BNET Industries

Arby's

is in the Food Industry

Private
US

Dow Jones Description

Arby's was founded in 1964, but the concept for a roast beef sandwich franchise was rooted many years earlier. Forrest Raffel, a graduate of Cornell University School of Hotel and Restaurant Administration and his younger brother Leroy, a graduate of Wharton School of Finance, University of Pennsylvania, bought an uncle's restaurant equipment business in the 1950s. Raffel Brothers, Inc. became a fitting introduction to the foodservice industry for the brothers. The small company rapidly grew to become one of the country's leading foodservice consulting firms. Raffel Brothers, Inc. designed and installed hundreds of foodservice facilities including the flight kitchens at Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, interiors of six Ohio Turnpike restaurants and foodservice facilities for the Hospitality Inn motel chain of Standard Oil of Ohio. But the Raffel brothers quickly sensed the potential of fast food and decided to develop a franchise operation based on something other than hamburgers. Leroy remembers, "We were totally confident, while everyone else thought we were out of our minds." A late-night excursion to a small Boston sandwich shop one rainy Halloween was the inspiration for the Raffels, 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. ...

Contact Information

PO BOX 11626

San Rafael, California 94912-1626

arbys.net

1 415 457 0600

NAICS Code Food Services and Drinking Places: 722

Company News

News & Analysis

arby's and taco bell corp. - All News and Analysis

Sandwich leaders lure customers back from upscale rivals by expanding offerings and operating hours

- 2007-06-25

Most of the largest sandwich chains that historically have scored their highest sales at lunch increasingly are tapping other dayparts to boost revenues, broaden customer bases and elevate same-store volumes amid heightened competition. Additions to breakfast, beverage, snack and dinner menus and around-the-clock or late-night drive-thru hours are strategies...

Tags: Arby's, McDonald's Corp., Taco Bell Corp.
Sandwich segment lifted by new products, discount truce

- 2005-06-27

New products and an ongoing cease-fire in the discount wars helped the highly competitive quick-service sandwich category generate another year of brisk sales. Upscale sandwiches, salads and a wave of new breakfast offerings kept the registers ringing at the nation's largest sandwich brands as new chief executives were installed...

Tags: Arby's, Burger King Corp., Digital Equipment Corp., McDonald's Corp., Subway, Taco Bell Corp.
Sandwich titans turn corner with upscale items

- 2004-06-28

Traditional fast-food menus look a lot different than they did just one year ago at branches of the sandwich segment's leading chains. Quarter-pound burgers and fries, after serving as the mainstay of the quick-service segment for decades, have taken a backseat to an explosion of new menu items featuring...

Tags: Arby's, Burger King Corp., Digital Equipment Corp., McDonald's Corp., Taco Bell Corp.
Wendy's Ranked Top Drive-Thru For Second Consecutive Year.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)

- 2001-10-15

Wendy's was ranked the nation's top drive-thru overall in The QSR Drive-Thru Time Study 2001, which was conducted by Sparagowski & Associates, a Sylvania, OH-based market research firm. The study, which was co-sponsored by QSR magazine and Phase Research, measured speed, order accuracy, menuboard appearance and...

Tags: Arby's, Taco Bell Corp.
Smoke-free? OK with me!(fast food restaurants adopt no-smoking policies)

- 1995-10-01

In 1994, some McDonald's, Arby's, and Taco Bell restaurants adopted no-smoking policies. As of April this year, all the new Dairy Queen restaurants will be smoke-free.

Tags: Arby's, McDonald's Corp., Taco Bell Corp.

Seeing double: sharpening the focus on future of dual-branding

- 1994-09-05

Fast-forward your imagination, if you will, from your town's drive-through-dotted main drag to "fast-food row" in the year 2020. While you're at it, don't forget to envision the casual-theme and upscale places you'd find sharing that thoroughfare of tomorrow. We're there! But it's hard to believe our eyes....

Tags: Arby's, El Pollo Loco, Taco Bell Corp.
Fast food comes of age. (fast food restaurants)(includes related articles) (Cover Story)

- 1994-05-01

Major brand name fast food chains have diversified into nontraditional markets to maintain their competitive edge. These markets include college campuses, supermarkets and mass retailers such as convenience stores (C-stores) and gasoline stations. In its search for new locations and alternatives, the fast food industry has increased its co-branding with...

Tags: Arby's, Blimpie International, Burger King Corp., Dairy Queen, Subway, Taco Bell Corp., Wendy