What's A&W's Competitive Advantage in Southern Ontario.....?
Competition in the burger business is very intense in the biggest regional market in Canada, Southern Ontario (416 & 905).......In addition to the big franchise restaurants (McDonald's Burger King, Wendy's, Harvey's etc.), many local-area burger places have sprung up over the past few years to compete for the burger crowd......McDonald's performance in particular has been great since Steve Easterbrook took over as CEO in 2015.......
I've seen AW promoting no hormone beef and other "diet conscious" features, but I wonder a) how many fast food burger restaurant eaters see this as important and b) what's stopping competitors from doing likewise on a bigger scale given their superior size (in other words, these features can be replicated fairly easily by competitors if they feel it is giving A&W an advantage in winning business)........?.......Plus, older, more established competitors have already set up shop at what they view as the best locations on a given street / intersection / etc., so A&W must select what are likely inferior sites to compete with the big boys in a given area.........
Personally, I eat at Harvey's because they a) have the biggest and best selection of toppings by far of any fast food burger chain (including premium spreads like guacamole and tzatziki available all the time at no extra charge), and b) top you burger / sandwich right before your eyes so you can top it exactly as you wish and see what / how much of each topping they are putting on (ask for more if you wish).........