Why No One Goes to Arby's
- RoadTour.Net Team
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Arby’s has been around for decades. It has thousands of locations, a recognizable name, and one of the most distinctive menus in fast food. People absolutely still go to Arby’s. But there’s a bigger question the company should be asking: How often is Arby’s actually someone’s first choice? That’s where we think the brand has a problem. Arby’s doesn’t suffer from a lack of locations or brand awareness. Most people know exactly what Arby’s is. The issue is creating enough excitement and delivering a consistently good enough experience to make customers want to choose it over Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Culver’s, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, or dozens of other options. And some relatively simple problems aren’t helping.
Arby’s curly fries should be one of the chain’s biggest strengths, but it's their weakness. They’re distinctive, recognizable, and something you can’t get at every fast-food restaurant. So why does it seem so difficult to get a good order of them? Too often, our experience has been cold curly fries or a container filled with small broken bits and pieces instead of actual curly fries. That might sound like a minor complaint, but it matters. When a restaurant has a signature item, that item should be consistently excellent. Customers shouldn’t have to wonder whether their fries are going to be hot and crispy or whether they’re getting whatever was left sitting at the bottom of the fry station. Fresh, hot curly fries could actually be a reason to visit Arby’s. Cold scraps can be a reason not to return.
Another recurring issue in our experiences has been lackluster customer service. Fast food doesn’t require white-tablecloth hospitality, but customers should still feel welcomed. Employees should be friendly, orders should be handled accurately, and the overall experience should make you feel like the restaurant actually wants your business. When customers aren’t already excited about visiting a brand, mediocre service makes the problem even worse. Arby’s needs to put more emphasis on hiring, training, retaining, and rewarding employees who provide good customer service. A restaurant can spend millions advertising its food, but the person behind the counter or at the drive-thru window ultimately represents the brand. If that interaction isn’t good, the advertising doesn’t mean much.
Then there’s something seemingly small that can leave a surprisingly big impression: drink sizes. Order a large strawberry lemonade at Arby’s and it can feel surprisingly small compared with what customers may expect from competing fast-food restaurants. For comparison, a large strawberry lemonade at Wendy’s appears substantially larger. Based on our estimates, Wendy’s large is around 32 ounces while the Arby’s version appears closer to 21 ounces. Exact sizes can vary by product and location, but the larger issue is customer perception of value. When someone orders a large, they expect it to feel large. When it doesn’t, customers can walk away feeling like they didn’t receive much for their money. That’s especially dangerous in an era when fast-food prices have risen and consumers are paying much closer attention to value. You don’t want customers leaving your restaurant wondering, “That’s the large?” Another issue Arby’s needs to address is freshness — or at least the perception of freshness. When you look at many of Arby’s signature sandwiches, they can come across as heavy and processed rather than fresh and inviting. You see plenty of meat, cheese, sauces, and buns, but you don’t necessarily see much that gives the sandwich a fresh appearance. Where’s the lettuce? Where are the tomatoes? Where’s the color? Of course, not every sandwich needs lettuce and tomato. A classic roast beef sandwich is a classic for a reason. But across the broader menu, it would be nice to see more options that actually look fresh. Fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables add more than flavor. They add color, texture, and visual appeal. They can make a sandwich look like something that was freshly assembled rather than simply meat, cheese, and sauce piled onto a bun. And perception matters. If customers look at the menu and the food doesn’t appear particularly fresh, that can influence whether they choose Arby’s in the first place. This also ties directly into the company’s marketing. Instead of constantly emphasizing how much meat can be stacked onto a sandwich, Arby’s could show more food that looks fresh, colorful, balanced, and appetizing. Freshness should be something customers can see. Arby’s built its identity around roast beef, and there’s nothing wrong with keeping that heritage. But let’s face it: roast beef isn’t exactly the hottest product in fast food today. Sometimes you might crave an Arby’s roast beef sandwich. But how often is roast beef the first thing the average person thinks about when deciding where to grab lunch or dinner?
That’s the challenge. Arby’s has expanded well beyond roast beef over the years, and that’s smart. The company needs to continue developing menu items that can attract people who aren’t specifically looking for a roast beef sandwich. The roast beef sandwich can remain an Arby’s classic without having to carry the entire identity of the company. Arby’s famous “We Have the Meats” campaign certainly gave the company a memorable identity. There’s no question about that. But we think Arby’s sometimes pushes the meat-heavy image too aggressively. Look at promotional images for some of the chain’s sandwiches and you’ll often see enormous piles of meat practically spilling out of the bun. The intention is obvious: abundance. Arby’s wants customers to see a substantial sandwich loaded with meat. But bigger doesn’t automatically mean more appetizing. Sometimes the photos cross the line from generous to excessive. A giant mound of meat overflowing from a sandwich can actually make the food look less appealing. There’s nothing wrong with having plenty of meat. That’s part of Arby’s identity. But the presentation could be more balanced. Show the roast beef alongside fresh lettuce and tomato. Show a sandwich that someone can comfortably pick up and eat. Show crispy, hot curly fries next to it. Show a cold drink that actually looks like a large. In other words, sell the entire meal instead of just the pile of meat. Arby’s might benefit from more modest food photography: neatly constructed sandwiches, balanced portions, fresh-looking ingredients, and presentations that make you think, “That looks delicious,” rather than simply, “That’s a lot of meat.” There’s a difference. They leaned into this way too hard.
The frustrating thing is that Arby’s has many of the ingredients needed to be a stronger fast-food brand.
It has name recognition. It has locations across the country. It has signature products. It has curly fries. It has decades of history. And it occupies a somewhat unique position in an industry dominated by hamburgers and chicken. The opportunity is there. But Arby’s needs to concentrate more heavily on the complete customer experience: hot and fresh food, better customer service, stronger perceived value, more fresh-looking menu choices, appealing new products, and marketing that makes the food look delicious instead of excessive.
Most importantly, Arby’s needs to ask why someone driving down a commercial strip filled with fast-food restaurants would turn into an Arby’s instead of passing it for the next restaurant. The biggest problem facing Arby’s may not be convincing people to try it. Most of us have already tried it. The challenge is making us think of Arby’s first the next time we’re hungry. And right now, for too many customers, it simply isn’t the first choice. You can do much better Arby's!
