Free Fruit Flavored Iced Tea at Arby's

This Wednesday, May 6, 2009, Arby's will be celebrating National Beverage Day by offering free Iced FruiTeas.

Just go to Arby's and say "I'm parched.  FruiTea Me!" and try a free FruiTea in one of 4 flavors:  Passion Fruit, Mandarin Peach, Diet Peach or Diet Blackberry.

Arby's New Mac & Cheezers

Arby's now has a new snack item they're calling "Mac & Cheezers."

Arby's describes them as "Creamy cheddar cheese and classic macaroni...battered and fried into golden brown triangles of flavor."

They sound a lot like Jack in the Box's Cheesy Macaroni Bites.  And remember, Pizza Hut now has Bacon Mac 'n Cheese Pasta.  It seems like Mac and cheese is a favorite for fast food to capitalize on this year.

A regular order of Mac & Cheezers contains 5 and has 390 calories and 18 grams of fat.  Complete nutritional information:

Arby's Agency Hijacks Atlanta Billboards

Adrants reports of ad agency Fletcher Martin hijacking billboards in the Atlanta area for their client Arby's.

The concept is to float balloons with the Arby's logo above the heads of people appearing on billboards (like local TV weather gals), in support of their "I'm thinking Arby's" campaign.

The "I'm thinking Arby's" thought ballon concept isn't new. When Arby's launched their new website in June 2006 visitors could create their own thought balloons with their favorite Arby's menu item.

This is a subtle campaign, and something Fletcher Martin is probably only doing in their HQ of Atlanta... a little guerrilla marketing fun for their creative department.

But we couldn't help thinking that maybe a custom 'thought balloon' like this one, although not as subtle, might have been even better.

World's Largest French Fry Found at Arby's

In June of 2003 Simon Holland sold his 6.75 inch french fry from Culver's in Wisconsin for $200 on ebay! 

In July of 2006 a 9.5 inch fry was cooked up at Bobu's Steak House in Topeka, KS.  The restaurant's owner, Bob Radke, said it came out of the bag of frozen fries just that way.  Radke named it the "Patriot Fry" and put it in his freezer.

And here's a kid on Flickr with a giant fry.

But they have NOTHING on a teen from Traveler's Rest (aka 'TR'), South Carolina.

Hannah Odom went to an Arby's in Hendersonville, SC and ordered some curly fries with her meal.  When she reached in to eat one of the curly fries, she couldn't get it out of the package.  When she finally got it out it was quite lengthy.

How lengthy?  Almost 24 inches, yes, 2 FEET long.  And that's not even stretched out all the way.

Odom is hoping her french fry makes it into the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's longest french fry.  She resisted both primary temptations: to eat it and to sell it on ebay.

She has wrapped it in foil, put it in her fridge and contacted the Guinness Book of World Records.

A 2 foot long fast food french fry! That's got to make it into Guinness.

She expects to hear from Guinness in 3-4 weeks. We'll keep you posted, but for now, watch this local news story on the super fry:

Merged: Arby's and Wendy's

Shareholders of Arby's parent company Triarc and Wendy's approved the merger of the two fast food restaurant chains.

Roland Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Triarc, said: “We are very pleased that the shareholders of both Triarc and Wendy’s have approved the merger, and we look forward to working together with employees of both companies in setting a new course for Wendy’s/Arby’s Group. We believe our combination represents a major strategic opportunity to create significant long-term value for all of our stakeholders, and we are working on a comprehensive integration plan and organizational structure to support enhanced operating performance at both brands. We intend to share more detailed plans regarding the new company as soon as practicable after the transaction closes.”

The two chains are not expected to merge their menus, though, despite being part of the same company. The Arby's and Wendy's brands are likely to remain separate and distinct in the eyes of consumers.

Arby's Mini Snacks Online Ads

Arby's is marketing some new mini sandwiches and wraps as Mini Snacks.

Arby's is using an online advertising on sites like Yahoo! to promote the mini snacks.

The 'Snack Attack' ads are actually games where players grab as many Mini Snack sandwiches as quick as they can. Players can also select Mini Snack items to see their ingredients.

An example of a new Mini Snack item is the Italian Mini Wrap which has ham, salami and pepperoni combined with banana peppers, lettuce, swiss cheese and mayonnaise in a flour tortilla. It and the other Snack Attack items cost $1.69.

Said Cyndi Richardson, vice president of Arby's marketing: “The
products lend themselves to a younger consumer. We were
looking for a way to attract that younger consumer, and the Internet
was the place to go."

Other major fast food players like BK, McDonald's and Pizza Hut are already using online marketing to promote new products, but they also usually advertise the new items with TV ads, too. This Arby's marketing effort is limited to the web.

This is a marketing test for Arby's limited to Savannah, GA and Montgomery, AL, where Arby's has many company owned stores.

Arby-Q Back on Menu at 99 cents

Arby's has the Arby-Q sandwich back on the menu through October 5, 2008.

It is priced at 99 cents.

The Arby-Q has Roast Beef in BBQ sauce on a toasted sesame seed bun.

Arby's Toasted Subs

Arby's has introduced Toasted Subs to their Market Fresh sandwich line-up.

Toasted Subs seem to be all the rage since Quizno's popularized them. But unlike Quizno's, Arby's has already released the nutritional information for their toasted subs (and everything else). Good for them! (You can find the info below.)

There are 4 Toasted Subs: the French Dip & Swiss Toasted Sub, the Philly Beef Toasted Sub, the Classic Italian Toasted Sub, and the Turkey Bacon Club.

As part of the Toasted Sub announcement, Arby's Chief Marketing Officer, Cheryl Barre, said: "The majority of fast food restaurants that serve subs don’t have our combination of two things – high quality, fresh ingredients and the added convenience of not having to get out of your car – the drive-thru."

The subs will be advertised with a new "I'm Thinking Arby's" television campaign.

Descriptions and nutritional information:
The Philly Beef Toasted Sub (pictured top left) features roast beef, melted Swiss cheese, roasted onions, green and red bell peppers and roasted garlic sauce on a toasted ciabatta roll. It has 738 calories, 332 calories from fat, 35 grams total fat, 9 grams saturated fat, 1 gram trans fat, 86 mg cholesterol, 1881 mg sodium, 64 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 3 grams sugars, 31 grams protein.
The French Dib & Swiss Toasted Sub (bottom right) features roast beef and melted Swiss cheese on a toasted ciabatta roll, served with a side of au jus for dipping. It has 621 calories, 181 calories from fat, 19 grams fat, 7 grams sat-fat, 1.5 grams trans fat, 79 mg cholesterol, 3397 mg sodium, 68 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 2 grams sugars, 37 grams protein.
The Classic Italian Toasted Sub (top right) has ham, salami, pepperoni, melted mozzarella cheese, banana peppers and garlic mayonnaise, topped with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion and drizzled with red wine vinaigrette, on a toasted ciabatta roll. It has 827 calories, 410 calories from fat, 45 grams total fat, 13 grams sat fat, .5 grams trans fat, 89 mg cholesterol, 2495 mg sodium, 69 grams carbs, 2 grams fiber, 4 grams sugar.
And the Turkey Bacon Club Toasted Sub (bottom left) features thinly sliced turkey breast, melted Swiss cheese, chopped pepper bacon and herbed mayonnaise on a toasted ciabatta roll, finished with lettuce, tomatoes and red onion. It has 619 calories, 159 calories from fat, 17 grams total fat, 5 grams saturated fat, no trans fat, 81 mg cholesterol, 2052 mg sodium, 66 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 3 grams sugars, 41 grams protein.

Arby's reduces trans fats

Arby's has finally reduced the trans fat in their fries.

In a press release, Arby's announced that they have "has started serving French Fries with zero grams of trans fat as calculated under FDA nutrition labeling regulations. The company is switching to a zero grams trans fat cooking oil, and has worked with its French Fry suppliers to eliminate the use of hydrogenated oil during the par-frying process at the supplier level. This makes Arby’s the first national fast food chain in the U.S. to announce the elimination of trans fat oils in French Fries from supplier to restaurant."

“We are committed to meeting our customers’ needs through great tasting and innovative products,” said Roland Smith, CEO, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “In the case of trans fats, we are not only switching to a zero grams trans fat cooking oil in our restaurants, we have also removed trans fats from the French Fry par-frying process at our suppliers’ processing plants. This is exceptional for us because we can do this while maintaining the great French Fry flavor our customers expect.”

Menu Item                      Original TFAs         New TFAs
3-Pack Chicken Tenders         2                     0
5-Pack Chicken Tenders         3                     0
Small Curly Fries              3                     0
Medium Curly Fries             4                     0
Large Curly Fries              6                     1

The new French Fries and cooking oil are scheduled to be in all U.S. Arby’s locations by May 1, 2007.

Arby's launches new web site

Arby's has (finally) upgraded their web site. The new site reinforces Arby's "I'm thinking..." ad campaign. There's a constant stream of various characters moving across the top of the screen and when you put your mouse over them you can see what Arby's item they're 'thinking' about.

Unfortunately there is no way to turn off the annoying and repetitive sound effects on the opening page of the new site. I can't keep the site open in another window while I write this because it's just too damn annoying!

The middle section of the main page has links to standard fast food site sections: nutrition information, restaurant location finder, sweepstakes entry, and franchising information.

At the bottom you can create your own "I'm thinking" thought bubble that will float up the screen for you and any other current visitor. You input your name, state and choose from a selection of comments about an Arby's menu item of your choice. I created the one at the left.

Overall, it's a good site that's pretty easy to navigate. Just let us turn of those annoying sound effects!

Arby's offers fast food gyro

Atlanta-based Arby's this week introduced the Market Fresh Gyro sandwich to its menu. The sandwich offers slow-roasted, thinly sliced, warm roast beef seasoned with traditional Greek herbs and spices (oregano, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper) and topped with fresh tomatoes, lettuce and sliced red onions. It is served on warm pita flatbread with cucumber gyro sauce.

Free samples of Arby's 'natural' chicken

To further entice consumers to their new 'natural' chicken (which I wrote about last week), Arby's is going to be giving away free samples. If you visit an Arby's this Thursday, March 9, between 11 AM and 7 PM you can get a free Arby's "Chicken Naturals Tender" with your choice of dipping sauce.

Remember, though, that as far as government regulators (like the USDA) are concerned, 'Natural' means nothing. There are no requirements that must be fulfilled before you call your food product 'natural.'

Arby's calls their new chicken naturals "100 Percent Natural," and "Free of Added Water, Salt and Phosphates." But remember, from my previous post, that on their ingredients page, Arby's includes the following for their chicken: salt, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, flavor contains less than 2% (autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, enzyme modified egg yolk, thiamine hydrochloride).

I'm not saying you shouldn't eat Arby's chicken, I'm just pointing out that its not much different from the other guys' chicken. :)

Arby's touts 'natural' chicken

Arby's announced today that they'll be serving '100% all-natural chicken' in an effort to serve "chicken that truly tastes like chicken" with "the first and only complete product line made with all-natural chicken" in the fast food industry. They will promote their 'natural chicken' line with TV ads featuring comedienne Joan Rivers and wrestler Hulk Hogan.

In their press release, Arby's uses the following line to prove its chicken is more natural than its competitors: "Other leading fast food companies offer chicken breast sandwiches with up to 29.3 percent of solutions made of various elements including water, seasoning (salt, spices and spice extract), oil, modified food starch, sodium phosphates." That list of ingredients is lifted exactly from McDonald's ingredients listing for their chicken breast fillet.

But Arby's never explicitly states that their chicken is completely free of these other ingredients other than describing it as "100% all-natural chicken." I wasn't convinced so I referred to Arby's own ingredients listing and found this: "Arby's Natural Chicken Tenders: Seasoned with salt, hydrolyzed corn and soy protein, flavor contains less than 2% (autolyzed yeast extract, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, enzyme modified egg yolk, thiamine hydrochloride)."

That doesn't sound like 100% all-natural chicken to me!

For the sake of comparison, I've listed the ingredients for Wendy's and Burger King's chicken below (McDonald's is above, exactly as it appeared in Arby's press release, and by the way, I've got to say that it is 'enlightening' to know that McDonald's chicken is only 70.7% chicken!)

Wendy's: Chicken Breast with Rib Meat: water, modified potato starch, seasoning (salt, flavor, maltodextrin, modified corn starch, contains less than 2% of citric acid, disodium guanylate, disodium inosinate, chicken broth, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, soy sauce solids. [wheat, soybeans, salt], yeast extract), sodium phosphate.

Burger King: Chicken Breast with Rib Meat, Water, Seasoning (Maltodextrin, Salt, Sugar, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Garlic Powder, Spices, Natural Flavors, Onion Powder, Modified Corn Starch, Chicken Fat, Chicken Powder, Chicken Broth, Disodium Guanylate and Disodium Inosinate, Citric Acid, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Dehydrated Garlic, and Artificial Flavors.), Modified Corn Starch, Soybean Oil, Salt, Sodium Phosphates.

Arby's offers 'crustless' sandwich for kids

Arby's is the first fast food restaurant to introduce sandwiches with the crusts cut off. Their new Kid's Meal menu includes Market Fresh Mini Ham & Cheese and Turkey & Cheese Sandwiches served on honey wheat bread with the crusts cut off.

They're also introducing a healthy option for their Kid's Meals. Mom's can now request a fruit cup with red seedless grapes and diced apples as a side instead of french fries for their child's meal. A great idea. Sure, kid's probably wouldn't order it, but it's usually mom that's doing the ordering anyway.

Choosing the right wine to go with your fast food

How about a Leonesse Cellars 2003 white riesling with your Taco Bell Quesadilla? Or "the flowery, almost perfumelike nose of Thornton's 2004 Viognier" with KFC's Original Recipe? Vick Knight has these and other suggestions in his article in San Diego's North County Times. Knight says,"Wendy's old fashioned rectangular hamburgers and Arby's roast beef sandwiches both benefit from red wines. I'd recommend Falkner Winery's 2003 Luscious Lips," and "those who like their pizza with a glass of wine should find that Domino's Pepperoni Pizza (double pepperoni and extra cheese, please) goes well with Wilson Creek's 2001 sangiovese."

[North County Times]

Arby's tests 'natural' chicken

Arby's has started a "test of 'natural' chicken sandwiches, wraps, tenders and salads in Harrisburg, Pa., and Jacksonville, Fla., that will extend to free customer samples on June 3rd in both markets." The chicken is billed as "not altered or injected with added water, salt or phosphates." [NRN]