It's true what they say—you only miss something when it's gone. Just like Passenger's woeful song "Let Her Go", whose theme centers round this exact saying, Singaporeans began pining for all that A&W has to offer only after it eventually shut down in 2003 because of competition from other fast food chains, namely McDonald's, which was going through a rebranding exercise back then. But just hours ago, A&W CEO Kevin Bazner confirmed in an email that they're planning to open outlets in Southeast Asia, including Singapore.

Bazner also said in his email that they've already established an office last year and have been looking for "real estate for a flagship company restaurant in Singapore". A&W, America's oldest franchise chain, was the first of its kind to arrive here back in 1966, with their first outlet opening on Dunearn Road.

This then paved the way for the first KFC outlet in Somerset (1977) and McDonald's at Liat Towers (1979). Most people will also remember the iconic A&W that was housed on the Riverboat in Sentosa, which recently became a venue for two of Bandwagon's Riverboat events. They even had a drive-in A&W Family Restaurant on Bukit Timah Road, which probably was the first of its kind too.

Looks like you won't have to take a trip to Aeon Bukit Indah in JB to satisfy that random craving of root beer floats, Coney Dogs or curly fries (McDonald’s twister fries pales in comparison) anymore.