Foodies Told Mashed Which Arby's Menu Item They Would Get Other Than Classic Roast Beef
If you were playing a word association game with fast food giants, you'd think of hamburgers for several of the named options. That's something that made Arby's different in its beginnings, as the brand has long been associated with roast beef. According to 21 WFMJ, Arby's founders Leroy Raffel and Forrest Raffel made the decision of selling a different type of meat because it made the eatery appear more exclusive. "On the day we opened, the McDonald's hamburger was 15 cents and our sandwich was 69 cents. So, you had to be a little more affluent to buy our sandwich," Leroy Raffel said.
What started out as the thing that set Arby's apart eventually became an object of frustration. Per The Wall Street Journal, the "We Have The Meats ... for Sandwiches." campaign was an attempt to change the brand's reputation of only serving roast beef. "Sandwiches is a category that's huge," Arby's marketing chief Jim Taylor said. "Younger people don't eat roast beef as much. We want to bring in some younger consumers who love sandwiches." Luckily, it may have worked, as fans of the store recently revealed to Mashed the non-roast beef Arby's menu items they like the most.
Chicken products saw unexpected results
Despite Arby's roast beef reputation, fans seem to be aware of the menu's growth. Recently, Mashed conducted a survey of 582 of our readers to find out which Arby's menu item was their favorite if roast beef was out of the picture. In first place with 23.88% of votes was Curly Fries, while second place was Beef 'n Cheddar with 22.34% of votes. The third place spot went to Mozzarella Sticks with 18.38% of votes, and the Greek Gyro took the fourth place spot with 16.32% of votes. Next was the Buffalo Crispy Chicken Sandwich, which racked up 14.95% of votes, and then with an overwhelming drop in popularity, Chicken Sliders came in last place with only 4.12% of votes.
When Arby's began to offer Crinkle-Cut Fries last year, there was some talk that the beloved Curly Fries were leaving the menu. According to Inspire Stories, brand executive Chef Neville Craw quickly put those rumors to rest. "Our Curly Fries aren't going anywhere. This was really an opportunity for us to reach people out there, specifically, potentially kids that either like multiple fry options or the straight-style french fry."
Whew, that was a close one. Do you agree with the votes of your peers?