Since its founding in 1964, Arby’s has had clear points of distinction from its competitors. Instead of burgers it sold roast beef sandwiches. Instead of chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla shakes, it had its own distinctive Jamocha. Instead of fries it sold potato chips, and then started offering crunchy yet rather succulent Potato Cakes, which incidentally went well with the chain’s unique, cloves-heavy Arby’s Sauce.
The Jamocha shake’s still on the menu, as is the Arby’s Sauce and the roast beef sandwich that it was developed for, although the 3,500-unit chain does also have an award-winning burger now.
But the Potato Cakes, which were supplanted in popularity by the curly fries that were introduced in 1988, exited the menu in March of 2021, when they were replaced by Crinkle Fries.
Until now. The potato cakes are back, albeit for a limited time, at a starting price of $2.39 for three cakes.
Fans of the unique side have been clamoring for it: Arby’s says over the past year the item has been mentioned on social media more than 10,000 times. It even has dedicated fan accounts, the chain, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, said.
“It’s great to see how our potato products are loved and embraced by our fans,” Arby’s vice president of integrated marketing communications, Tiffany Cameron, said in a statement. "We heard our Potato Cake devotees loud and clear and are happy to offer the fan favorite again for a limited time.”
Arby’s is promoting the temporary return of the potato cakes with marketing featuring actor Kyle MacLachlan, who, according to Arby's marketing campaign, has founded a new society, the Order of Potato Cakes.
“As a Potato Cakes devotee myself, I’m proud to enlighten all Potato Cakes lovers about the return of our cherished menu item,” he said in a release announcing their return. “We’ve been waiting three long years, and our voices have finally been heard. Potato Cakes are back at Arby’s thanks to The Powers that Beef!”
MacLachlan is appearing in a series of social media videos, the first of which dropped on Monday and evokes the mood of Twin Peaks, the David Lynch series that he starred in during the 1990s.
Arby’s is also promoting the menu item with merchandise that is slated to be available on arbysshop.com on July 9. They include a Potato Cake amber necklace, candle, enamel pin, T-shirt, and hoodie.
“Arby’s has built a reputation on offering bold, delicious menu items — from our well-known classics like roast beef sandwiches and Jamocha Shake to our limited time specials like the Bourbon BBQ Sandwiches – that fans ask for again and again,” Arby’s brand president Rita Patel said in the release. “Now, we’re bringing back Potato Cakes, one of our most requested and most beloved items, to celebrate the true love, passion and devotion our guests show for them day in and day out.”
The chain has not said how long the potato cakes will be available.
Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected]