Company Profile

Arby's was founded in 1964, but the concept for a roast beef sandwich franchise was rooted many years earlier.

A late-night excursion to a small Boston sandwich shop one rainy Halloween was the inspiration for the Raffel brothers, who joined a damp, but determined huddle of patrons to await the main attraction -- a 79-cent roast beef sandwich.

The idea was born. The only kink in the chain's orderly development came with choosing a name for it. The partners wanted to use the name "Big Tex," but were unsuccessful in negotiating with the Akron businessman who was already using the name. So, in the words of Forrest, "We came up with Arby's, which stands for R.B., the initials of Raffel Brothers, although I guess customers might think the initials stand for roast beef."

Products and Markets

The Arby’s brand takes pride in serving the best tasting food in fast food. We use only the finest quality ingredients in every sandwich, salad, and side item we make. At Arby's, great taste and quality ingredients can be a part of a well balanced diet.

Training and Support

Arby's, LLC provides extensive training and support programs to its franchise owners. An extensive training program, which includes classes on managing food and labor cost, recruitment and retention, and security, are offered to all restaurant managers. Classes also feature product preparation, equipment handling and maintenance, customer service, hospitality, employee relations, business record keeping and many other facets of restaurant management and operations.

In 1998, the Arby's, LLC Training team began offering certification classes in ServSafe®* food safety from the National Restaurant Association's Educational Foundation. After completion of this course, restaurant managers are certified to educate their restaurant crew members in all facets of food handling, preparation and delivery, as well as sanitation, pest control, and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) food safety system.

*ServSafe is a registered trademark of the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association.

ARBY’S® FRANCHISING FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):

1. Does Arby's® provide financing for restaurant development?

Although we do not finance franchise development, we can provide you with a list of potential lenders who will welcome your call.

2. May I build one restaurant or do I have to commit to several restaurants?

We prefer multi-unit agreements, but are aware, there are circumstances under which we would consider smaller (one or two unit) agreements.

3. What type of operations support does Arby's provide in conjunction with my first restaurant opening?

We require that three managers attend and graduate from the seven-week Restaurant Manager Training Program (RMTP) in a Certified Arby's Training Restaurant. Arby's pays the cost of the in-store training; the franchisee is responsible for travel, room lodging, and miscellaneous expenses. Arby's will provide on-site restaurant training and opening support which will begin several months before opening, with timeline checklists to be completed by the Franchise Business Manager (FBM), either in person or by telephone. An FBM will arrive at the restaurant one week before store opening to assist with training and other operational support for a period of 10 days.

4. What are Arby's fees?

Arby's has a franchise fee of $37,500 for the first restaurant and $25,000 for each additional unit. The first fee is higher to cover additional training and administrative requirements involved with introducing new franchisees. Franchisees pay royalties of 4% of gross sales, an advertising marketing service and national advertising fee of 1.2% of gross sales, and must purchase local advertising of at least 3% of gross sales.