Some companies came through the recently ended recession with flying colors. In the fast-food realm, we’ve argued, McDonald’s was a victor. But in a time of pinched consumer spending, business has frequently been a zero-sum game. In every sector, it seems, if there’s a winner, there’s got to be a loser. And in the fast-food industry, it sure looks like Arby’s has been one of the losers of this recession.
Arby’s was started in Ohio in the 1960s. The name is, of course, a play on roast beef, and on the names of the founding Raffel brothers. (The conceit of this ad in the early 1980s, that Arby’s stands for “America’s Roast Beef, Yes Sir!” never really caught on.) In the 1990s, the company was acquired by Triarc, the investment vehicle of takeover artist Nelson Peltz. And in 2005, Triarc acquired the largest Arby’s franchisee. Today, there are more than 3,700 stores, with ownership split between the company (1,165) and franchisees (2,574). Arby’s is heavily concentrated in the Midwest. In 2007, its three largest states by number of restaurants were Ohio (291), Michigan (196), and Indiana (181).
Carry on reading.
Photo: Spencer Platt / AFP/Getty Images.