow these steps:

Step 1: Contact Us

The first step toward becoming an A&W franchise partner is to complete our Franchise Inquiry form here. This will give us the information we need about you and your interest in our franchise opportunity. Please be sure to be as detailed and accurate as possible with your responses, so we can fully understand your background and qualifications. After we’ve received your responses, we’ll carefully review your submission. We’ll evaluate your qualifications, experience, and overall fit with the A&W brand. We want to make sure this will be a valuable partnership that can enable both parties to thrive.

Step 2: Let’s Discuss

If your form responses meet our requirements for franchising, we’ll schedule a call to discuss this opportunity in more detail. We’ll ask for a bit more information about your background, your entrepreneurial goals, and what you’re expecting from a franchisor. This will also provide a good chance to ask us any questions you might have about the A&W franchise opportunity. This call will also be a good opportunity for us to assess whether our values align and whether we agree that you would be a good fit to join the A&W brand.

Step 3: Discovery Day

Once we’re both in agreement that our partnership would be mutually beneficial, we’ll invite you to a Discovery Day at our headquarters in Lexington, KY. There, you’ll have the opportunity to meet our Service Center team and learn all about how to own and operate an A&W Restaurant franchise.

Step 4: Document Signing

After you’ve had a chance to look over our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) and all other documentation, and you’ve had the opportunity to speak with some current franchise partners as well as our franchise team, we can both move forward with signing the Franchise Agreement. This legally binding document establishes our partnership and details the rights and responsibilities of both parties. It is crucial to review the agreement thoroughly and to seek legal counsel in order to fully understand the franchise agreement.

Step 5: Buildout

While you’re going through our comprehensive training program and getting certified, we’ll help with the buildout or conversion of your A&W Restaurant. From site selection to lease negotiations, to marketing your grand opening, our franchise team will support you through every step of the way.

Step 6: Training

Congratulations! You’re now part of the A&W Franchise Family! We’ll make sure you have all the right resources as we get your comprehensive franchise training started. Management training takes place at headquarters in Lexington, KY for two weeks, where we’ll cover every aspect of operations. From there, we’ll get to some hands-on training in the kitchen, where you’ll learn how to run each of the stations, practice shift-leading skills, and interact with customers.

Step 7: Grand Opening and Moving Forward

When you’ve completed training, your restaurant is ready to go, and your staff is trained as well, it’s time for your grand opening! We’ve had some incredible turnouts thanks to clever promotions to draw new customers into your restaurant and kick off your business the right way. A&W is committed to supporting your franchise with marketing and branding, operational guidance, and the wealth of industry knowledge that’s available whenever you need it.

With the next steps outlined above, it’s time to fill out our inquiry form! We look forward to learning more about you and hope we can welcome you to the A&W franchise family and be a good fit for your business goals.