10 Arby's Ordering Hacks You Have To Try

In 1964, brothers and World War II veterans Forrest "Fuzzy" Raffel and Leroy Raffel opened a roast beef sandwich shop with the intent of competing against other burgeoning quick-service spots like McDonald's and Burger King. They named their store Arby's after a phonetic spelling of the initials "RB's" for "Raffel Brothers." Arby's quickly became a popular alternative to hamburger joints, amassing hundreds of stores by the end of the decade. 

Arby's continues to be a popular spot today, particularly in rural and suburban areas among middle-income consumers. The average customer age is in their mid-to-upper 60s, which would make sense, considering this demographic saw Arby's become the nationwide chain we know it as today. At the time of this writing, there are approximately 3,400 Arby's franchise locations worldwide. 

Decades after the Raffel brothers opened their first restaurant with equipment they bought from their uncle, Arby's remains a beloved spot for savory sandwiches and crunchy sides. The quick-service restaurant has maintained classics and adopted new favorite menu items over the years. If you know where to look, there are even more Arby's flavors to unlock with these 10 ordering hacks.

Some recommendations might be better categorized as dares, and that's certainly true of the infamous Meat Mountain, a secret menu item stacked sky-high with roast beef, ham, turkey, corned beef, brisket, Angus steak, chicken tenders, and cheese (almost every meat available at Arby's). At one point, there was even an option to get a Meat Mountain "Denali Style," which included a fish filet. Simply put, the Meat Mountain is not for the faint of heart.

The Meat Mountain is available at any Arby's location, though you might run into employees who are unfamiliar with it. Usually, there will be someone working who knows how to access the Meat Mountain on the Arby's secret menu. In some locations, a Meat Mountain meal rings up to just under $20. This includes a side and drink. 

In a 2025 Facebook post, a former Arby's employee recalled introducing a customer to the Meat Mountain for the first time. "Selling that meat mountain was like selling him a dream to climb Everest. It wasn't just a sandwich, it was a testament to what man can do when he believes in himself over any obstacle." 

An Arby's ordering hack that all protein lovers ought to try involves turning an ordinary menu item into a Super, Max, Deluxe, or Ultimate sandwich. These punch-ups most often feature double the amount of meat, but additional toppings like fresh veggies and signature sauces are also available. To guarantee you can get the Arby's menu hack you're after, customers recommend ordering in person. 

One popular menu mod is to turn Arby's best-selling Classic Roast Beef sandwich into a Super Roast Beef sandwich, which adds lettuce, tomato, and red ranch sauce to the traditional roast beef recipe. (Make it extra Super by requesting red onion.) "I don't know why they don't just put this back on the menu everywhere," one Reddit user said of the Super Roast Beef. You can also bump up the Junior Roast Beef to a Junior Roast Beef Deluxe, which adds the same veggies plus mayo. 

If you're looking for your menu modification to translate into more meat, the French Dip Max is a well-loved option that boosts the standard French Dip by doubling the roast beef and Swiss cheese serving sizes. "Extremely underrated," one customer wrote on Reddit. For bacon lovers, there's the Ultimate BLT, which boasts eight slices of savory bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. Lunchtime Review shared their take on the Ultimate BLT on YouTube, calling it an "excellent BLT" and "a really good sandwich." 

Arby's might have started as a roast beef sandwich shop, but the global chain has expanded its menu since its mid-1960s opening to include lighter, more nutritious meat options, like turkey, which is one of the leanest common deli meats. Compared to red meat, turkey has less cholesterol and fewer calories, making it a great alternative for health-conscious consumers. 

It's incredibly easy to utilize this beef-for-turkey ordering hack at Arby's. Customers can swap out the Beef 'n Cheddar for a Turkey 'n Cheddar, which includes lean turkey, cheddar cheese, and red ranch sauce on an onion roll. The Classic Roast Beef Sandwich, which features a pile of roast beef on a toasted sesame bun, can also be made as a Classic Turkey Sandwich instead. 

In 2005, Arby's launched a revamped Reuben sandwich that featured roast turkey instead of corned beef. Although this specific sandwich has disappeared from the regular menu in the years since, Arby's customers can still hack the menu by subbing turkey for corned beef on the Corned Beef Reuben. 

Don't let the roast beef specialties fool you. Arby's has bacon and plenty of it. Those looking for a smoky, savory punch to their meal can hack the Arby's menu by ordering any sandwich with additional bacon. Arby's standard bacon option is a thick-cut pepper bacon. However, the quick-service chain will occasionally offer brown sugar bacon, too. The bacon is prepared by coating strips of the cured pork in brown sugar and allowing the sweet outer layer to caramelize into a glaze. 

When it comes to this Arby's ordering hack, the world is your oyster. Add bacon to any sandwich that doesn't already come with it, like the Classic Roast Beef, Beef 'n Cheddar, Ham & Swiss Melt, French Dip, and Corned Beef Reuben. Bacon can also be added to wraps, sliders, and even non-sandwich items, like macaroni and cheese. 

Since the only menu modification to these items is the addition of bacon, it's one of the easier Arby's hacks to try. As one employee put it on Reddit, "All you gotta do is ask." 

If an Arby's sandwich normally comes with cheese on the menu, it's typically one of two kinds: melty cheese, like cheddar cheese sauce and processed Swiss, and cheese slices, like sharp American cheese and natural Swiss cheese. You can hack the Arby's menu by ordering your melt sandwich as a deli-style sandwich and vice versa by swapping one cheese style for another. 

For example, try swapping the gooey Swiss of a Ham & Swiss melt with a slice of sharp American cheese. Turn a Roast Turkey Ranch & Bacon Sandwich into a Turkey Ranch & Bacon Melt by adding cheddar cheese sauce. You can also add melty cheese to a sandwich that doesn't typically have it, like a Classic Roast Beef. 

There are other ways to modify your Arby's sandwich into a melt- or deli-style meal without adding or substituting cheese, too. One way to make a deli-style sandwich more like a melt is to request that your sandwich be grilled or warmed. Conversely, you can make a melty sandwich taste like it came from the deli counter by adding fresh vegetables like tomatoes, onions, and lettuce.

Arby's has multiple bread options for its savory sandwiches, including onion rolls, sesame seed buns, sub rolls, brioche buns, slider buns, star-cut buns, marble rye bread, honey wheat bread, flatbread, and tortilla wraps. Most of these breads are designed to go with a specific sandwich on the standard menu. However, you can substitute any of these bread options for your preferred bun style to customize your sandwich further. 

These substitutions can be a matter of personal taste, a functional choice, or a mix of both, like one Arby's customer who shared their go-to Arby's menu hack of ordering a fish sandwich on the gyro pita on Reddit. "It's better," they explained, "and it fits the triangle [fish filet] perfectly." 

Arby's bread substitutions can also mean no bread at all. If you're looking for a savory meal with fewer calories and carbs, try asking for your favorite sandwich, like the classic Beef 'n Cheddar, in a bowl. This menu hack is also a great option for those who eat gluten-free. 

Arby's has made several menu changes over the years, and one sandwich that didn't make it onto the standard menu lineup was the Arby-Q, a sandwich piled with roast beef that was slathered in barbecue sauce. Although this discontinued Arby's item has come back periodically in certain markets, it hasn't been a permanent menu fixture since the 1990s. 

Nevertheless, lovers of thinly sliced roast beef drenched in tangy barbecue sauce need not worry. Using a clever menu hack, Arby's customers can recreate this discontinued sandwich easily. In fact, this secret menu Arby-Q might even be better than the original. According to a former employee on Reddit, a standard Arby-Q is made with leftover roast beef that's soaked in BBQ sauce overnight, which means, "The meat would get all dry, rubbery, and nasty." 

Instead, the employee recommended asking for a Classic Roast Beef sandwich with a side of barbecue sauce. "Not quite the same," they said, "but definitely more fresh!" 

The Big Iowa is a non-menu Arby's sandwich that consists of ham, roast turkey, smoked brisket, bacon, cheddar cheese sauce, red onions, peppercorn ranch, and mozzarella sticks piled high on a toasted onion roll. Unsurprisingly to those who read this, the Big Iowa was created by a college student. Specifically, the Big Iowa was the hungry brainchild (or maybe stomach-child) of an Iowa State University alum, Chris Jorgensen, who had previously gone viral for making a Pop-Tart and cheese sandwich. 

Although the Big Iowa isn't a permanent menu item, you can recreate this impressively packed sandwich by asking for a toasted onion roll sandwich with ham, turkey, brisket, bacon, ranch, cheddar cheese, and onions. Brisket isn't always available, but as the recipe suggests, there's no small shortage of meat without it. For the extra cheesy bite that makes this signature sandwich a Big Iowa, order mozzarella sticks on the side, and add them to the sandwich yourself. 

Channel "K"runch reviewed the Big Iowa on YouTube in 2017, when a local Iowan Arby's carried the actual sandwich as a limited-time menu item. "That is delicious," the reviewer said through a large bite. "Oh my god. The meats are not dry at all. It's a very wonderful mixture of tastes." 

Arby's might be known for its savory sandwiches and sides, but there are plenty of ways to cater to your sweet tooth. There are standard dessert items, like milkshakes, turnovers, and cobblers. While those are great options, Arby's customers are taking things one step further by combining sweet and savory flavors by using Bronco Berry Sauce as a dip for mozzarella sticks, fries, and chicken tenders. 

The Bronco Berry Sauce comes standard with jalapeño poppers and offers a unique blend of sweet and tangy flavors, thanks to its recipe of sugar, bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, onion, and vinegar. 

One customer shared their approval of this sweet-and-savory combo on Reddit, saying the mozzarella stick and Bronco Berry duo "is a great combo, sweet and salty. You gotta try it." Another Reddit user added, "People sleep on this combo and it slaps. Once I tried it I never went back to marinara." YouTuber Hungry 4 Munchies also gave this combo their stamp of approval, adding that the original combination of Bronco Berry and jalapeño poppers is a "30 out of 10." 

Just because Arby's "has the meats" doesn't mean that a meat-filled sandwich is your only option at the restaurant. In addition to its wide variety of potato- and cheese-based side dishes, Arby's also offers a secret menu item known as a fancy grilled cheese for someone looking for something more creamy and melty than savory and meaty. 

A fancy grilled cheese consists of several slices of Swiss and American cheese piled on Arby's sandwich bread that's then melted to form an ooey, gooey filling. Ordering a fancy grilled cheese on its own will get you bread and cheese, but there are additional modifications you can make to bump up the flavor even further. 

For example, you can add sauces like Arby's signature red ranch or fresh lettuce, tomato, or peppers to the grilled cheese for extra texture and flavor. This is an especially handy hack for vegetarians, who might assume that Arby's doesn't have any viable options for non-meat-eaters.