Business partners Paul Wong and Ronnie Tai bought A&W on Feb. 3. The two were college buddies and business partners in Shell in Prince George for five years before moving to Houston to take over A&W. When asked why they decided to buy a business in Houston, Tai said it was a good opportunity. “We thought it looked promising, so we went after it,” he said, adding that they’d been through Houston and gone camping in the area and liked it. “I really like the community, everyone knows each other, and everyone’s friendly,” Wong said. He says they have big shoes to fill taking over for Al and Brenda. “They have kept this A&W in tip-top shape and everybody that we talk to loves them… They did a lot of community sponsorship and we plan to carry on the same tradition,” Wong said. “We’re going to try to keep the same thing going,” Tai agreed. Tai said the business transition was smooth, thanks to honest dealings and great staff. “Everyone knows what to do, we don’t have to retrain or spot check or nothing… Everyone knows their duties and roles and everyone is doing their job here,” Wong said. “We’re very impressed,” Tai said. “Seventeen years ago [Al and Brenda] were in the petroleum industry as well, and they transitioned over to A&W and never looked back. We’re kind of hoping the same thing is going to happen for us,” Tai said.