Arby's snack menu may replace value menu

Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. has been testing a Snack ‘n Save menu in various U.S. markets that is poised to replace the brand’s current value menu if successful.

The chain developed the new snack menu and began testing it late last year after identifying an unmet consumer need, according to Bob Kraut, senior vice president of brand marketing and advertising for the brand.

“What we found out is that there was an intersection between the snack occasion and the need for value or savings,” he said. “We came up with a menu to solve that consumer problem by combining snacks, which tend to be smaller portions and lower priced, with our former value menu.”

Customers already buy Arby’s snack items for different occasions, Kraut said, including as add-ons to meal purchases and as bites throughout the day. The goal with the new menu is to increase occasions and purchases, he said, and to better market them.

Generally, Kraut said, the new menu features snackable items priced from about $1 to about $3. Included are the company’s Chocolate Molten Lava Cake for $1.99, a Baked Potato with sour cream and chives for $1.49, Mozzarella Sticks for $2.89 and a Junior Roast Beef for $1.00.

The menu also includes Arby’s recently introduced Mighty Minis, which are the company’s version of sliders. The minis are sold in packs of two for $2.69, and come with the option of either roast turkey or roast beef, and three flavor profiles: spicy, crispy onion and original.

Kraut noted that part of what makes the chain's snack menu different is that it doesn’t solely include smaller versions of Arby’s signature items. “What we have is very little overlap between this menu and our core menu,” he said, adding that it is the Snack ‘n Save menu itself — not the specific items — that is being tested.

The Snack ‘n Save menu includes only about 20 percent to 25 percent like-kind food items when compared with the core Arby’s menu, according to Kraut. He noted that the goal of that type of menu engineering is to limit customer trade-down from full-meal purchases and instead encourage additions to current offerings.

“The other thing that’s unique about the menu is the breadth of it,” he said. “Usually these menus have a few items on them and they’re not the ones that you want…these items are unique and memorable.”

The Snack ‘n Save menu is currently in testing in 13 markets, including Rockford, Ill.; Detroit, Mich.; Charlotte, N.C.; Cleveland, Ohio; and Montgomery, Ala. Although the menu has seen early successes, it is still too early to tell when or if the snack menu will be rolled out to all Arby’s locations, Kraut said.

Owned by Atlanta-based private-equity firm Roark Capital Group, Arby’s has more than 3,400 locations systemwide.

Contact Erin Dostal at [email protected].
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