Cheese Curds: Cult Favorite Has Curious Name, Delicious Taste

A&W® restaurants Take Wisconsin Food Favorite Beyond the Dairy State

(Friday, May 14, 2004) - You can always count on Google™ to keep America posted on what's hot. Type the words "cheese curds" on the popular internet search engine site and you'll encounter more than 30,000 matches.

The food with the curious name and the delicious taste has been a cult favorite in Wisconsin for years. Now, A&W® All American Food® is introducing the popular treat to the rest of the country. Earlier this month, participating A&W® restaurants began offering Cheese Curds to customers who live outside the Dairy State. The product is being well received coast to coast.

"Many of our Wisconsin franchisees have carried Cheese Curds in their restaurants for years," said Ken Thewes, Director of Marketing for A&W Restaurants, Inc. "They have such a cult following in Wisconsin, we were certain that other parts of the country would enjoy them too. And that's turned out to be the case."

The A&W® restaurants menu is filled with popular items such as root beer floats, chili cheese fries and onion rings. But only one A&W® menu item has a dedicated web site - Cheese Curds. Fans visit www.curdcrazy.com and even submit fan e-mail to "Mrs. Cow," thanking her for making Cheese Curds available to them.

"I go 'curd-ally crazy' when I think about your cheddar cheese goodness," one fan wrote recently. "I can't get enough Cheese Curds," wrote another. "Thank you for providing the milk to make these cheese curds. I am a big fan of Cheese Curds, and I appreciate your efforts!" another fan wrote to "Mrs. Cow."

The curious name "cheese curds" originated in Wisconsin, and it has generated a lot of buzz among quick-service customers outside the state.

"The name definitely inspires the curiosity of customers who haven't heard of them before," Thewes said. "It usually takes only one bite for the curiosity to be satisfied. And after a few more bites, their appetites are satisfied too."

Thewes added that the new menu item fits A&W®'s reputation as the restaurant chain that provides "Hometown food made fun."

"At A&W®, food is fun, and Cheese Curds are a great addition to a menu that includes other fun foods like Root Beer Floats, Coney Dogs and Chili Cheese Fries," Thewes said.

Additional information on A&W® Cheese Curds can be found at www.curdcrazy.com. In addition to getting more info on the product or dropping a line to "Mrs. Cow," visitors can take a quiz to find out if they are "Curd Heads," check out "Got Curds?" merchandise, and print coupons for a $2.49 order of Cheese Curds.

The site also has a link to the A&W® restaurants site (www.awrestaurants.com), which features a store locator for identifying the nearest restaurant.

A&W Restaurants, Inc., the longest running quick service franchise chain in America, is celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2004. Since 1919, A&W® All American Food® has been serving a signature frosty mug root beer float and All American pure-beef hamburgers and hot dogs. There are more than 730 A&W® All American Food® outlets in 15 countries and territories around the world, and more than 520 additional points of distribution at Yum! Brands multibrand restaurants. A&W Restaurants, Inc. is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky.

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