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Taste-Testing Arby's New Angus Bacon Sandwich: The Chain's Hail Mary
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 1, 2011
Modified Mar 4, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Mar 1, 2011
Modified Mar 4, 2011
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Arby's would like you to salivate over the question "what happens when the roast beef experts serve Angus?" But given that last month, the Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. announced that it would attempt to jettison Arby's due to lackluster sales, a more pertinent question might be "can a new sandwich save a franchise?" Arby's is betting the whole pot of Horsey sauce that it can. KFC's Double Down meltdown be damned.
Despite there being only three Arby's in the entire New York Metropolitan area (two in Queens!), we felt obligated to attend the official launch of Arby's newest menu item, the Angus Three Cheese & Bacon Sandwich, if only because of a new roast beef trend creeping into the city and the frightening degree of brinksmanship the fast food chains are displaying to turn us all into "heavy users."
Between deep-fried corporate analogies in which Arby's was compared to Esteé Lauder ("they both sell hope!") and philosophical discussions on what exactly "Good Mood Food" is (hint: if it tastes good, it must be good) we wined and dined with the fast food media elite and tasted a total of four sandwiches plus dessert. Our clothes still smell like curly fries and regret. Click the gallery to witness a journey worthy of Hogarth.
Tagged
angus
arby's
fast food
roast beef
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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