Colonel Sanders Quit America and Built This in Canada

A&W turns out to be Canadian, not American, and that's just the start of what historian Ed Conroy uncovers about the food brands people think they know. Anyone curious how a chicken chain and a maple treat became quiet Canadian institutions gets the full story here, straight from Ed Conroy of RetroOntario.com. The list runs from Colonel Sanders quietly relaunching his original chicken recipe in Mississauga under a different name, to the regional loyalty wars between Swiss Chalet, Saint Hubert and White Spot sauce. Coffee Crisp's Canada-only status and BeaverTails' word-of-mouth fame round out a conversation about what actually makes a brand feel Canadian. There's also the Instagram photo that shows just how close two fried chicken empires once looked, back when one of them wasn't supposed to exist at all. Topics: A&W, Colonel Sanders, BeaverTails, Coffee Crisp, Swiss Chalet GUEST: Ed Conroy | http://retrontario.com | @‌retrontario Originally aired on 2026-07-23