Arby’s achieved industry-leading system U.S. same-store sales (SSS) growth of 8.1 percent in 2015—more than three times the growth rate of a sample of the larger quick-service restaurant chains.
In 2015, Arby’s produced record system-wide sales of more than $3.5 billion, and posted the highest one-year (8.1 percent), two-year (13.8 percent), and three-year (16.6 percent) SSS comps for the Arby's system in more than 20 years. Arby’s has achieved 21 consecutive quarters of SSS growth.
“Twenty-fifteen was a record-setting year for Arby’s,” says Paul Brown, CEO of Arby’s Restaurant Group Inc. “We are particularly pleased with our significant increase in guest traffic throughout the year. Our industry outperformance in 2015 puts us in a strong position to achieve our 2018 goal of $4 billion in system-wide total sales.”
During 2015, Arby’s opened 69 new restaurants system-wide including 60 new restaurants in the U.S.—the highest number since 2008. This growth was fueled by Arby’s “Menu of Venues” approach to restaurant design, which offers a vibrant array of architectural options to fit into several types of trade areas and retail spaces. The flexible building options include traditional standalone restaurants, inline, and end-cap with drive-thru formats for suburban shopping centers and even smaller footprint designs for urban city centers, as featured in Arby’s new Manhattan restaurant, which opened in December of 2015.
Other business highlights from the year include:
- Restaurant Revitalization: Arby’s remodeled 179 restaurants system-wide.
- Inspiring Culture and Service: Arby’s continued its focus on guest service culture through its Brand Champ program, reaching nearly 70,000 employees from company-owned and franchised restaurants. Arby's Brand Champ training is designed to educate, build trust, and empower restaurant teams and has been instrumental in efforts to instill a “We Make It Right” service culture. The learning journey begins with an off-site three-hour training experience for all restaurant teams conducted without closing restaurants or inconveniencing guests.
- Corporate Social Responsibility: The Arby's Foundation’s National Restaurant Fundraiser raised more than $3.7 million to help eliminate childhood hunger in America, bringing the company’s total contribution to $76 million for youth-related causes since 1986. Also, Arby’s became one of the first foodservice members of the Department of Energy’s Better Building Challenge (other members include Facebook, GE, Starbucks, and Walmart). The company has committed to reduce energy consumption by 20 percent by the year 2020.
- “Arby’s has tapped into something special—the right combination of great food, excellent service, and breakthrough marketing—backed by a talented and motivated team and franchise community,” Brown adds. “We have unlocked a powerful recipe for success which is resonating with our guests, and our strategy will continue unchanged in 2016 as we continue to look for opportunities to outpace our competition.”
