Following the incident that burned down the restaurant in 2024, A&W has been rebuilt and reopened Monday morning.
The opening was met with many customers that eagerly lined up past the building doors despite the rain and cold weather.
Jeanette Vyselaar, the regional director of the restaurant, said since its closing, community members have shown keen interest in its reconstruction.
“We always had a plan on rebuilding. There were a little bit of delays, but other than that, the community was eager to come up,” she said. “We just really wanted to make it a fun event. Unfortunately it’s raining but we do have a live DJ, a car club, and 200 keychains we gave away.”
The event included a ribbon cutting ceremony, supported by the District Chamber of Commerce, to commemorate its opening.
“I just want to thank everybody who came out, it’s so heartwarming,” Vyselaar said.
In addition to the excited customers, Mayor Bill Powalinsky was in attendance.
“When I went to university, I probably survived on A&W’s Teen burger and a chocolate milkshake and a large fry,” Powalinsky said. “For the downtown core, there are so many people here that are looking for a quick lunch and affordable meal, so this really rounds it out.”
Powalinsky added that despite the rain, he believes “it’s pretty typical” to see so many locals attend the opening as the city has “got a really unique character.”
“Rain, shine, snow, whatever, we’re there definitely. Our culture is very supportive of initiative and we do have a great sense of community spirit in so many ways, we’ve just seen people come out in droves for all kinds of events,” said Powalinsky.
Alongside the grand opening was the Klassic Kruizers Kar Klub, showcasing their array of vintage cars.
“A&W have always been great partners for us, and in terms of PA history, this was the cruising spot in the 60s and the 70s,” explained Evan Davis, president of Klassic Kruizers. “This is great, this is good for downtown.”
The cars displayed included a 20s hot rod vehicle, a modern Mustang and a Firebird.
“The car club has been around since 1988, and the guys are [here] for coffee almost every morning. It just always was kind of the place to go to so if we can do something to help them, we’re here,” said Davis.
The reopening of the downtown A&W location returns Prince Albert to two A&W restaurants, including one on Marquis Road.
