10 Things You Didn't Know About Arby's

Arby's is one of those love-it-or-hate-it fast food chains, like Taco Bell and Chick-fil-A. The chain that rose to fame with its roast beef is today still very much roast beef sandwich-centric, but also offers brisket, Angus steak, corned beef, ham, bacon, turkey, and chicken sandwiches, along with salads, wraps, and fried sides. But even if no lunch is complete without a Beef 'n Cheddar, we bet that there are some things you didn't know about this popular chain. 

In 2008, Arby's parent company Triarc bought Wendy's and changed its name to Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. The company sold off 81.5 percent of Arby's to Roark Capital Group in 2011 and changed its name to the Wendy's Company, keeping the remaining percentage of Arby's under its own umbrella. 

The earliest Arby's restaurants were intended to be more upscale than their burger joint counterparts, incorporating some fancier design elements. This plan didn't survive the initial franchise strategy, however.

Just about every fast food chain has a lighter menu these days, but Arby's was actually the first to introduce one. Way back in 1991, they rolled out sandwiches and salads that contained fewer than 300 calories. 

Arby's was also the first fast food chain to outright ban smoking in all of their locations, starting in 1994.

The chain attempted to create a sit-down dinner destination in 1995 with the rollout of Roast Town, a fancier Arby's with additional menu items including comfort food staples like meatloaf, ham, roast turkey, steak and red bean chili, fresh-baked bread, and apple pie. Within two years, however, it was clear that the concept wasn't going to work out, and it was quietly abandoned.

Introduced in October 2013, the Smokehouse Brisket Sandwich (which was made with smoked brisket, smoked Gouda, barbecue sauce, and onion rings) boosted same-store sales by more than 12 percent during the promotion, making it the chain's most successful new product ever. 

The 1990s weren't so great for Arby's; along with the failure of Roast Town, it also closed all of its locations in 15 countries, including Brazil, the U.K., Japan, and Egypt. All of the Australian and Mexican locations shuttered during the 2000s as well.

The Arby's Foundation was founded in 1986 as a way to give back to the communities they're located in, and has donated more than $71 million to charitable causes across the country. The organization focused its mission on ending childhood hunger in 2011, donating more than $50 million to hunger relief in all 50 states. 

Since 1971, roast beef has arrived at Arby's locations inside a sealed bag, marinating in a solution of water, salt, and sodium phosphates. It's then removed from the bag and roasted for three hours on-premises. While the full bag may look like it's all liquid, the company assures us that it's not. 

Even sandwiches loaded with beef and cheese don't have as many calories as the Roast Turkey Ranch and Bacon Sandwich, which tops off at 800 calories and 34 grams of fat.