Year began: 1964 Franchising since: 1965
Forrest and Leroy Raffel started their food-service consulting firm, Raffel Brothers Inc., in the ’50s but were soon thinking about starting their own restaurant. On a rainy night, the brothers found inspiration--roast beef sandwiches. In 1964, the first Arby’s (“RBs,” for “Raffel Brothers”) opened in Boardman, Ohio.
The original Arby’s menu consisted of roast beef sandwiches, drinks and chips. Eventually other sandwiches, French fries, meals for kids and light choices were added to the menu.
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