11 Arby's Facts Worth Learning

There are a ton of different fast food restaurants out there that offer more or less the same thing. You know you can get a burger, a fried chicken sandwich, and fries at many of these places, and although there may be slight variations between the types of ingredients they use, they're all more or less the same. But then, there are a few fast food restaurants that stand out from the crowd. They offer something different, something unique, something you can't get at every drive-thru around the corner. Arby's is undoubtedly one of these chains.

Arby's is known for its roast beef sandwiches, even though it offers much more than just roast beef. But think about it: When was the last time you saw roast beef on another fast food menu? That makes this place a solid choice when you're craving something a bit out of the ordinary. But whether you're a diehard Arby's fan or you've only been to the fast food chain once or twice in your life, there's probably a lot you don't know about it.

That's why we've done some digging to uncover some of the juiciest facts you should know about Arby's. Who knows? They may make you crave a fast food roast beef sandwich ... or turn you off of the brand forever.

If you're like a lot of us, there was probably a time in your life when someone explained to you that "Arby's" was just a longer way of writing "RB," which is short for roast beef. Also if you're like us, that "fact" may have blown your mind. "Of course that's what Arby's means!" you likely thought to yourself. Admittedly, it sounds believable, but in reality, this so-called Arby's fact is actually an urban legend. Although it may seem like it makes sense, the origin of the chain's name has a much more quotidian explanation.

Yes, Arby's is a longer way of writing "RB," but it doesn't stand for "roast beef." Rather, it stands for "Raffel Brothers," the brothers who invented the chain. So, the urban legend got kind of close but not quite close enough. It may be disappointing to learn that the fun fact you've been sharing at every dinner party and cocktail hour is, actually, not a fact at all, but at least you know the real scoop now.

Arby's is a deeply American chain. After all, it seems like towering sandwiches full of roast beef aren't likely to sell everywhere in the world. Actually, Arby's sandwiches literally can't be sold in a lot of places around the world because the bread the chain uses is banned by many countries. And no, it's not because the bread packs way too much sugar, as you might find with some other fast food brands (cough — Subway — cough). Rather, it's because of an ingredient called azodicarbonamide, also known as ACA.

This ingredient is used to make the dough for Arby's bread lighter and fluffier. It's also used in other industries as a substance that can make bubbles in materials like vinyl and foam. Sure, that doesn't sound very appetizing, but that's not necessarily the problem. Rather, it's banned in some countries and throughout the European Union because the component has been linked to cancer in rats.

If you don't care about potentially cancer-causing additives in your bread, then dig into your Arby's sandwich without a care in the world. If this kind of thing does make you apprehensive, though, you may want to skip Arby's bread-heavy offerings.

If you own a restaurant — be it a chain as big as Arby's or a small, local place — you're going to want press. They say any press is better than no press at all, but what happens when the media is making repeated, targeted jokes about your brand? Most companies would probably try to distance themselves from the jokesters as much as possible, but that's not what Arby's did when "The Daily Show" kept making jokes about it. Instead of finding a way to retaliate or respond, the chain just sent the staff of "The Daily Show" free lunches every time it made a joke about the fast food restaurant.

Not everyone likes Arby's, and "The Daily Show's" jokes about the brand were, admittedly, pretty funny a lot of the time. But you have to hand it to Arby's for being able to handle the jest with tact. We're guessing the show's staff didn't actually turn down those free lunches very often.

You probably heard the story from years ago about how a woman found a human finger in her Wendy's chili ... even though that claim turned out to be a total lie. Therefore, it would be easy to assume that any complaints of a finger in a fast food meal would raise some suspicions that the accuser was lying. But you may be shocked to learn that someone actually did find a finger in their Arby's sandwich.

In 2012, a 14-year-old in Jackson, Michigan, took a bite of his Arby's sandwich only to discover a piece of a finger inside. He said he chewed something that felt like rubber when he got to the last few bites of the sandwich. He quickly realized that it was a piece of a finger. It turns out that an employee had cut their finger off on a meat slicer, and it ended up in the sandwich. That's probably not what you're expecting when you go out for a fast food meal. The kid who found the finger was disgusted and instantly felt like being sick. We would certainly feel the same way!

Not everyone wants to follow the same kind of diet. You may have specific health concerns you need to address with the food you eat, or maybe you just prefer eating a certain way. Therefore, it usually makes sense to avoid judging someone based on their food choices and preferences. But apparently, Arby's doesn't exactly agree. The chain has repeatedly bashed vegetarians and vegans, not just by failing to provide any meatless options but by actively criticizing their eating habits.

In 2015, the brand published an open letter to vegetarians, rudely offering to "help" them by providing a "vegetarian support hotline" for when plant-based eaters would find themselves too tempted by Arby's meat-centric offerings. The chain then trolled vegetarians in 2016 by fake-offering a vegetarian menu that was supposedly going to be available once every four years. There are several other instances of Arby's attempting to offend vegetarians.

First of all, out of all the meaty foods that could tempt a non-committed vegetarian, anything available at Arby's would probably be the very last thing they'd want to eat. And secondly, bashing a group of people who are supposedly outside of your target market seems like a great way to alienate a wide swath of potential customers. After all, even if you include a ton of meat in your daily diet, this gimmick is just lame and combative for no reason.

When you think of venison, you probably think of that weird uncle who goes hunting on the weekends and always offers you an overcooked hunk of barely recognizable meat when you go to visit him. But for a short time, venison wasn't just available at Uncle Bob's — you could actually find a venison sandwich at Arby's. For a brand that's all about the meat, it makes sense that it would try to incorporate different, less common types of animal protein into its menu rotation every once in a while.

The sandwich was centered around a slab of venison, of course, but it was also adorned with crispy onions and a sauce made from juniper berries. (Don't bother looking for it now — it wasn't on the menu for long.) Consumer opinions were that the sandwich was absolutely unappetizing ... and the pictures corroborate those reports. Let's just say that this is a sandwich we don't particularly hope Arby's brings back anytime soon.

Often, ordering off of a fast food restaurant's secret menu requires more effort than it's worth. You may have to explain exactly what you want to the employee working there, only to make them deeply annoyed at you for having to accommodate your requests that are, frankly, way above their pay grade. If you do want to annoy the Arby's workers at your local chain, though, you can order a "Meat Mountain" off of the secret menu. 

This over-the-top sandwich features six different types of meat, and the resulting sandwich is bigger than most peoples' mouths. With chicken tenders, turkey, ham, pastrami, bacon, and roast beef all stacked on a bun, you have a week's worth of meat in one sad and unappetizing meal. Does the Meat Mountain sound particularly good? No. But if you've ever wanted to induce uncomfortable intestinal issues and a deep sense of regret immediately after finishing your meal, it may be worth a try. Hey, there's something for everyone, right?

If you're like us, then roast beef is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of Arby's. But that doesn't mean it's all the chain does — and apparently, it's not all the brand wants to be known for. In 2018, Arby's started to focus more on sandwiches (and not just of the roast beef variety) to appeal to a wider range of consumers. More specifically, the brand wanted to target a younger customer base. Because let's be honest — a lot of us aren't craving roast beef sandwiches like we're craving burgers, subs, or chicken sandwiches.

Now, there are seemingly endless sandwich options at the fast food chain. You can grab a burger there like you would at any other drive-thru, and you can even snag yourself a fried chicken sandwich. However, the brand offers more deli-style sandwiches than basically any other fast food chain out there, so it's still worth a visit if you're looking for something out of the ordinary. And don't worry — the roast beef sandwiches are always there for everyone who loves them.

Most companies try to target a specific audience that really connects with what they're offering, and fast food chains are no exception. After all, you want your customers to come back time and time again because you're offering exactly what they want, right? But if you're targeting a customer base that's too old, it could spell trouble for your company. After all, what's going to happen to your business once those customers are no longer around to buy your products? That's probably why Arby's has tried to turn younger customers onto the brand. See, in 2014, Arby's actually had the oldest customers in the fast food industry.

So, how did the brand decide to appeal to younger diners? By changing its slogan. Consequently, Arby's changed its tagline in 2014 from "slicing up freshness" to "we have the meats." Apparently, this was meant to attract millennial consumers. It turns out the campaign worked, with customers ages 18 to 34 accounting for 54% after the slogan change, up from 38% in 2013. Who knew it could be that easy to target a whole new demographic?

It's no secret that Arby's doesn't exactly offer a Michelin-star dining experience. Visit the fast food joint, and you're not likely to find white tablecloths and an accommodating sommelier waiting for you. After all, it's a fast food restaurant at the end of the day. But when Arby's first opened in 1964, it was considered slightly higher end than other fast food chains at the time, with a sandwich going for 69 cents. Compare that to McDonald's, which was selling burgers for just 15 cents, and it's easy to see that going out to Arby's was considerably pricier than a similar meal at McDonald's.

It's hard to think of Arby's as being upscale in any way now, but at the time, it set itself apart from its competitors with higher prices. These days, we wouldn't exactly choose to go to Arby's for a special occasion, but a small splurge on a roast beef sandwich might be worth it for some.

After a big meal, you probably want to wash all of that food down with a nice, cold drink. If you're eating at Arby's, you'd probably assume that the drink in question would be a fountain soda, right? You're likely not dreaming of your Arby's with a vodka soda on the side. But maybe you should because Arby's tried to enter the alcohol business in 2021 with — you guessed it — fry-flavored vodka. But you won't find this stuff at your local liquor store because it was only available for a short amount of time in very limited quantities.

The vodka was distilled with a variety of spices, including paprika, cayenne, onion, and garlic, for a savory twist on an otherwise neutral spirit. And hey, maybe if you're really into dirty vodka martinis, you could get into this. But for the rest of us? We're going to stick to the soda fountain.