Arby's Best-Selling Menu Item Is A Classic For A Reason

With a tagline like "We Have The Meats," it's no surprise that Arby's is one of the top fast food sandwich chains in the country by sales. The restaurant is known for pushing the boundaries of innovation when it comes to the menu, such as the addition of ranch, honey mustard, and BBQ chicken wraps in 2024. While there are some discontinued Arby's items we aren't getting back, such as the pizza and ham sliders, one sandwich reigns supreme: The classic roast beef.

The roast beef sandwich is the cornerstone of Arby's menu and has been since the restaurant was established in 1964. At the time, its iconic Western hat logo featured the wording "Arby's Roast Beef Sandwich Is Delicious." A spokesperson told Chowhound that the fast food chain sold 144.4 million classic roast beef sandwiches in 2024. Broken down, that means the restaurant makes and sells about 396,000 of these sandwiches every day. Although the spokesperson didn't provide comparable sales figures for its other sandwiches, it's clear that the classic roast beef isn't going anywhere. Especially since former president Rob Lynch told Thrillist, "We're super proud of our roast beef. It's our heritage."

When Daily Meal ranked Arby's sandwiches worst to best, the classic roast beef landed in third place — but only after the Reuben and classic beef with cheddar. We were pleasantly surprised how tender and flavorful the meat was without it being too salty. It's a reminder that food doesn't have to be complicated to taste good, and sometimes, basic is better.

In fact, Arby's roast beef is a classic because it's made with simple ingredients: Beef, water, salt, and sodium phosphates. Contrary to rumor, there are no fake ingredients. In fact, current and former restaurant workers have chimed in about that rumor on Reddit. They explain that the beef arrives raw to each location, and the fast food restaurant cooks it in a plastic bag. Additionally, a quality assurance employee told Snopes that a self-basting solution is included in the bag to keep the meat "juicy throughout our restaurants' 3-hour roasting process and during slicing."

The roast beef is thinly sliced and piled into a sesame bun, but you can customize it with double or a half-pound of meat for more of that rich, deep flavor. While it's tasty on its own, Arby's recommends adding its signature sauce. For some zest, though, try the chain's Horsey Sauce.

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