A&W Comes Back to Collingwood

The first Canadian A&W restaurant opened in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1956. The Canadian restaurants were part of the American chain until 1972 when they were sold to Unilever.

In 1975, facing competition from the growing Canadian operations of McDonald's, the company launched what was to have been a temporary advertising campaign starring an orange-clad mascot, The Great Root Bear. The bear and the tuba jingle that accompanied him became a long-running campaign (the tune, entitled "Ba-Dum, Ba-Dum", was released as a single by Attic Records, credited to "Major Ursus", a play on Ursa Major or "great bear"). The mascot was so successful that he was eventually adopted as the mascot by the American A&W chain as well. The famous tuba jingle was played by famed Vancouver jazz, classical and session trombonist Sharman King. In the early 1980s, the drive-in style of restaurant was phased out. It was replaced with a modern, pastel-coloured fast food outlet which included healthier options. While the chain continued to open some standalone restaurants, A&W also aggressively pursued shopping mall locations, and as a result A&Ws are still commonly found in Canadian malls of various sizes. The last drive-in style restaurant closed in 1999, in Langley, British Columbia. Collingwood redidents may remember the car hop location where Catch 22 Restaurant now resides. In 1995, the chain was bought out from Unilever by senior management.

In the late 1990s, marketing and products began to take on a more retro approach. Former menu items, such as the Burger Family, were re-introduced, and marketing became more targeted toward the baby boomer generation. At the same time, the current restaurant design was introduced. The exterior features bright orange and yellow colours, reminiscent of the 1950s, while the interior is decorated with memorabilia associated with the same period. Existing restaurants were renovated to match the new style. Meanwhile, with malls in decline, A&W began to focus on opening new standalone restaurants, particularly in smaller markets where McDonald's was often the only major hamburger chain.

Welcome back to Collingwood - think I will go for a Teen Burger right now!