3/13/07 | Arby’s 4 for $5 Coupons
[ Currently Eating: Leftover Yakisoba ]
If you know me by now, you know that falling off the wagon (or the apple cart, or whatever it’s called nowadays) is a regular thing here at Cheap Eats. All this concentration on healthy food left me feeling bummed and blue. So I decided to make an exception for at least one lunch for the week, where I get to eat basically anything.
And that way I won’t bore everyone’s socks off as well, writing pages on how delicious and cheap various vegetables can be. Hooray!
I hadn’t gone to Arby’s in a bit so I hit the drivethrough. The title of this post might be a little misleading - there IS no 4 for $5 Roast Beef sandwich coupon. Or at least if there is, you usually don’t need it. Though I think you might need the coupons for 3 for $5 Beef ‘n Cheddar sandwiches. The tricky thing is that Arby’s does EVERYTHING in their power to hide these specials on the drive-through menu and the menu inside the restaurant.
Of course, on the outside of the restaurant there is an enormous sign saying “4 for $5″. Catch all the suckers and then get them to shell out bucks for the more expensive alternative items. I don’t mean to be bagging on Arby’s only, since every other fast food restaurant does it too. It’s just good biz sense I guess. For instance, the 99 cent menu at the drive through for Jack in the Balpha is in the lower right hand corner where it’s difficult to see.
One time, I remember I asked my cashier to tell me “all of the specials” that they were currently running at Arby’s. I asked because I didn’t see any of the usual specials up on the menu. He looked at me like I was a deep fried frog stuffed full of goat cheese and parsnips. Yeah.
I think I’ve talked before about how Arby’s sandwiches have really shrunk in size. Yep, Shrinkage is the real deal and not just for swimming pools. Still, at a buck and a quarter each, I would almost always rather eat their sandwiches than a McDonalds hamburger any day. There is no way I can get through four of their sandwiches as well, so I often save one or two for a snack later on. I put it in the magical toaster oven and it comes back to life quite nicely.
One thing I like about their plain roast beef sandwiches is that the default way they are served up is without any sauce or anything on them. This is nice because it lets you control how much of their Arby’s Sauce you would like to slather on it. They also have the Horsey Sauce if you desire, but I always pass on that. In addition, a big slice of tomato or some lettuce improves the sandwich immensely.
OK, now the negatives about their Roast Beef. The #1 thing I find wrong with it lately is that it is WAY too salty. I know part of it is for preserving the meat, but still, they need to cut down the salt. And that’s not just my new Health Inspector talking. I find that dousing the salt with a few slices of lettuce and tomato in the sandwich improves things, but without those it becomes difficult to eat straight up.
The second thing is the appearance. I know that roast beef is supposed to be grayish pink in color, but something about the way it looks is just unappetizeing. Yeah, yeah - I’m complaining over a dollar 25 sandwich. I could also go for less “slices” of beef if they were cut slightly thicker. Actually, does anyone know how they do their sandwiches nowadays? I think a long time ago they used to really cut the meat into slices right there at the restaurant using something like a deli slicer. Or maybe I’m thinking of another restaurant.
Anyhow, at this price, it still is a pretty good deal if you’re going to split a 4 pack of sandwiches with a friend.
Price: 4 for $5
Found At: Arby’s
Cheap Eats Score: 7/10
March 13th, 2007 at 1:31 pm
they used to cut it right in front of you, and it used to be *much* bigger. I can eat 8 of those wimpy sandwiches without batting an eye, so Arby’s is never cheap eats for me
March 13th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Is Arby’s “real” roast beef these days? I haven’t been in years.
When I worked there in high school, it was a chopped-and-formed-with-fat-and-food-grade-phosphates product. No, I’m not sure what “food grade phosphates” are, and God, were those things scary looking before they were cooked. We were given a script to memorize for when customers asked us if it was real roast beef. I can’t remember the spiel exactly (this was around 1979-1980), but let’s just say it sidestepped the question without really answering it.
March 13th, 2007 at 3:23 pm
Well, I don’t believe it’s real roast beef, it doesn’t taste at all the same.
March 14th, 2007 at 11:20 am
i like arby’s. and i like their horsey sauce. i buy the 5 for 5.95 and eat some now and reheat some later. i don’t really want to know what it looks like before it’s cooked.
March 14th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Yeah, they’re really gotten smaller. To cut down on too much carbs, I get the ‘4 for’ deal with the beef n cheddar. I take two, toss the bottom bun, marry the tops, and get a beefier, cheesier, better sammich. With jalapenos it’s divine…
The loaded potato wedges are pretty good for what they are as well, and they’re the only fast food place I know that serves a Reuben. Which, are actually pretty good there…
March 14th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
I used to do the same thing Rat Bastard does, take two sandwiches and make them into one. At one time it was cheaper to get two Jrs. and put them together than one Regular, and you got more meat. I haven’t had Arby’s though since I moved to the midwest (where we have real meat).
I do miss the Horsey sauce too. :’(
March 14th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
“Roast Beef” is a term used very loosely at Arby’s. It’s a brick of processed beef that I doubt that’s ever been roasted at all. I too find it rather salthy…but hey, it’s still pretty good and can be cheap if bought in bulk.
March 15th, 2007 at 3:21 am
Ha, you did healthy eats after all! Arby’s is going trans-fat free.
I love the horsey sauce. I get a sandwich to go and load up on horsey sauce for later. I have about 20 packets in the pantry right now.
March 15th, 2007 at 7:13 am
adam - do you remember how long ago it was where they’d cut it in front of you. I could’ve also sworn I’ve seen them do that in the 80s.
velvet, stacy - I’m not sure but yeah I think this is “roast beef” with an emphasis on the quotes… I’m wondering how close it is to a Spam like product.
jim - well, if it IS chopped and formed it’ll probably look similar before and after cooking
rat bastard - I like the carbs actually, I’d double the bread instead. I must agree on the sandwiches, I’ve gotten the Market Fresh many times and it’s decent.
amy - hey, we have real meat here in california too… look at all the “happy cows”.
ace - yes, I want someone to sneak a brick of this out of Arby’s and post a pic up somewhere so we can see it…
buffy - i heard about the trans-fat thing too.
March 20th, 2007 at 1:49 am
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March 20th, 2007 at 9:01 am
Editor - I don’t remember when they quit, but I seem to recall seeing that big cutting machine as a child in the late ’70s when Arby’s first came to my town. I have never been an Arby’s regular (again, the amount of food I’d have to purchase to satisfy my hunger doesn’t make it cheap eats), so I’m not sure when it stopped. The meat tastes different now than I remember, and I’m sure that’s not a coincidence.
March 21st, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I graduated high school in 1991, and there was an Arby’s nearby we’d go to after school on Friday’s. They always had the big rotating meat pillar (kinda like the MCP from Tron) and would cut it off for you there, so they did it at least that long. That was in southwestern PA.
March 22nd, 2007 at 12:23 pm
They at least had the meat slicer at our Arby’s through the mid-’80s, since I can remember it. They also still fried their french fries in lard or something, so they were extra good. I was so sad when that stopped. I love arby’s, but it’s definitely not where I go if I want real roast beef.
March 22nd, 2007 at 10:13 pm
There’s also a deal at Arby’s where you can pick any 5 items out of a list of items for $5.99. It’s cool ’cause 2 people can get a sandwich and drink each and share a fries and only pay…$3 each for it…very cool…
July 26th, 2007 at 7:18 pm
I know this is very late, but I was looking anywho and thought I’d answer your questions:
- Arby’s “roast beef” is only, like, 30% beef… read it on the package
- they cook it in an oven for mad long, like 3 hours
- uncooked, it looks like a scary gellatin mass with bits of beef in it
- they slice it fresh for each sandwich back where they’re made
- you can actually request a different slice thickness, if you don’t mind employees rolling their eyes at you ^^;
Honestly, I like them, but they are a bit over-priced.
September 10th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
i worked at an arby;s for about 5 years and its really nasty behind the scenes.employees smoke inside or hang their head out the back door listening for an order then throw down their cig and run in and maake a sandwich without washing thier hands.when they make the chicken salad it is made by mixing with your hand and they used no gloves.employees grab bites of food and go to backline and dip it into the condiments that go on your sandwich, double times.the men go to the restroom and when timed were back in seconds when it takes at least 20 seconds under warm water to wash hands so they go and touch themselves dont wash then make your sandwich, and they dont where gloves when making sandwiches unless someone important is there.when a product has a monday sticker on it and its now tuesday and they dont feel like making fresh portions of salads, turkey, ham, corned beef, whatever can go bad in 2 days, because they ahve lots left they smell it, then decide its ok even though its expired.employees, when i say this managers included on all these nasty things, they were right there doing it and watching, eat out of the fry ben all day, chicken fingers are at times fried at 10 am then as they cook more new product it goes on top of the old instead of taking it out and selling it first, so at 2pm u come by and order chicken fingers more than likely your getting the 10 am bacth because their on bottom and thats whats left, so if there ever a tad tough they shouldnt be, goes for popcorn chicken too.pretty much no rules are followed until the big wigs walk in then suddenly everyones wearing gloves, putting timers on the chicken fingers that tell u when they are to be thrown out, and their only good for 30 minutes and i gaurentee you ahve gotten some way older than that!the ones slicing the beef keep thir lunch right there with them and eat as they work, while making your sandwich and wearing no gloves, licking their fingers.product is not rotated they rarely use “FIFO” first in first out.if salad mix is slimy they pick out the worst peices and use the rest, along with cucumbers, tomatos, potatoes, all of it!i’m sure theres more but thats all i can come up with, i have just seen it and kept quit, while working there while putting myself through college, and i came across this sight and just wanted you to know, i’m sure its like that in alot of places but i seen this first hand.i live in indiana, in the columbus area, have lived and worked here to taylorsville, so if u eat at an arbys near there think twice, especially if you like that outlet mall!!