Arby’s

Arby’s is a national quick-service restaurant chain known for roast beef sandwiches, deli-style meats, and curly fries. It operates as part of Inspire Brands, a large restaurant company that owns several well-known chains and supports them with shared development, supply chain, and operational resources. The brand started in 1964 when brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel opened the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio, built around the idea of serving fresh roast beef instead of burgers. That focus helped it grow into a familiar presence in suburban shopping centers, highway corridors, and busy retail areas across the U.S.

Over the past five years, Arby’s has been refining its footprint. The company has closed a modest number of underperforming locations while continuing to invest in remodels, relocations, and new restaurants. Many of the newer units feature updated designs that support faster drive-thru service, digital ordering, and improved kitchen flow. These changes are happening through a mix of company-led development and large franchise groups that operate multiple locations, often working closely with Arby’s real estate and design teams on new builds and upgrades.

As of December 2024, Arby’s has about 3,400 locations across the United States, with a small number of international units as well. The brand remains active in the quick-service space, with new deals typically focused on high-traffic suburban roads, highway interchanges, and established retail areas where drive-thru performance and daytime traffic support strong sales. Most locations are freestanding, drive-thru–oriented buildings, though the chain also operates in-line and non-traditional formats in certain settings.

Arby’s has been around for decades and is backed by a large, multi-brand restaurant platform that gives it stability and development capacity. Its ongoing work to refresh older units and selectively open new ones means it continues to generate demand for pad sites, outparcels, and select inline spaces, especially in markets where existing operators are upgrading their portfolios or replacing older prototypes.