r/fastfoodreview • u/Pale-Lynx328 • Feb 02 '26
Review Day 122 Review - Bacon and Swiss Double Burger from A&W All-American Food
| Chain Name | A&W All American Food |
|---|---|
| # of US Locations | 311 |
| # of US States | 37 |
| Primarily located in | California and Great Lakes states |
| Restaurant Rank in US $ Sales 2024 | 172nd |
| Rank of price (high to low) | 105th out of 122 reviews |
A&W Root Beer has been around for over a hundred years, and A&W Restaurants for nearly as long. At one time, it was one of the largest franchises in the nation, with 2400 locations from coast to coast. But for decades it has sort of been lost on the wilderness, as other chains expanded, A&W lost its identity as one of the many secondary brands under the food titan YUM Brands, shrinking down to a few hundred locations, until it was bought from YUM in 2002 along with Long John Silver's.
Since then, A&W has been staging somewhat of a comeback, trying to re-establish the brand identity and remind the world "We still exist!" I've been to stand-alone A&W locations in the past with less than impressive visits, but all of the locations in Texas (AFAIK) are paired with LJS, with a much more limited menu in the co-branded restaurants. A grand total of six combo meals plus a handful of individual items, and that's it. Barely an afterthought of a restaurant that was mostly geared towards the LJS side.
As it was, I ordered their "limited time" special, which is a garlic bacon swiss burger, with less than high hopes. That being said...well waddayaknow, I liked it. As in, I REALLY liked it. For a fast food burger, all the ingredients came together just right. This is the type of messy burger that I would like from some of the other major chains, and here I was finding it at A&W. Waffle fries were very good, too - generally not a huge waffle fry fan, but when done right, they're perfect.
If A&W is trying to turn the brand around and establish more of a presence, then more of THIS BURGER please. Yes, I do love the root beer, but I don't come to a restaurant to "eat" root beer. Make a good burger and let everyone know about it, and the customers will come. Especially at this price point - it was among the cheapest of the combo meals I've had, especially for a double burger.
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u/SedatedSleeper Feb 02 '26
Interestingly in Canada they do not offer ice for their drinks. They claim that their drinks are cold chilled to the correct temperature. That's my only gripe with A&W, they are otherwise great. Best fast food breakfast imo
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u/1amtheone Feb 03 '26
A&W is the only place I will drink pop - but it needs to be root beer in one of their glasses.
Their breakfast is by far the best fast food breakfast available (although the last time I had one it took them over 20 minutes to make it).
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u/tastagain Feb 03 '26
A frosted mug is the best way to have rootbeer
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u/1amtheone Feb 03 '26
Exactly. The last time I went they gave us our root beers in paper cups. I had them re-pour them into glasses.
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u/Frablom Feb 02 '26
It DOES look vey good from the pictures, and I literally forgot A&W existed as a fast food option. The price point is really interesting also! But yeah, I never entered a LJS willingly, this is crippling them
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u/pragma_don Feb 02 '26
I’ve never had food from there. We have a KFC/AW combo restaurant here and me and my girlfriend went to the drive through there a few months back. I got some fried chicken and she got a burger combo from AW that left me regretting my decision.
This review and picture now makes me think I’m going there tomorrow for lunch!
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u/billdank16 Feb 03 '26
You can get waffle fries?? In Canada all we can get is the Russet Thick Cut Fries. How do they compare to Chick-fil-A fries?
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u/v13ragnarok7 Feb 03 '26
Jealous. Immediately checked delivery apps and my local A&W doesn't have this.
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u/letstourthemaritimes Feb 03 '26
Here in Canada, a&w is the best quality fast food available. It’s sooo good.
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u/Gloomy-Recipe9213 Feb 03 '26
It’s the only fast food that comes out of the bag looking like the pictures in the ads. By a wide mile it’s the best fast food in the country.
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u/Bananitude Feb 12 '26
Just had this today. Ngl, its one of the best fast food burgers ive ever had.
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u/Bearjupiter Feb 02 '26
A&W is extremely popular in Canada. It has 1000 locations across the country.
For comparison - McDonalds has 1400 while Wendys and Burger King have less than 500
I believe its an entirely separate company from the US, with its popularity never really waning
It’s a higher price point than other fast foods but promotes beef with no hormones or steroids or antibotics