It's Final: Iconic A&W Outlet In PJ Confirmed To Be Closing And We Are Heartbroken
It was the first drive-through restaurant in Petaling Jaya.
The iconic A&W drive-through restaurant in Petaling Jaya will officially shut down this year, six years after discussions of its closure began in 2014
The fast food restaurant located in PJS 52, across from Amcorp Mall, will close within the next six to eight months, once the landowner has sorted out the documentation, reported Malay Mail.
Its closure will put an end to its 55 years as a historical PJ landmark
Image via Autofreaks
Opened in 1965, the retro-style outlet was the first drive-through restaurant in Petaling Jaya and the second A&W outlet in Malaysia.
Many movies from the the 70s and 80s were filmed here.
A&W Malaysia Sdn Bhd's Chief Executive Officer, George Ang, said that the decision to close the outlet is because the land is owned by Kasmuncak Holdings Sdn Bhd
A&W's former owner, KUB Malaysia Berhad, sold the land to Kasmuncak Holdings for RM34 million in July 2018.
"Since the deal was made before Inter Mark Resources bought over A&W, we are currently leasing the land from them, until they are ready to take over for their own development project," said Ang.
Despite the closure, Ang said PJ still has a number of A&W outlets and there are plans to expand the fast food chain
Image via Chowhound
Ang said a new PJ outlet will be opened in Section 17 within a few months.
"The capital expenditure of RM22 million this year will go a long way in opening up at least 20 more outlets this year, some of which are in PJ," he said, "So on the whole we remain an optimistic outlook."
Bernama reported that A&W Malaysia targets to open about 124 outlets nationwide by 2024.
Back in December 2014, news about this iconic outlet's impending closure sent customers into a frenzy, with many flocking to the outlet for one last meal
Image via Twitter @malaypretty
However, the project was cancelled and the restaurant continued to operate until a plan to redevelop the land resurfaced in 2016 again.
According to The Star, it took two years for Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to green light the office tower project.
In 2018, A&W Malaysia was looking for buyers to acquire the fast food chain:
In the same year, it was confirmed that the land where the iconic restaurant sits will be used to build a 36-storey office tower:
The decision to demolish the restaurant announced in 2014:
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