• A&W President/CEO Susan Senecal and Tom Newitt, Senior Director Brand Communications will receive medal at the Strategy Awards September 20, 2018.
  • Senecal and Newitt join luminaries including Paul Lavoie, Philip Donne, and Frank Palmer

Toronto, September 13, 2018: A&W prides itself in being first.

With the launch of new beef specifications in September 2013, A&W became the first national quick service restaurant to serve beef raised without the use of hormones or steroids, raised on ranches at the leading edge of sustainable and ethical practices. A&W was the first restaurant chain to serve chicken raised without the use of antibiotics, eggs from hens fed a diet without animal by-products, pork raised without the use of antibiotics, and organic, Fairtrade coffee. The Company extended its ingredient guarantees, when, in July 2017, it began serving its famous A&W Root Beer® made with natural cane sugar and all-natural flavours. Their most recent success has come in the form of the Beyond Meat Burger which launched in July 2018. A&W is the first and only national burger restaurant in Canada to serve Beyond Meat’s 100% plant-based burger patty.

This determination was most recently captured by A&W’s Mission:

“To be loved for our natural ingredients, great taste, convenience, and for doing what’s right, making A&W the #1 choice for millennial burger lovers.”

At the helm – Susan Senecal. Having joined the company as an Area Manager in 1992, Susan has held a variety of positions across different departments, most recently as CMO. In February 2018, Susan Senecal was named President and CEO, becoming the fifth CEO in the Company’s 62-year history.

However, success of this magnitude doesn’t come easily or single-handedly. Tom Newitt is the other half of this dynamic duo. Tom joined A&W in 2012 as it embarked on its new strategic journey. Tom has led the Marketing and Communications team in repositioning the brand successfully as the leader in great tasting natural food for burger lovers in Canada.

Importantly the strategic prowess and business determination has paid off in business results. A&W is a proudly Canadian company operating in a highly competitive industry – against global behemoths. With over 900 restaurants from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland, A&W is the second largest hamburger restaurant chain in Canada and is one of Canada’s leading franchisors.

For more information, please contact Davina Wong, Manager, Education & Events, ACA at / 416-964-3805 ext. 1007.