Think A&W and you remember curly fries, coney
dogs and root beer floats, for those of us who were around when the
American fast-food restaurant had outlets all across Singapore.
The chain has announced that it will be returning to
Singapore's shores next year, getting the little kid in all of us
all excited and providing actual little kids with a
gastronomic blast from the past.
Here are some things about the American fast-food
chain's long history in Singapore:
When most Singaporeans think fast food, they think
of outlets such as McDonald's and KFC.
But way before Ronald McDonald and Colonel Sanders
touched down in Singapore in 1979 and 1977 respectively, A&W
had arrived over a decade ago.
In 1966, American couple Al and Geri Lieboff brought
the franchise here after introducing the brand to Malaysia,
selling hamburgers, hot dogs and its signature root beer in Dunearn
Road.
The location was near the former University of
Singapore's Bukit Timah Campus and was a popular hangout for
students to grab a bite and to go on dates at.
A&W later opened Singapore's first drive-in
restaurant in Bukit Timah Road in 1970.
It went on to open many outlets, but had only five when
it pulled out of Singapore in 2003 as it could not keep up
with the competition and was suffering losses.
The "A" and "W" in the name refer to the
founders.
The chain originated in Lodi, California, when Roy W.
Allen opened a root beer stand in June 1919.
The business took off and Allen partnered his employee
Frank Wright. The two opened the first A&W restaurant in
1923 in Sacramento, California.
They put their initials together and the rest is
fast-food history.
One of the chain's crowd favourites is the root beer
float. The magical ingredient in this is the root beer.
A&W had gained popularity in America for its
"frosty mugs", which were sort of like those used by some coffee
shops selling beer in Singapore. The mugs were kept in a
freezer until they were used to serve the beverage to
customers.
The chain's root beer was concocted with a special
recipe of a blend of herbs, spices, barks and berries.
The mascot of A&W is Rooty, also known as the Great
American Root Bear.
He appears in the brand's advertisements both in print
and online. He also appears in some YouTube videos and is the
persona behind the company's Twitter account, with the account's
description saying "Tweets from Spokesbear Rooty signed - RB".
Rooty made history in 2013 by becoming the first mascot
to have an official LinkedIn account, but sadly that did not last
long.
"Although they found Rooty's profile clever and funny,
they ultimately shut it down because 'Rooty isn't real'. For all of
us at A&W, Rooty is very much real and all of the
recommendations and networking connections were done by someone
real, not an autobot or generic response," said A&W's social
& digital communications strategist Liz Bazner back then.
A&W, the fast-food outlet which had brought
countless people joy, was at the centre of grievances in 1973.
On Oct 8 that year, 100 workers from three outlets - in
SIA Building in Robinson Road, Dunearn Road and Jurong - staged a
walkout over wage claims.
They claimed the A&W management refused to
implement the recommendations of the National Wages Council.
However, they returned to work the next day after
the management agreed to meet them for negotiations.
For those of you who are super impatient and cannot
wait for Rooty and company to swoop back into sunny Singapore,
there are some things you can do.
If it is root beer you are craving, it is available off
the shelves in supermarkets and shops.
Those who have tried it may or may not agree with me
that the canned root beer just does not taste the same as
the authentic version. Then again, beggars cannot be choosers.
If you are dedicated to the cause, make a trip across
the causeway.
There are several A&W outlets, such as the one
in Aeon Bukit Indah Shopping Centre in Johor Baru.
Or just hang in there. After all, good things come
to those who wait.
ST