When asked where they go for rootbeer and waffles, many Malaysians unanimously say A&W. We grew up with the classic fast food place and can’t escape from the reality that age is catching up (or has caught up).
Previously owned by QSR, A&W Malaysia has since been taken over by Inter Mark Resources Sdn. Bhd. (IMRSB) over a year ago and they are now set to make a comeback, according to George Ang, Chief Executive Officer of A&W Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. He said this at the officiating ceremony of the A&Wesome Festival which was held at the very first A&W drive-in outlet in Petaling Jaya.
The festival brought back some pretty good memories, with classic games like Street Fighter and even a DIY basketball corner for the guests to test their skills.
“Our advantage is that we are a brand that has a strong connection with the Malaysians who grew up in the seventies and eighties. They would celebrate their anniversaries at our outlets with Rooty® The Great Root Bear and enjoy at least one of their favourites on our menu; or they would simply relax in A&W after school with our iconic RB floats,” said Ang. Sure sounds like an afternoon we would love to have, actually.
He added that A&W social media reach has received plenty of positive feedback and the company will continue serving memorable, great food. At the same time, he believes that the future of QSR’s chain business rely on the ability of A&W to win over new customers - basically the millenials.
As part of their initiative to draw in this crowd, Ang and the team retain quality with fresh chicken instead of frozen chicken, cook-to-order food, and yummy, innovative dishes to keep your tastebuds coming back for more.
The new menu sees the introduction of new sauces for the famous A&W Coney - the next time you go, check out the Buttermilk Cheese Coney dan Sichuan Mala Coney!
According to Ang, the new and limited edition menu items have been drawing in not just new but also returning customers who can’t seem to get enough.
Moving on to our favourite bit: desserts. Ang announced the addition of A&W dessert kiosks in high-traffic shopping malls soon. Which malls exactly, we don’t know, but all the more reason to look out for them even more, then! These kiosks will be selling something a lil different than the usual waffles, though. Expect a Waffle To Go instead, which is essentially a waffle and soft serve ice cream combination so you can basically enjoy it on-the-go. There will also be a Float On Cone, which is a RB sorbet and soft serve vanilla ice cream mixture.
We all know that while good food is imperative, customer service is also a crucial part of the dining experience. Ang said that extra effort was put in to train staff to be better and more alert, not just at handling customers, but also to ensure high quality food. They even have an A&W Academy now to train the staff!
In an effort to make A&W even more accessible to Malaysians (yay!) A&W Malaysia will be increasing their number of outlets. Ang said the goal is to turn the current 48 outlets into 100 outlets (some of which are drive-throughs and some kiosks) by 2021.
You hungry yet?
By: Celestine Foo
