Arby's

In 1964 Leroy Raffel and his brother Forrest Raffel opened the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio. The name comes from “RB,” the initials of the Raffel Brothers. Their first roast beef sandwiches sold for 69 cents and were served hot, fresh, and made to order, positioned as a higher-quality offering than the burger chains of the time.⁠[1][1][2]

In the early 2000s Arby’s was run by the holding company Triarc Companies, which through its subsidiaries was the franchisor of the Arby’s restaurant system and operated company-owned restaurants through its subsidiary Sybra. In 2001 Arby’s introduced its Market Fresh line of premium sandwiches nationwide, followed in 2004 by nationwide Market Fresh salads and wraps.⁠[2][2][2][2][2]

As of January 2, 2005, the Arby’s system had 3,461 restaurants in 48 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and four other countries, 233 of them company-operated; the leading states by number of restaurants were Ohio (281), Michigan, Indiana, Florida, Texas, and Georgia, and outside the United States Canada had the most (125).⁠[2][2][2][2][2]

On July 25, 2005, Triarc completed its acquisition of RTM Restaurant Group, Arby’s largest franchisee, which operated 775 Arby’s restaurants in 22 states; before the deal the Triarc system had about 3,500 restaurants, 233 of them company-operated. The consideration was $175 million in cash (subject to post-closing adjustment), about 9.7 million shares of Triarc Class B common stock (Series 1), and replacement options on about 775,000 shares, with the shares and options valued at about $152 million combined at the then share price; Triarc’s wholly owned subsidiary Arby’s Restaurant Group also assumed about $400 million of RTM net debt and entered into a $720 million credit facility.⁠[3][3][3][3][3][3]

On September 29, 2008, Arby’s parent Triarc completed its merger with the burger chain Wendy’s International, and the combined company was renamed Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “WEN” from the next day. Under the merger agreement, Wendy’s shareholders received 4.25 shares of Triarc Class A common stock for each Wendy’s common share. After the merger Roland C. Smith became president and chief executive of the group, Thomas A. Garrett became president and chief executive of Arby’s, and Nelson Peltz became non-executive chairman.⁠[4][4][4][4][4][4]

On June 13, 2011, Wendy’s/Arby’s Group announced a definitive agreement to sell Arby’s Restaurant Group to a buyer formed by the Atlanta private equity firm Roark Capital Group, in a transaction valued at an estimated $430 million: the group would receive about $130 million in cash at closing and retain an 18.5% common stock interest in the Arby’s business (valued at about $30 million), while the buyer would assume about $190 million of Arby’s-related debt, mainly capital lease and sale-leaseback obligations. Roark would invest $180 million, receiving a $180 million non-dividend-paying preferred stock interest and an 81.5% common stock interest.⁠[5][5][5][5][5]

At the time, Atlanta-based Arby’s was the second-largest quick-service sandwich chain in the United States, with more than 3,600 restaurants systemwide, and Hala Moddelmog was its president. Wendy’s/Arby’s Group chief executive Roland Smith said the sale would allow the group to devote its full attention to growing the Wendy’s brand.⁠[5][5][5]

On July 4, 2011, Wendy’s subsidiary Wendy’s Restaurants completed the sale of 100% of the common stock of Arby’s to ARG IH Corporation, part of the Roark buyer group, with Wendy’s retaining an indirect 18.5% interest.⁠[6][6]

On November 28, 2017, Arby’s Restaurant Group and the sports bar chain Buffalo Wild Wings announced a definitive merger agreement under which Arby’s would acquire Buffalo Wild Wings for $157 per share in cash, in a transaction valued at about $2.9 billion including Buffalo Wild Wings’ net debt. Paul Brown, then chief executive of Arby’s Restaurant Group, would become chief executive of the combined parent company, and affiliates of Roark committed all of the equity needed for the deal. Arby’s then had more than 3,300 restaurants in seven countries and was majority owned by Roark affiliates.⁠[7][7][7][7]

On February 5, 2018, Arby’s Restaurant Group completed its $2.9 billion acquisition of Buffalo Wild Wings, and the new multi-brand restaurant company Inspire Brands was launched, co-founded by Paul Brown of Arby’s and Neal Aronson of Roark, with BrownBrown UniversityBrown University is a private nonprofit research university in Providence, Rhode Island, and a member of the Ivy League. Chartered by Rhode Island's colonial legislature in 1764, it is known for its undergraduate Open Curriculum, which has no common required core. Christina H. Paxson, president since July 2012, announced on August 3, 2026, that the 2026–27 academic year would be her last in office. As of October 1, 2026, the search for Brown's 20th president remained underway.Open the full entry as chief executive and headquarters in Atlanta. Inspire initially comprised Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, and the emerging brand R Taco, with more than 4,600 restaurants systemwide and combined 2017 global system sales of more than $7.6 billion.⁠[8][8][8][8][8]

In June 2018 Arby’s completed the nationwide conversion of its restaurants to Coca-Cola beverages and marked the occasion with the world’s largest and smallest ads, setting two Guinness World Records.⁠[9]

On August 16, 2018, The Wendy’s Company accepted an offer from Inspire Brands to sell its 12.3% ownership interest in Inspire back to the company for $450 million, in a transaction that closed the same day; the investment had a carrying value of zero, and Wendy’s expected about $335 million in cash proceeds net of tax. Wendy’s chairman Nelson Peltz said the investment had also brought Wendy’s more than $100 million in distributions over the previous seven years.⁠[10][10][10]

On August 27, 2019, Inspire announced that Arby’s chief marketing officer Jim Taylor had been named president of Arby’s, succeeding Rob Lynch, who was leaving after six years to pursue an opportunity outside the company. Taylor had previously been Arby’s senior vice president of brand advertising and activation and of product development and innovation, and before joining Arby’s had worked at Darden Restaurants and P&G. Arby’s then had more than 3,400 restaurants in eight countries.⁠[11][11][11][11][11][11]

In October 2020 Arby’s opened its first restaurant in Guadalajara, Mexico, with a menu exclusive to the market.⁠[12]

In May 2022 Arby’s launched the brand’s first burger, made with a Wagyu beef blend; it sold out within six weeks and returned to the menu later that year.⁠[13]

On March 23, 2023, Arby’s president Jim Taylor announced that co-founder Leroy Raffel had died at the age of 96; Arby’s made a donation in his name to the Greater Miami Jewish Federation.⁠[1][1]

On August 22, 2023, the Arby’s Foundation announced a partnership with comedian Tiffany Haddish to donate $1 million across the United States to relieve student school lunch debt, with the first donations going to Boardman, the town where Arby’s was founded. Rita Patel, then Arby’s brand president, said that relieving childhood hunger was a big part of the foundation’s mission to help children achieve their dreams.⁠[14][14][14]

On September 30, 2024, Inspire announced that David Graves had joined the company as Arby’s brand president. Graves had previously been president of Pizza HutPizza HutPizza Hut is a pizza restaurant chain founded in 1958 by brothers Dan Carney and Frank Carney in Wichita, Kansas, known for pizzas such as the Original Pan and Original Stuffed Crust; at the end of 2025 it had nearly 20,000 restaurants in 108 countries and territories. PepsiCo acquired it in 1977, and in 1997 it went with PepsiCo’s restaurant spin-off into the company that became Yum! Brands. In 2026 Yum! Brands sold it in two transactions for $2.7 billion in the aggregate: the Mainland China business to Yum China and the rest to the private equity firm LongRange Capital.Open the full entry U.S. at Yum! BrandsYum! BrandsYum! Brands is a restaurant franchising group headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (ticker YUM). Its brands are KFC, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger & Grill, and as of September 2026 it operated or franchised more than 44,000 restaurants in 151 countries and territories; it and Yum China Holdings, which runs these brands in mainland China, are two separate publicly traded companies.Open the full entry and had worked at KFCKFCKFC (originally Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a global fast-food chain owned by Yum! Brands that specializes in fried chicken. It grew out of a roadside restaurant run by Harland Sanders in Corbin, Kentucky, and as of June 2026 had more than 34,000 restaurants in more than 150 countries.Open the full entry for four years and at P&G for 13 years. Around the same time, Jeff Baker, who had been Arby’s vice president of brand advertising and content from 2014 to 2018, returned as Arby’s chief marketing officer.⁠[15][15][16][16][15]

In 2025 Arby’s introduced Steak Nuggets, made from bite-sized pieces of steak, and a cheesesteak sandwich made with Angus steak, and brought Potato Cakes back to the menu permanently.⁠[17][17][17]

According to Inspire’s fiscal 2025 figures, Arby’s had more than 3,500 restaurants in seven global markets and system sales of $4.4 billion; Inspire positions it as the leading sandwich drive-thru chain in the United States.⁠[18][18][18]

In April 2026 the food and beverage intelligence platform Datassential named Arby’s America’s Restaurant Innovation Leader in its 2026 Datassential 500 Awards, citing among other things the performance of its limited-time offers and new menu items on purchase intent, uniqueness, draw, and value. Around the same time Arby’s launched a BBQ lineup including pulled pork and chopped brisket sandwiches and a Mac Bowl.⁠[19][19][19]

On October 15, 2026, Inspire announced the appointment of Jenna Bromberg, previously chief marketing officer of Papa Johns, as Arby’s chief marketing officer effective November 2; she had also held marketing roles at Yum! Brands, Carter’s, and Hilton. Jeff Baker moved to the role of Arby’s vice president of category management and culinary innovation. As of October 2026, Arby’s has more than 3,500 restaurants in seven global markets.⁠[20][20][20][20][20]

Arby’s centers on sandwiches made with slow-roasted, freshly sliced meats such as roast beef, summing up its high-quality-protein positioning as “Meatcraft”; its signature products include the Beef ’n Cheddar sandwich, Curly Fries, and Jamocha shakes, and its slogan is “We have the meats.”⁠[21][22][22][17]

Arby’s is one of six brands owned by Inspire Brands, alongside Baskin-Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and SONIC.⁠[23]

Arby’s: Official website: https://www.arbys.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[24]

Inspire Brands: Official website: https://inspirebrands.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[8]

Arby’s Foundation: Official website: https://foundation.arbys.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[14]

X: Public account: https://x.com/Arbys (opens in a new window)⁠[21]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arby%27s/ (opens in a new window)⁠[21]