"We started to see, in the last few years, a decline in foot traffic. The community is aging out, and young families aren't moving in. It's a sharp contrast to the 1980s and '90s, when the St. Helena A&W was one of the chain's busiest locations in the country."
"I will be 70 this year. I've been with A&W since '73. So it just felt like the stars aligned, and we told the landowner, 'Hey, we're not going to stay any longer.'"
St. Helena's A&W drive-thru restaurant, established in 1966, will close on March 31 after nearly 60 years of operation. Franchise owners Pete and Annette Knight, who took over in 2014, cited declining foot traffic and an aging community as primary reasons for closure. The restaurant was once one of the chain's busiest locations during the 1980s and '90s, particularly attracting high school students from the nearby St. Helena High School. Additional factors contributing to the closure include decreased school enrollment, difficulty hiring employees, high operating costs in Napa Valley, and the owners' advancing age. A local Mexican grocery store and restaurant is under contract to occupy the space.
Read at SFGATE
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