Fort Lauderdale, FL - For those Americans who resolved to lose weight this year, Arby's offers a menu of sandwiches that provides great taste without the fat and calories typical of fast food.
According to a survey conducted by Bruskin-Goldring for Arby's, 23% of American women and 15% of American men resolved to lose weight in 1998. Of those, 17% of men and 30% of women had already given up the fight just 30 days into the new year.
Of those not currently dieting, 58% of women and 31% of men said they have attempted to lose weight at some time in their lives. In fact, 17% of those surveyed had tried 15 or more diets in their lifetime, with the highest concentration of dieters in the 35-to-49-year-old age bracket.
"The survey also found, not surprisingly, that a majority of people do not believe fast food can be part of a weight-loss program," said Lloyd Fritzmeier, president of Arby's Franchise Association, the marketing arm of Arby's. "And significant numbers of them eat at fast food restaurants less often when they are dieting. We're saying when losing weight, it's not necessary to give up the speed, convenience and pricing that Arby's quick service restaurants offer."
Arby's Light Menu, introduced in 1991, offers three sandwiches every day -- the Roast Beef Deluxe, the Roast Chicken Deluxe and the Roast Turkey Deluxe -- each with less than 10 grams of fat and under 300 calories. A Garden Salad, Roast Chicken Salad and Side Salad are also available on some Arby's menus, each with less than 2 fat grams. The Light Roast Chicken Santa Fe, a sandwich made with roasted chicken, cheddar cheese, Southwest Sauce, lettuce, onions and green peppers, is added to Arby's menus a couple of times a year, rotating with other short-term specials.
"Arby's introduced a light menu years ago to provide an option to customers who are watching their weight, but want to continue to enjoy the benefits of quick service restaurant dining," said Roland Smith, President and CEO of Triarc Restaurant Group, franchisor of the Arby's brand. "In fact, we were one of the first quick service restaurant to adopt such a menu and to my knowledge, are the only brand which has been successful with it. While other brands have tried to add one or two low-calorie items to their menus, none have developed and sustained an entire menu devoted to lower fat and calorie food."
During the years since Arby's added lighter items to its menu, McDonald's(R) McLean Deluxe and Taco Bell's(R) Border Lights have come and gone. And while Subway(R) has recently touted lower fat and calorie versions of its subs, according to the small print which appears briefly on screen during advertisements for the products, those sandwiches are prepared without condiments or cheese.
Arby's does not sacrifice taste to prepare its lower fat and calorie sandwiches. "It's really quite simple," Smith said. "We use a multi-grain bun and substitute light, cholesterol- free mayonnaise for our regular mayonnaise when preparing the light sandwiches."
The Light Menu became standard in all Arby's Restaurants in 1996, having been first introduced as a menu option for franchisees, and has won kudos from a variety of magazines which have recommended it as part of a low-fat, low- calorie diet.
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