A&W Food Services of Canada Inc. recently announced that Lydia Doiron of Red Deer is the winner of the 2011 A&W President’s Award for her restaurant on Taylor Dr.

The President’s Award, established in 1969, is the highest honour given to an A&W restaurant by the Company.

The Red Deer restaurant was chosen as the top location from more than 750 A&W restaurants across Canada.

Doiron joined the A&W team in 1983, starting her career as a car hop at an A&W location in Red Deer before progressing into management positions. She was the assistant manager at the West Side Gasoline Alley restaurant in 1994 when it received the 1993 A&W President’s Award. She has been a co-franchisee at the Taylor Drive location since it opened in 2006.

“Since I’ve owned an A&W restaurant, I have been striving for this – it has been a long-term goal of mine,” said Doiron. “This is a great honour and I am really proud of my team who helped make it a reality.”

While Doiron is involved hands-on in managing the restaurant and training the team, her co-franchisee is Bob Mullen, whose family started operating A&W locations in Red Deer in 1959, starting with his father, Howard Mullen and business partner Bob Mitten. Mullen’s family has owned a total of nine A&W franchise locations there.

Doiron is in the process of succeeding Mullen, as he retires and pursues other interests. Mullen wasn’t at all surprised to see Doiron and her team receive the President’s Award.

“I always knew she was going to achieve this award because she’s committed to excellence in food quality and customer service and she’d set this as a goal,” said Mullen. “Her restaurants are run incredibly well.”

– Fawcett