Arby's Roast Town

Arby's Roast Town was a chain of concept restaurants operated by Arby's from 1995-1997.

Concept

Arby's Roast Town was marketed as a slightly more upscale version of Arby's, featuring plush carpeting, wooden tables, and skylights while retaining traditional fast-food style ordering. While the concept initially featured a greatly expanded menu including pot roasts, meat loaf, and ham, this was quickly scaled back when it did not prove profitable. Roast Town locations were also commonly co-branded with other brands owned by parent company Triarc Restaurant Group at the time, including P.T. Noodle, Zuzu, and T.J. Cinnamon.

History

Arby's Roast Town began in 1995, with two stores in Canada, followed by a pilot store in Toledo, Ohio. Restaurants were compared to that of Boston Market or Kenny Roger's Roasters, and while the restaurants costed as much as twice as much as a traditional Arby's, plans called for 4-6 additional locations by the end of the year. By January 1996, the chain had been adjusted, with more elaborate, "comfort food" meals removed from the menu, and an emphasis on serving lunch crowds and dual-branding with other brands. At this time, Triarc also announced it's intention to convert all 375 company-owned Arby's locations to the Roast Town concept within the next 3 years, and plans to open dual-branded locations with Zuzu's and P.T. Noodle.

In 1996, the concept faced skepticism from franchisees, who feared that the new Roast Town concept was untested, and diminished the brand's core identity. Following this, Arby's president Don Pierce announced the retirement of the Roast Town name from all locations in November 1996, with the exception of the original Toledo, Ohio location. Co-branding was also de-emphasized at this time, with only 20 of an initially project 150 co-branded outlets opening that year.

The Roast Town concept in Ohio is last mentioned in advertising in 1997. In 2003, Arby's cancelled the trademark for Arby's Roast Town.