A&W restaurant is planned for Tonopah

A&W, a Lexington, Kentucky-based chain of fast-food restaurants known for its root beer plans to open a restaurant in Tonopah, however, sources familiar with the matter said that “quite a few details” still need to be worked out.

Brad Ritter, a spokesman for A&W, said that neither the company nor the franchisee in Tonopah is comfortable contributing a quote at the moment.

“They are still working on determining the exact location and design for the restaurant, which will affect construction timing, the number of seats, the menu and number of employees. Until the design is complete, it would be premature to provide details,” Ritter said in an email.

A site for an A&W in Tonopah has not been announced.

According to the news release on the company’s website, A&W currently has 17 franchised U.S. restaurants in various stages of development, with five to open in May and June.

Two new franchisees recently signed agreements for restaurants in Las Vegas and Tonopah with the Tonopah A&W the brand’s first hotel and casino location. New development agreements also were signed earlier this year for Bingham Lake, Minn., Prescott Valley, Ariz. and Yermo, Calif.

“Since A&W franchisees acquired the company in 2011, we’ve been working to rebuild the brand worldwide,” CEO Kevin Bazner said in a press release posted on the company’s website.

Earlier this year, A&W announced an incentive plan that involved lower royalties for new U.S. franchisees. On June 20, it will become the first American restaurant chain to turn 100.

There are currently over 960 restaurants worldwide – 597 in the U.S. and 372 in Asia.