Verified — real FDD extraction
Not found in the SBA Franchise Directory — SBA financing may be unavailable; verify with your lender
A&W
Other · independent · est. —
A&W is a quick-service restaurant chain known for burgers, hot dogs, and draft root beer. A franchisee operates a freestanding, in-line, or co-branded restaurant serving families and quick-service diners, with formats ranging from small non-traditional units to full drive-thru buildings.
A&W net unit count declined -1.9% from 2023–2025 per its FDD Item 20.
New to franchising? Start here
A franchise is a business where you (the franchisee) pay a company (the franchisor) for the right to open and run a location using their brand and system — think a local Anytime Fitness or Taco John's owned by a small-business owner, not the corporation.
Before you can buy in, U.S. law requires the franchisor to give you a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) — a long legal filing covering its fees, finances, and history. The numbers on this page come straight from that document:
- Franchise fee — the one-time cost to buy in.
- Royalty — the ongoing cut of your sales you pay the franchisor.
- Item 20 — how many locations opened and closed, the basis for our verdict (from Proven & strong down to Distressed — or Too new to judge).
The verdict
Proven & steady
Distress
A real track record with an unremarkable region of the ledger: neither the growth nor the exits stand out, for better or worse. The standout in the record: owner turnover is low.
Exit rate · latest year
4.7%
fiscal 2025, per Item 20
Cost to open
$301K–$1.6M
Item 7 total investment range
SBA loan defaults
No loan record
no SBA 7(a)/504 loans found for this brand
Behind the verdict
the record, factor by factor · Item 20
3-yr trend · Item 20 Table 1
terminations + ceased-ops vs. all exits · Table 3
transfers vs. base · Table 3
actual vs. projected openings · Table 5
Item 19 disclosure + completeness
Systemwide units
2023–2025
Survival record
FDD Item 20 · outlet status by year
In fiscal 2025, 10 of 213 franchised outlets left the system — a 4.7% annualized exit rate. Not every exit is a failure — but this is the measurable floor.
Show the outlet tables ↓Hide the evidence ↑
| Status (FTC) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outlets at start | 212 | 214 | 215 |
| Opened | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| Transfers | 13 | 6 | 3 |
| Terminations | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Non-renewals | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Reacquired by franchisor | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ceased — other reasons | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Outlets at end | 214 | 215 | 210 |
| Net change | +2 | +1 | -5 |
What it costs — and what it drags
FDD Items 5–7 · fees, investment, royalty
Buying in means a $30K franchise fee (Item 5) and a total investment of $301K–$1.6M (Item 7). The franchisor publishes an earnings claim (Item 19) — read its methodology closely.
To open (Item 7)
$301K–$1.6M
all-in investment range
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$30K
upfront, one-time
Royalty (Item 6)
5%
of sales, ongoing
Your figure — cross-check against this brand's Item 19 and current-owner validation.
Royalty you'd pay / yr
$50K
5% of sales, before profit
Over a 10-yr term
$500K
royalties alone, excl. ad fund
This is not profit. It's the only money the FDD actually pins down — what you put in, and the royalty you owe on every dollar of sales. Your real take-home depends on labor, rent, food cost, and ramp-to-breakeven, none of which any FDD discloses.
Build a real pro-forma for A&W with an independent CPALabor record
US Dept. of Labor enforcement · franchisee-level · FY2005–present
Federal investigators have concluded 55 wage cases against operators of this system, recovering $528K in back wages for 444 workers, including 16 child-labor cases. Some of these cases are recent, not ancient history. These cases name franchisee-owned locations, not the franchisor itself.
Concluded cases
55
Back wages owed
$528K
Employees affected
444
Since 2020
7
16 of these cases involved child-labor violations, covering 85 minors across the system's franchised locations.
Read this carefully. The employers in these cases are individual A&W franchisees — separately owned businesses operating under the brand name — not A&W itself. The franchisor is not the respondent and in most cases is not a party. What the record shows is how this system's operators run their payrolls, which is worth knowing before you become one of them. Counts rise with system size and with age: a 20-year-old, 10,000-unit system will out-count a young one regardless of conduct. Source: DOL Wage and Hour Division concluded compliance actions, FY2005–present, most recent finding 2024.
Distress signals
news-sourced · bankruptcies, closures, lawsuits
No recent closures, bankruptcies, or major lawsuits found in the news for A&W. That's a good sign — but it reflects news coverage, not a guarantee.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing A&W's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →A&W franchise questions, answered from the filings
What percentage of A&W franchises closed last year?
In A&W's latest FDD Item 20 (fiscal 2025), 10 of 213 franchised outlets left the system — an annualized exit rate of 4.7%. That counts terminations, non-renewals, and "ceased operations — other reasons." There is no official failure rate, and not every exit is a failure, but this is the measurable floor.
How much does a A&W franchise cost?
Per A&W's 2026 FDD, buying in requires an initial franchise fee of $30K (Item 5) and a total initial investment of $301K–$1.6M (Item 7).
What royalty does A&W charge?
A&W charges an ongoing royalty of 5.0% of gross sales, per Item 6 of its 2026 FDD.
Does A&W disclose earnings (Item 19)?
Yes — A&W makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its 2026 FDD, reporting a median unit volume of $1.2M. Read it closely: franchisors choose which units and which metrics to include.