A&W Petaling Jaya — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

Sad state of affairs.

Like many other folks living in PJ in the early 70s, I grew up with A&W's "Papa Burger", "Mama Burger", Coney Dog and its iconic Root Bear.

A&W is sadly no longer in its prime. This famous outlet was supposed to have closed down 5 years ago but it refused to shut down to die. I was surprised to find out that it's still operating to this day but its luster as THE fast food outlet to be at had long worn off.

The interior looks like it's in shambles, a far cry from its golden heydays, peaking in the 1990s. The drive-in lots no longer serve food to your vehicle. There aren't any staff who take orders from your car anymore. It seems that dine-in customers park in the drive-in lots in the daytime to shelter their cars from the scorching sun.

A&W's menu had undergone so many revisions and price hikes although their staple items are still the Mozza Burger, Golden Fried Chicken, Coney Dog and not forgetting their fabulous waffles.

They don't have a breakfast menu like McDonald's and KFC. So if you come in the morning, you only have their all-day menu to choose from. It's kind of hard to have a burger with fries and carbonated root beer for breakfast, if you know what I mean.

Don't order the Fish & Curly Fries item, it's not worth it. The fries are OK but the fish are actually deep fried dory fish nuggets.

Personally I dislike dory fish. It has a strong acrid fishy taste. It's nowhere as delicious as cod, haddock, hake or plaice. Dory fish is the cheapest, sustainable white fish there is today. Most are sourced from Vietnam, being the biggest exporter of farmed dory (or catfish) in the world.

That being said, there is high quality dory fish and there is also low quality dory. The one that A&W uses smells bad and not only that, the fish appears to be undercooked. I could not finish my share of the fish after examining the nuggets closely and smelling it. The complementary tub of dill sauce tasted bad too. Chili sauce or ketchup would have been a better dipping condiment.

I wished I had stuck with Mozza Burger or Golden Fried Chicken. Those are safe bets and I have never been disappointed with either item.

I left the restaurant with a bitter aftertaste in my mouth. Its saving grace was the perpetually wonderful root bear float, which I gladly finished.

Stick to what you're known best for, A&W. If you can't serve up a decent meal of fish & curly fries,...

Cleanliness: (toilet) not clean and no tissue (dining area) looks worn out from many years of service... desperately need a make over... (sink) not kids friendly, shorter kids struggling to turn on the faucet tap and chest is clinging onto the sink... which may be unhygienic.

Waffle area is separated. Don’t place order at waffle counter. But you can visit the waffle counter after ordering it at the main counter which is nearby the entrance. Waffle counter is nearer to the sink/toilet.

Cutleries were either dropped in quality or were poor quality from the start. It broke when I was eating the waffle. Imagine if a small kid accidentally swallow a piece of plastic from a fork?? That could be really dangerous.

When I visited today, it was really loud and noisy from the crowds that were dining in, and I could hear children lullaby music playing out loud. It was not a pleasant dine in lunch time at all. It was chaotic. I know it can’t be helped since it’s from other customers but it is just from my experience. And the person in front of me and behind of me were coughing multiple times while I was queuing up at the order counter.... 😓💀

Parking: Free Waffle: Have to get from another counter Ambiance: Chaotic Cleanliness: Not Really Tissue: None available Food safety: Low Corney Dog: Chicken meat portion seems lesser than usual and the food was already made on standby so when I had it... it was not even warm. At first I thought there was a customer that exercised and eat at the restaurant... but it was the onion smell 💀 I seriously don’t know if I should be crying or laughing.

This is not the first time I visited this branch and I was expecting a nice meal but it turned out to be like this... I don’t think I will visit this branch ever again.

There is a drive-in option where you can park your car at the more shaded area and scan the given QR codes. There are 2 options, you can scan the QR code for someone to come over to take your order or go inside and order at the counter but take away instead of dining in.

I know this branch can do better, I am just venting out my...

Dear Mr George Ang ( CEO ), with the utmost love and respect, I wish to request that you beautify your A&W Petaling Jaya pioneer outlet asap. Your roof, the A&W signboards and the area outside the building,are deteriorating. Emphasis is given on the discoloured A&W trademark signboard ,the facade as a whole .

And goodness gracious, the ceiling board has fungus similar to public toilets. Fungus in air conditioned room can be hazardous to the respiratory system ya.

The area at the back which used to be a playground for kids now sat there with bushes and looked so derelict . I even saw a huge biawak crawling at the dumpster at the back of your restaurant.

A&W mascot used to be a bear not lizard .🦎🦎😭

Please sir, lets not get too absorbed in a self praising grandeur of yesteryears. Even the first MacDonald in Malaysia ie in Bt Bintang is soaring high with new colours and vibrant interiors.

Just because the place carries so much memories for every original residents of PJ, that doesnt mean it shud remain like an abandoned museum from the 70s.

The restaurant of course tries to keep track with technology n (just like MacD with their self order electronic station) but unfortunately,when i came on Saturday, i saw theres only 2 ordering station which space for que can accommodate only 4 people max before the last person at the back gets pressed to the counter.😭😭😂.Is the restaurant not encouraging people to feel convenient to order?

Finally, i stil love the food but classic sentiments alone can't ensure survival of a business.

Legendary businesses like Kodak ,White Castel, Popeye are just small examples when the busines can't keep up with modern times.

Lastly cheers bro..n may u continue its legacy iñ...