An Educational & Tasty Visit to A&W Headquarters & Test Kitchen

My bud Rev connected me with Liz Bazner (A&W’s Digital Manager) when I was prepping for the opening of my Burger Museum. One of our email conversations included an open invitation to A&W HQ if I was ever in the area.

A&W Corporate Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, which is, at minimum, a 4-hour airplane flight or a 15-hour drive away. I usually do 2 to 3 road trips a year, so I made the tough decision to visit Lexington the following year.

Flash forward to my road trip, which includes a stop in Lexington, a city that I now absolutely love.

A&W Test Kitchen Doors at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
A&W Test Kitchen Doors

The A&W Restaurant offices are on the 3rd floor of the building. We had walked right past the A&W Test Kitchen on the 1st floor when we walked into the building, and I was hoping we might get a chance to see it at some point.

We sat in a conference room with Liz, who talked about A&W, its history, and the company’s direction. A&W’s VP of Restaurant Support Services, Bill Fry, dropped in for a bit to chat also and at one point suggested I try the healthy option on their menu, the corn dog nuggets are made with turkey (I did later, and they were great. I was popping them like tic tacs).

What a character that Bill is!

Inside the AandW Offices

Liz then gave us a tour of the offices and all the historical items that decorate it, plus we met some of the employees along the way. A&W also donated a basket of items to me.

It included a mug from 1941, which is now part of my Burger Museum collection; thank you to them.

A&W Branded Mirror at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Branded Diner Mirror
Collection of A&W Mugs at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Collection of A&W Mugs
The Burger Family Sign at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
The Burger Family Sign
Rock-Ola Jukebox at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Rock-Ola Jukebox
 at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Rooty Bear Lampshade
Root Bear Wall Sign at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Root Bear Wall Sign
 at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
The Great American Root Beer Float Sign
Take Some Home! A&W Sign at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Take Some Home! A&W Sign
Vintage A&W Collectibles Shelf at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Vintage A&W Collectibles Shelf

After the tour of the 3rd floor, we made our way back to the 1st floor to see the A&W Test Kitchen. The Test Kitchen Kitchen is part of a much larger conference-type area with more A&W artifacts on display.

We lucked in that they were about to test some new flavor toppings and seasonings for their french fries.

AandW Test Kitchen

After sampling a bunch, I remembered that we were headed to one of their new concept stores (A&W Burgers Chicken Floats) for lunch after the Test Kitchen visit. In other words, I needed to take it easy.

A&W Conference Room at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
A&W Conference Room
Employee Rooty Paintings at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Employee Rooty Paintings
Sweets & Treats Sign at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Sweets & Treats Sign
A&W Root Beer Keg at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
A&W Root Beer Keg
Inside the A&W Test Kitchen at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Inside the A&W Test Kitchen
Testing Seasoned French Fries at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Testing Seasoned French Fries
Seasoned Fries at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
Seasoned Fries

So we said our goodbyes and jumped into the A&W Mobile for a short ride to the restaurant.

A&W Corporate Car Front View at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
A&W Corporate Car Front View
A&W Corporate Car Side View at the A&W Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky
A&W Corporate Car Side View

Just kidding, we (My wife Marcela and my bud John) jumped into our rental vehicle and headed over to see if the restaurant’s food was as great as the A&W Corporate Office and its people.

Please read about the A&W Burgers Chicken Floats restaurant.

5 thoughts on “An Educational & Tasty Visit to A&W Headquarters & Test Kitchen”

  1. Do you know the history of the 6 surf decals offered in the mid 60’s? I lost my page that had the artist’s name and how they came about.

    Reply
  2. I went to the A & W in Cortland, NY. Just wanted coffee…there was only one size, and it was very small. Coffee drinkers usually want or need a larger cup of coffee when the mood hits! Why don’t you offer a medium or large cup of coffee at A & W?

    Reply

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