Tag: A&W

A&W’s Comeback To Singapore Plagued By ‘Halal Not Halal’ Issue.. Seriously?

Yes, again the ‘Halal Not Halal’ issue is baccccccccck and the TRENDING restaurant that everyone is talking about now is A&W Singapore.

“We gave up. The queue was 1 hour.”

Said one of the kiasu patrons of A&W on its first day reopening in Singapore after they have been gone for a long time. Other than A&W, many flocked over to Jewel Changi Airport over the weekend to see the news attractions especially the waterfall.

But what is the hype eh about this A&W, because in JB the outlets are lengang (slow business). (:

Photo of an outlet in JB

So, apart from the tak boleh rilek crowd that die-die confirm plus chop cannot eat on other days (other than the opening day) or wait it out a few days/weeks, the issue of HALAL CERTIFICATION surfaced. Not surprising la.. Singaporeans.

Screenshot taken from Facebook

This ah gerl say don’t make A&W Singapore become halal certified. Her argument is that people ONLY have a choice to eat beef or pork, so if someone don’t eat beef they need to eat the pork instead. #bodohpehstatement #racistmuch

“Dekni tk makan Babi,dia makan Taik Babi.”

Oops. Not we say one siol. Someone who replied to her said that. Padan muka you.

Anyway, A&W Singapore saved the day when they instantaneously responded the following to Singaporeans’ squabble about ‘Halal Not Halal’ issue.

Beyond opening new outlets, A&W also wants to cater to various segments of the local market, said Mr Tan. It has “every intention” of submitting its application to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) for halal-certification.

“The Muslim community formed a very big chunk of our business (in the past) and I think right now we will continue to respect and recognise that this particular market is very important to us,” said Mr Tan.

“From the start, when developing the menu, we always wanted to make it halal, but obviously we need to get the restaurant to open first – we are in the process – meaning to say we have every intention to submit our application to MUIS.

“We’re hoping that the crowd will ease out a bit and then we will get them to come in (and do an audit),” said Mr Tan.

“Right now, we would like consumers to know that it’s a Muslim friendly menu, no pork no lard, and as soon as we can find the time to submit our application to MUIS, we will do so immediately.”

Photo from CNA

Wohoo! Definitely great news for us Muslims! Thanks to A&W.

A&W has been halal in the past and will always continue to be halal to cater for the Muslim community in Singapore.

Btw, 94% responded YES to a poll asking if A&W should be halal.

Duh of course yes. It’s our birthright!

Rilek1Corner

April 16, 2019
CEO Of A&W Says Outlets In Singapore Will Be Halal-Certified To Cater To Muslims

After confirming the return of the A&W fast food chain to Singapore in 2018, Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore followed up with President and CEO Kevin Bazner to share more details about the comeback, including the source of supplies, possible Halal certifications and why it took 15 years to return.

“Our beef patties will be 100% sourced from Australia. Our fresh chicken supply will predominantly be sourced in the region and prepared locally. Other ingredients, where possible, will be sourced locally,” said Bazner in an email on Friday (7 July).

When asked if outlets in Singapore will be Halal-certified to cater to Muslims in the country, he said, “Yes, absolutely.”

Bazner was in charge of A&W’s international division back in 1988, during which he lived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with his family for seven years. The American company was acquired by Yum! Brands in 2003, the same year all Singapore outlets were shut.

More than 10 years later, A&W is set to return to the foodie nation. But what took it so long?

“We have been discussing A&W Restaurants’ return to Singapore since 2011, when A&W Restaurants Inc took over ownership from Yum! Brands. Given the popularity of A&W Restaurants brand and its signature products, coupled with rising demand from local consumers, we knew we had to give the Singapore market another shot,” said Bazner, who went on to talk about how Singaporeans themselves had played a big part in the brand’s return.

President and CEO of A&W Restaurants, Inc. (Photo: A&W)

“A&W Restaurants receives daily requests via social media and other channels to bring the brand back to Singapore. To put this into perspective, hundreds of requests from potential franchisees are recorded each year,” he said.

As Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore reported on Tuesday (4 July), A&W has already set up its international corporate office in Singapore in 2016, and is currently looking for a space for its flagship outlet, which will serve as an international training ground for staff in the region.

“While we cannot confirm a specific area right now, we will make another announcement as soon as we can,” said Bazner, who also hinted that “key neighbourhood towns and regions as well as commercial malls and the Central Business District” are among some of the locations they are looking into. A&W’s first outlet in Singapore will be its flagship outlet owned by the company itself and not a franchise.

Craving for root beer floats and coney dogs? A&W confirms a return to Singapore in 2018 (Photo: A&W)

What else can Singaporeans expect from A&W’s return?

Bazner assured that Singaporeans can definitely look forward to the usual fan favourites, such as fried chicken, burgers, Coney Dogs, waffle ice cream, curly fries, and “freshly-made” root beer served in frosty mugs.

“But this is not just it… there will also be new innovation on the menu, which we will be ready to share closer to the first store opening,” he said.

While A&W has already made plans to launch in Singapore during the second half of 2018, “this will largely depend on the suitability of store sites and resources”, according to Bazner.

Source: Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore

July 7, 2017
A&W Set To Return To Singapore In 2018

So, the rumours are true! The American fast food chain that has made many of us fall in love with the root beer float, curly fries, Coney dogs and waffles will be returning to our shores in 2018.

After leaving Singapore more than 10 years ago, A&W – which stands for “Allen and Wright” – confirmed to Yahoo Lifestyle Singapore on Tuesday (4 July) that the company is on track to expand in Southeast Asia, including in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

“We are on track to open 30 to 40 new restaurants a year between these four countries,” said A&W CEO Kevin Bazner over email, who added that A&W has already built an office in Singapore in 2016 to prepare for this expansion and is currently looking for “real estate for a flagship company restaurant in Singapore”.

Source: https://sg.style.yahoo.com

July 4, 2017