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A&W Targets Columbia and Nearby Cities for New Franchise Growth

LEXINGTON, KY – June 12, 2025 – A&W Restaurants, the iconic all-American QSR brand with over 105 years of heritage, has announced strategic franchise expansion plans targeting Columbia, South Carolina, and nearby markets like Darlington. This move creates fresh opportunities for local entrepreneurs to invest in a proven business model while growing a trusted brand in their own communities.

Why Columbia, SC is a Prime Market for Franchise Growth

Columbia stands out for its strong economy and increasing population, making it a key market for business growth. The region’s surge in housing, retail, and dining demand is fueled by steady economic gains. As more people move into the area, the need for high-quality, recognizable dining options grows. A&W plans to meet this demand by developing single-unit and multi-unit franchise opportunities, potentially creating up to 100 jobs per location.

A&W Brings All-American Flavor and Community Spirit

“A&W Restaurants has become part of communities across the country by serving classic all-American food and offering a welcoming, hometown experience,” said Betsy Schmandt, CEO and President of A&W Restaurants. “We’re excited about the potential in Columbia and surrounding cities. It’s the perfect region for driven, community-minded franchisees who want to build something meaningful and long-lasting.”

Growth Continues Across South Carolina

This expansion isn’t A&W’s first move into the state. The brand entered South Carolina in 2023 with the opening of its Rock Hill location. Most recently, Darlington welcomed its first A&W on June 4, 2025. The company now plans to open three additional restaurants in the coming years. With over 850 locations worldwide, A&W continues to focus on partnering with local entrepreneurs who align with its core values: quality, service, and community.

Franchise Opportunities Now Available in Columbia

A&W is actively seeking franchise partners in Columbia who are passionate about local business and dedicated to delivering top-tier guest experiences. New franchisees will benefit from more than a century of brand trust, ongoing support, and a roadmap for long-term growth.

Franchise Requirements Include:

If you’re ready to join a legacy brand with a commitment to local communities, now is the time to invest in A&W.

To learn more about franchising with A&W Restaurants, visit our franchise website here.

About A&W Restaurants

A&W Restaurants, one of the world’s best-known and most beloved quick-service brands, is experiencing a dramatic revival as more Americans discover – or rediscover – its famous Root Beer and high-quality All American Food® favorites. Based on the original 1919 recipe, A&W’s signature Root Beer is made fresh in each restaurant with real cane sugar, water, and a proprietary blend of herbs, bark, spices, and berries and served in a frosty mug. Founded over 100 years ago, A&W Restaurants has over 850 locations in 35 U.S. states and Asia, of which over 600 are single-brand A&Ws and 230 are co-branded with KFC or Long John Silver’s.

South Carolina braces for sweltering weekend as temperatures rise above average with high humidity.

Credit: WLTX

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Just when you thought it's going to get hot now that Summer officially starts June 20th this Friday, it is going be much hotter. This weekend, South Carolinian communities are going to be hotter than normal.

The average high temperature for mid July is exactly 90 degrees. There has been a few days in June thus far when the high temperature was slightly higher than the seasonal average.

Saturday and Sunday, most of the Palmetto State will reach high temperatures a few degrees high than average, from 93 to 96 degrees in the afternoon. Next week, many locations will have high temperatures flirting close to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Credit: WLTX

There's more to the sizzling temperatures expected in South Carolina in the coming days. It's the humidity. The humidity has been elevated for over a week.

The dew point temperature, measures the amount of moisture in the air. Dew points were in the upper 60s, to low 70s last week, the second week of the month. That kept a lot of the moisture in the atmosphere to make it rain every day last week.

Credit: WLTX

The atmosphere is going to stay very saturated over the next week but there's only a chance for precipitation Thursday and not for many in South Carolina.

So where's the moisture going to go? Nowhere. It's going to keep the weather conditions very humid. That makes the heat indexes in the afternoon to reach in some areas reach as high as 107 degrees.

Credit: WLTX

Most of South Carolina for the National Weather Service offices have a criteria of 108 degrees heat index to issue a heat advisory.

National Weather Service offices for the Upstate and the Grand Strand has a heat advisory criteria of 105 degrees.

Pay attention to the advisories that may be issued and stay heat safety when you're outdoors this and next week.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - A South Carolina teenager is behind bars and accused of planning what authorities described as an “act of terrorism.”

The South Carolina State Law Enforcement Division said 17-year-old Daniel Fischer, of Conway, was arrested June 9 and charged with one count each of threatening or conspiring to threaten real or personal property using a destructive device and possessing or using a weapon of mass destruction in an act of terrorism.

Warrants released by SLED on Tuesday state Fischer allegedly “conspired with individuals, foreign and domestic, to threaten or conspire to threaten to cause damage, injury or death to real or personal property by use of a destructive device.”

Documents state that between April 2024 and August 2024, Fischer voiced his intent to join a foreign terrorist organization. Warrants also state authorities found photos of Fischer expressing support for ISIS while “wearing a vest similar to an explosive vest.”

Fischer is also accused of taking “proactive steps” with others to “obtain the technical expertise to carry out an attack.” Warrants go on to state he obtained videos and instructions for making an explosive device, information about RCIED, details on how to make the explosive C4 and “terrorism training materials and electronic communications supporting terrorism activities.”

SLED also said in its warrants that confidential information from a reliable witness and electronic records indicated Fischer’s intent “to use a destructive device against targets within this state.”

As of Tuesday, records show Fischer is being held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center in Horry County with no bond set.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Columbia City Council voted Tuesday to take a step toward repealing the city’s ban on conversion therapy.

The city voted 4-3 on a first reading to strike down the ordinance passed in 2021. The vote came after residents continued raising concerns about repealing the ordinance during a public input session.

It was previously deferred twice by the council during separate meetings in May. The ban put state funding at risk due to a proviso, or temporary law, in this year’s state budget.

The repeal would have to pass an additional reading before going into effect, which means Columbia remains the only city in South Carolina with a ban on conversion therapy.

It’s unclear when that second vote would take place.

“We are encouraged that Columbia City Council took a step forward today toward repealing its unconstitutional ordinance,” South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement following Tuesday’s vote. “This ordinance was never truly about ‘conversion therapy,’ but stifling faith-based speech and targeting counselors guided by their religious convictions. Even this initial step is a meaningful victory for faith-based institutions. This is also about the rule of law, because regardless of how you feel about so-called conversion therapy, state law does not allow cities or counties to pass ordinances regulating licensed professionals like therapists and counselors.”

In a joint statement released Tuesday, the ACLU of South Carolina and the Harriet Hancock LGBT Center called the vote to repeal “nothing less than an abandonment of the city’s moral responsibility to protect its most vulnerable residents.”

“The financial pressures Columbia faces are real — but manufactured,“ the statement continued. ”The state’s decision to threaten municipal funding because the city chose to protect LGBTQ+ youth is a political act of retaliation, not fiscal necessity. The funding in question represents just 0.8% of Columbia’s annual budget — a small fraction of the overall budget that should not dictate whether the city abandons its moral obligations."

BACKGROUND

The push to repeal the ban was sparked by a letter from Wilson to Columbia City Council, threatening legal action if it were not repealed.

State Rep. Bruce Bannister later told reporters that city officials supported a proviso, or a temporary law included in the state budget, revoking state dollars from any local government that enacts a ban on minors undergoing conversion therapy.

According to state estimates, the city could lose about $3.7 million in funding from the General Assembly if the ban remains in place.

The council first deferred a decision on a first reading at a May 20 meeting, then did so again one week later.

At the May 27 meeting, Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann argued the ordinance has “no teeth” and doesn’t provide proper protections since religious organizations are exempt.

He also denied claims he was involved in conversations with state lawmakers regarding the proviso that threatened state funding over the ordinance.

In a response to WIS following the May 27 meeting, a city spokesperson said the council “has been seeking clarity regarding the state budget proviso related to the conversion therapy ordinance primarily due to its impact on the city’s budget timeline to approve a balanced budget.”

The proviso, introduced by state Sen. Josh Kimbrell, was not included on a list of vetoes by Gov. Henry McMaster when he signed off on the budget earlier this month. The budget is set to go into effect on July 1.

Conversion therapy, which the city’s ordinance defines as “any practice or treatment that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity,” has been largely dismissed as harmful and lacking scientific credibility by the medical community.

This is a developing story. Stay with WIS News 10 for updates.

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A legendary building that was home to a Zesto restaurant for nearly eight decades is once again open as a new dairy bar.

Mel’s Dairy Bar opened this week at 3239 Forest Drive in Forest Acres. Customers were lined up at the location ordering burgers, ice cream cones and more when a reporter stopped by Tuesday afternoon.

The spot along Forest Drive had previously been home to a Zesto Drive-In for 75 years, but that location closed in December amid the retirement of its owner.

Mel’s Dairy Bar is the latest effort from Columbia restaurateur Mohammad Saadeddin, who owns Main Street’s Noma Bistro and the recently opened Cat Daddy Cafe. A city of Forest Acres business license hanging in the window at Mel’s on Tuesday was issued to Saadeddin.

Visitors to Mel’s who had previously visited the Zesto at that location will find the experience comfortably familiar. It continues to have dining room and patio seating and a blue-and-white color scheme. Customers can order from cash registers inside or from the windows in the front of the building along Forest Drive.

The menu at Mel’s features burgers, fries, hot dogs, chicken dinners and snacks, salads and Philly sandwiches. There also are several gyros on the list, including lamb and chicken.

The Mel’s lineup also includes a roster of ice cream treats, including cones, dipped cones, sundaes, milkshakes and floats. This reporter purchased a chocolate milkshake on Tuesday, a cold treat that helped quell the blast furnace heat of a June afternoon in the Columbia area.