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Arby’s can arguably be referred to as the most famous fast-food chain restaurant in the United States of America. Arby’s can also be described as a fast-food sandwich restaurant dedicated to providing some of the finest sandwich and side dishes to consumers in the United States. While it remains the biggest in the country, it comes third in revenue. As of 2019, Arby’s has opened 3,472 branches all over the country and still counting. Arby’s has also become one of the most trusted restaurants in the country.
So, Does Arby’s Serve Breakfast
Yes, Arby’s has breakfast, but less than 200 of its more than 3000 locations serve breakfast.
What You Should Know About Arby’s
Arby’s is a property of Inspired brands and was renamed ARG incorporated in 2018 after the company purchased Buffalo wild wings. The following are essential information you should know about America’s favorite fast-food restaurant;
1. History
Arby’s was founded in July 1964 by Forrest and Raffel in Boardman, Ohio, United States of America. The brothers had initially wanted to call the restaurant Big Tex, but the name was already registered and in active use. The restaurant had initially served the roasted-beef sandwiches alongside potato chips and soft drinks.
Arby’s strategy to invite premium customers was to use a premium interior design that is entirely different from any other fast-food restaurant. Despite most hamburger stands offering hamburgers at $0.15, Arby’s decided to sell its roasted beef sandwiches for $0.69.
Today, Arby’s headquarters is located in Atlanta, Georgia, and in addition to the United States of America, you can also find its branches in Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Turkey, South Korea, Kuwait, and Egypt. The current CEO is Paul Brown, who also happens to be the CEO of Inspired brands, the owners of Arby’s.
As of 2019, Arby’s had generated almost $3.9 billion in revenue, and most of its stores were franchised by private individuals and organizations.
2. Arby’s Rapid Expansion and Progress
Though Arby’s still operates in more than 10 countries, it has since closed operations in many others. Countries where Arby’s no longer operate include;
Australia, Brazil, Bahrain, Chile, Japan, Ecuador, Indonesia, Netherlands, Malaysia, Poland, United Kingdom, and Portugal.
The 1970s witnessed some of the most rapid expansion of the restaurant. It was the year the company decided to open at least 50 restaurants every year. It was in the 1970s that the restaurant increased its menu significantly. The likes of Beef and cheddar, chicken sandwiches, and two different signature sauces were introduced.
In 1985, the baked potato option was added to the menu, while the curly and Q-fries were added in the 1980s. In 1991, the restaurant became the first in the industry to offer an utterly lite menu. The lite menu comprises numerous sandwiches and salads, and it is 94% fat-free and provides less than 300 calories.
3. Public IPOs, Takeover, and Franchises
In 1970, there was an attempt to offer Arby’s for sale at the stock exchange. The IPO didn’t go through, but the second attempt in 1976 was successful. In the same year, the company was sold to Royal Crown Cola for a whopping $18 million.
There was a hostile takeover of Arby’s in 1984, with Victor Posner taking over the company, but Triarc Incorporated took over the company 9 years later.
In 1992, the first Arby’s franchise outside of the country was opened in Canada by PRAG Incorporated. In 2002, Arby’s was relaunched, and it returned to its former operational method. In the same year, Arby’s bought its second-largest franchisee out of bankruptcy. The company-Sipra incorporated as of 2002, had about 293 locations nationwide. In 2005, RTM purchased Arby’s, and once again, the company found itself in the hands of new owners.
In 2008, Triac had purchased Wendy’s and decided to name it Wendy-Arby’s group, but by 2011, Triac decided to sell Arby’s part of the business. In 2009, Wendy’s signed a deal with the middle-east group- Al Jammaz to commence the Wendy’s-Arby’s restaurant in the middle east. In 2010, the first franchise in the middle east was opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The second Arby’s franchise opened in Turkey later in 2010. There were several attempts to launch Arby’s franchise in the UK, and eventually 1992, the GSR group launched the first Arby’s franchise in London. A second franchise opened in Glasgow in the same year. Though these were the first two franchises to open in Europe, they were forced to close after a few months of operation.
After 4 years on the stock exchange, Arby’s eventually issued a $300 million dividend to investors
4. Arby’s Numerous Litigations
In 2002, Access, a franchise of Triac, filed a lawsuit against RTM – Arby’s owner, claiming that some 800 branches of Arby’s didn’t comply with America’s 1990 disability act. Arby’s didn’t pay any damages after the completion of the lawsuit except the lawyer fees. The case had dragged in 2006 until the court accepted an out-of-court settlement between RTM and Access.
Another resolution from the famous litigation is that each year from 2003, RTM will retrofit at least 100 of its stores to comply with the 1990 disability act. It was also estimated that about $1.2 million would be spent to retrofit 100 stores yearly.
In 2017, Arby’s suffered a Malware attack on its operational software, which was a target on the company’s card payment system. In the malware attack, hundreds of Arby’s customers’ credit cards were compromised and sensitive information stolen. The malware was set up at Arby’s point of sales inside the restaurant and remained active for almost a year before it was discovered.
In the same year, some credit Unions in America, especially in Arkansas, Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, and Montana, filed several suits against Arby’s over the data breach. In September 2017, the restaurant reopened its closed restaurant in Kuwait after 20 years. In the same year, Arby announced that it acquired Buffalo wild wings for about $2.4 billion.
In 2018, Arby started its first restaurant in Africa when it established a branch in Cairo, Egypt. This deal was facilitated by the Egypt Tourism and Entertainment department.
Arby Restaurant Menu
Arby is famous for its roast beef and market-fresh sandwiches. Many meat options are available, including ham, turkey, Swiss, and chicken. The popular toppings here include spicy-brown honey mustard, red onion rings, mayonnaise, tomato slices, green lettuce, and Swiss cheese.
There has been a lot of additions to the Arby’s market fresh sandwiches, the roasted turkey ranch, ultimate BLT, and bacon are just a few of such. There is a 5-star club served on white bread, introduced in 2003 for a limited period.
Some specialty sandwiches were introduced in 2003, and these were served on baguettes alongside Italian beef in provolone. In the same year, the French dip in Swiss and Philly beef supreme were introduced. In 2005, corn beef with Reuben sandwiches was added to the menu.
In 2006m Arby signed one of its most significant deals with Pepsi Co. This deal makes the soft drink giant the sole exclusive supplier of soft drinks to Arby’s. This deal didn’t apply to a specific location where Pepsi’s rivals like Coca-Cola were the sole supplier of soft drinks. The Youngstown state university, for instance, had a separate deal with Coca-Cola before Arby’s was launched in the region.
At the Youngstown state university, Arby’s had to shut down and replaced with Wendy’s, and Coca-Cola won the contract to supply soft drinks at the branch. This deal ended an 11-year contract with Pepsi. By 2018, most Arby’s restaurants began serving Coca-Cola soft drinks.
In 2013, Arby began serving the smoke-house brisket sandwich, and by September 2014, the restaurant had introduced Gyros which remained permanently on the menu until 2016.
Annually, Arby offers some flat-bread sandwiches for a limited period only. The beef Fatija that used to be an occasional thing on the menu also returned permanently in 2009. Several hot and mild sauces have been added to Arby’s menu over the years. The pork and beef mix were re-introduced in 2016 after 9 years of removal. Arby’s re-introduced some chicken sandwiches made with buttermilk bread and chicken fillet in 2016, which remain part of the menu until today.
Conclusion
Arby’s has had its share of the good and bad times in the chain-restaurant industry, just like other major restaurant brands. The hacking of its customers’ credit cards in 2017 and the numerous lawsuits against the company nearly sent Arby’s into bankruptcy. Despite its numerous challenges, Arby’s has opened thousands of stores Nationwide and outside the country. Though most of its restaurants are franchised, the company still manages to maintain standards. Arby’s has an excellent customer care support system that provides prompt responses to customer complaints. The company also has several corporate responsibility activities, including scholarships and sponsorships for students and the general public.
