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Business & Tech

Arby's: A Winner among Fast Food

Arby's stands apart with its deli-like Reuben sandwich, chicken salad with pecans and grapes and freshly sliced roast beef, available at the drive-through window.

Now that I no longer work full-time, I seldom stop at a drive-through, fast-food restaurant -- unless I need coffee.

But what’s a hungry person to do when she doesn’t feel like cooking OR dining in?

Arby’s.

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Why Arby’s?  Let me count:

1. Where else can you order deli-like sandwiches at a drive through?

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2. Reubens with Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, Russian dressing on soft, swirled rye.

3. Arby’s still slices roast beef each day on the premises, something I watched with fascination as a kid, when the area’s first Arby’s opened on Lehigh Street in Allentown.

4. Chicken salad with grapes, celery and pecans in a wrap or on bread.

5. A Weight Watchers’ guide to fast-foods ranked Arby's original roast beef among those “not as bad as other fast foods.”

6. Orange cream shakes.

7. Horseradish and barbecue sauce to go.

8. An abundance of discount coupons online and elsewhere.

9. A warm chocolate turnover with more calories than you want to count.

10. Friendly staffers who accept outdated coupons.

Back from a weekend getaway this month, with little left in the fridge, my husband and I ran for a Reuben, a chicken salad wrap, classic roast beef sandwich, onion rings and a small orange cream shake for a grand total of $12.61. 

“Rebecca,” our cashier, gave us nearly $3 off on a “combo meal”  with a coupon I printed off my computer. 

Considering the price of corned beef, roast beef and Swiss cheese at the market these days, I’m not sure I could beat that value if I made the meal myself. And, with take-out, there were no dishes to wash.

Yes, I realize I probably consumed more salt, fat and sugar in that one meal than I normally do in a week, but every now and then it sure tastes good and gives the cook and bottle washer a break.

Rebecca gave me a poster-sized nutrition information sheet that shows the "classic" roast beef sandwich at 350 calories with 12 total fat grams and 950 milligrams of salt. Only kids meals, including the "Junior" roast beef, and a couple of salads (sans the dressing) had fewer calories. My chicken salad with pecans was not on the list (thank you), nor was Bruce's Reuben. Curly fries (I'm not a fan) weigh in at 400 calories for a small order, and five onion rings are 410.

Arby's does offer some healthier snacks, such as apple slices and yogurt dip, fruit juice and low-fat milks. 

I so enjoyed the visit that I began to wonder how the restaurant got its name.  My husband did some research online and found that the chain was founded by two Ivy-league-educated brothers, Forrest and Leroy Raffel, in Akron, Ohio, in 1964. 

The brothers used their hotel/restaurant administration and finance degrees to launch many of the country’s leading food service consulting firms.  Raffel Brothers, Inc., designed and installed hundreds of food service facilities, including flight kitchens at the Greater Pittsburgh International Airport, an Arby’s Web site reveals.  They also did turnpike restaurants and motel hospitality rooms throughout Ohio.

The name came from the initials for Raffel Brothers -- “R.B” (sounds like Arby's).  However, Forrest Raffel has been quoted saying, “I guess customers might think the initials stand for roast beef.”

Smart, tasty, a standout among fast-food, drive-through restaurants, Arby’s has the goods and good deals to keep me coming back.  It’s no wonder that the chain now boasts 500 licensees operating more than 3,200 restaurants worldwide and received a plug from the iconic Seinfeld TV series. 

I'm glad there's one in South Whitehall at .

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