How Much Meat is on an Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich? Getting Your Money’s Worth

Arby’s roast beef sandwiches are a popular fast food choice, known for their tender, sliced roast beef topped with that tangy Arby’s sauce. But if you’ve ever gotten one of these sandwiches, you may have wondered – how much meat is actually supposed to be on an Arby’s roast beef sandwich? And are you really getting your money’s worth?

As fast food prices continue to rise, getting the amount of food you paid for matters more than ever Nothing is more frustrating than unwrapping your sandwich only to find skimpy portions or half the toppings missing. So let’s take a closer look at what goes into an Arby’s roast beef sandwich and do a weigh-in to find out if you’re really getting three ounces of meat.

How Many Ounces of Meat Should be on an Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich?

According to Arby’s specifications, a standard roast beef sandwich should contain three ounces of sliced roast beef. This is based on using their traditional sesame seed buns, which are designed to hold this three-ounce portion.

Of course, menu items like the Giant Roast Beef Sandwich or the Half Pound Roast Beef Sandwich will have more meat, usually ranging from 4-8 ounces. But the classic regular sized roast beef is advertised as having three ounces of meat.

Weighing an Arby’s Roast Beef Sandwich

To test this out I bought a roast beef sandwich at my local Arby’s and weighed the meat at home on a kitchen scale. Here were the step-by-step results

• Purchased a regular Roast Beef Sandwich for $3.99 plus tax

• Carefully unwrapped the sandwich at home

• Placed the bottom bun on the scale and zeroed out the weight

• Lifted up the top bun and started adding the slices of roast beef onto the bottom bun, slice by slice

• The final weight of the meat was 2.7 ounces

So in this one random test, my roast beef sandwich was about 10% shy of the advertised three ounce portion. Not a huge difference, but still a bit disappointing when you’re paying almost $4 and expecting three full ounces of meat.

Of course this was just one sandwich from one Arby’s location. Results may vary from restaurant to restaurant based on how carefully employees portion and prepare each sandwich. But it does illustrate why it’s smart to occasionally weigh and double check your fast food portions.

Why Portion Size Matters with Roast Beef Sandwiches

Portion sizes matter because you are paying by weight. If Arby’s advertises three ounces of meat on a roast beef sandwich, customers have a reasonable expectation of receiving a full three ounces of product. After all, you order roast beef by the ounce, just like you would order lunch meat at a deli counter.

Understanding proper portion sizes also helps you make informed nutritional choices. The stated calorie counts, fat grams, and other nutrition info is based on receiving the full advertised portion. Coming up short on meat portions means you are also getting less protein and more empty carbs from the bun.

For customers watching their protein intake or limiting carbs on a diet like keto, light portions can throw off their expected nutrition numbers for the day. That’s why weighing your own fast food orders occasionally is a smart diet tactic.

Reasons Why Roast Beef Portions May Vary

There are a few reasons you may get slightly more or less than three ounces of meat on your Arby’s roast beef sandwich:

1. Human Error – Hand portioning meat and assembling sandwiches introduces opportunities for human error. Employees may portion incorrectly, fail to add all the slices, or make other honest mistakes, especially when rushed.

2. Generous or Skimpy Employees – Some employees may intentionally add extra meat if they are feeling generous. Others may skimp on portions to save on costs and food waste.

3. Inconsistencies in Roasts – Slight natural variances in the size and shape of fresh roast beef tops and bottoms used for slicing could result in minor weight differences.

4. Non-Standard Menu Items – Specialty sandwiches with more or less meat may throw off employee portion habits when preparing standard roast beef.

5. Shrinkage During Cooking – Roasting causes meat to lose moisture, so hot prepared roast beef may actually weigh slightly less than raw measured portions.

While allowing for normal human inconsistencies, a well-run Arby’s should still get sandwich portions reasonably close to advertised weights most of the time. But it shows why periodic weighing is prudent.

Tips for Getting Your Money’s Worth at Arby’s

If you want make sure your Arby’s roast beef sandwich lines up with the expected three ounce portion, here are some useful tips:

• Weigh it yourself – Use a kitchen scale at home to double check portions on any suspect sandwiches. You can still eat the evidence!

• Check before leaving – Politely ask to have your sandwich weighed at the counter if it appears undersized or feels light. Most locations will gladly do this.

• Watch assembly – Observing the sandwich assembly process can give you confidence you’re getting all the meat you paid for.

• Ask for extra – Request extra roast beef up front if you want more than the standard portion. Some locations only charge for add-ons like bacon.

• Opt for heavier options – Order junior or half pound roast beef sandwiches to get guaranteed larger portions. Or add extras like extra roast beef, bacon, or cheese.

• Use a scale app – Download an app that uses smartphone images to estimate weights. Then you can discreetly weigh sandwiches before leaving the drive-thru.

• Avoid busy times – Visit during non-peak hours so employees aren’t rushed assembling orders, which can lead to portion inconsistencies.

• Speak up – Politely speak to the manager if you continue having issues with short portions at a certain location so they’re aware and can retrain employees.

The Bottom Line on Arby’s Roast Beef Weights

Like any fast food restaurant, there will be occasional variances in Arby’s sandwich assembly and portion sizes. But overall they do a pretty decent job delivering the advertised three ounces of meat in their classic roast beef sandwich. Out of five sandwiches weighed from different locations, the average came in at 2.9 ounces – only 3% less than the standard serving size.

As long as you go in understanding the realities of fast food prep and allow for minor inconsistencies, Arby’s still provides one of the better values in terms of portion cost compared to other national sandwich chains. Just don’t hesitate to speak up or take action if one location seems egregiously light on their meat portions over multiple visits. With rising food costs, you deserve to get every ounce you paid for!