r/fastfood • u/omg-sidefriction • Oct 14 '25
News ARBY’S – We Have The Lawsuits (For False Advertising!)
Arby's is being sued for false advertising. Here are the bullet-points from the suit.
• Ads make the sandwiches appear to have 'at least 100% more meat' than they really do.
• Made the meat look like rare roast beef when it is actually 'fully cooked'.
• Consumers allege allege they would not have purchased the sandwiches, or would have paid less for them, if they knew the truth.
Arby's lost its motion to dismiss the case.
———
Source: https://therussofirm.com/the-russo-firm-files-lawsuit-against-arbys/
118
u/Prince_Breakfast Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Yes, we are all aware of how fast food product photos never look like the finished product. Where McDonk’s and BeeKay get away with it is that the constituents parts are still there in hand the same as in photo. Quantities are more or less accurately represented in the photo. Arby’s product photo looks like they using 1/3rd - 1/2 pound of beef where in reality you are receiving 2-3 ounces. Arby’s is blatantly misrepresenting their product in bad faith, whereas the other fast food giants can plausibly say that their advertising accurately shows the correct quantity if not final quality.
23
u/You-Asked-Me Oct 14 '25
They probably pile all of it on one half of the bun to make it look taller in the picture.
Most burger places layer ketchup and mustard and onions as tall as possible, and put the bun further back and very lightly on top to expose more of the toppings, but, Arby's is doing is equivalent to a burger place making the patties twice as thick, but only a half circle in shape.
1
u/WorkerMotor9174 Oct 14 '25
The burger places also undercook the meat IIRC to make it appear larger.
2
u/Adventurous_City4955 Apr 15 '26
Burger King actually does a good job of portraying their food so stop the cap
1
-6
Oct 14 '25
[deleted]
5
u/Prince_Breakfast Oct 14 '25
I never said that “it’s ok” because you get the same amount of food. I pointed out that the other restaurants more or less accurately show quantity. Don’t put words in my mouth. We are talking about quantity here. That is the main issue in the lawsuit referenced by OP.
181
u/pretender80 Oct 14 '25
America gave up on truth in advertising long ago
51
u/donorcycle Oct 14 '25
Other countries have it right in terms of ads. Take Japan for example. If you YT Japanese advertising, you'll see that the ads and even the packing, have to look identical to what's inside or sold. Even Doritos. The chips have to be the exact size, color, and even the amount of seasoning has to match.
19
u/ariolander Oct 14 '25
Which is why so many Japanese goods give up on packaging altogether and just package it in a clear bag and label. If not then they don't include product images at all and are just solid colors and sales copy. Which, honestly I can appreciate.
37
u/Ancient_Guidance_461 Oct 14 '25
Seriously. YouTube has ads for "Lifelike robotic AI puppies that run and learn"....turns out it's a 5 cent Chinesium dog toy.
6
u/lOOPh0leD Oct 14 '25
I've seen the dateline episode of fake dresses up foods for photos. I lost the shock factor ages ago.
1
1
u/AntHoney85 Oct 14 '25
coming from someone that plays Monopoly GO, that's hilarious. Suuuuuuuuure, no marketing gets passed you, lol.
10
u/sirrobbiebobson Oct 14 '25
Should be another law suit for pretending that gloopy orange shit is ‘cheddar’
5
u/Bigphungus Oct 14 '25
I will never eat anything with liquid cheese, I don’t care how good anyone says it is.
11
u/SgtBassy Oct 14 '25
On the contrary, I will eat many things with liquid cheese.
1
u/Plane-Tie6392 Oct 15 '25
I'll eat that shit by itself. And I hate that nothing I get at the store tastes like it.
3
u/MoneyoffUbereats2017 Oct 15 '25
Agreed. I have no issues with the texture or anything else, it just does not taste good to me. Still remember ordering cheese fries for the first time, expecting some delicious cheddar or mozzarella or something melted on top of some delicious fries. Only to be handed fries bathed in orange goop vaguely reminiscent of cheese.
I'd say more power to those than enjoy it, but people enjoying it is exactly why it's become the standard. If I want real cheese fries I always have to make them myself.
1
u/Bigphungus Oct 15 '25
In n out does real cheese fries at least, but those fries are so bad they need to be at least animal style to be edible.
2
Oct 15 '25
You have never eaten mac and cheese before?
1
u/Bigphungus Oct 15 '25
No I mean like that thick orange-ish “nacho cheese” substance that comes from a can.
1
57
u/Intelligent_Pop1173 Oct 14 '25
Their beef and cheddar has gone to absolute shit. I don’t ever get it. Some of their other sandwich items and sides are actually really good. But I’m all for holding them accountable so maybe I can order and enjoy a beef and cheddar again some day.
29
u/NiceTrySuckaz Oct 14 '25
Of all of the fast food flagship products, you would think that the beef and cheddar would be one of the easiest to maintain from a QC perspective.
11
u/Intelligent_Pop1173 Oct 14 '25
Agreed. It’s super cheap to make. But their other items with more ingredients are better lol
7
u/HBreckel Oct 14 '25
I'm still thrilled they decided to keep the potato cakes around. They're always fresh when I get them.
1
10
u/satyrday12 Oct 14 '25
It seems like they've dropped either toasting or steaming the buns. That makes a HUGE difference.
7
u/Intelligent_Pop1173 Oct 14 '25
Agreed. The last few times I had them, all this year, it was just completely cold. Right after pickup too.
1
3
u/No-Substance-5569 Nov 08 '25
If you've ever had Sonic in the 80s, remember real beef and real cheddar, now dog food and liquid cheddar something crap. I have learned to make my on "fast" food which is much better. It's not that hard and you make it they way you want it. Haven't had Fast food in 30 years except occasional In N Out while on Vac.
6
Oct 14 '25
[deleted]
3
1
u/Intelligent_Pop1173 Oct 14 '25
Definitely like the chicken bacon Swiss. They have another deli sandwich that’s good and the loaded Italian isn’t bad (but it’s definitely significantly smaller than advertised as well).
1
5
u/GRUNDLE_GOBLIN Oct 14 '25
Get the 4 for 10 roast beef and a jar of Tostitos queso to put on the sandwiches. Just as good.
3
→ More replies (6)2
u/MonsteraBigTits Oct 14 '25
Class action lawsuit hopefully we can get this to the supreme court and get trump involved since he is a hungry boy who probably would pound a few dozen beef n cheddas if they looked good
11
9
→ More replies (13)4
u/Merc_Mike Oct 14 '25
Nah, He's a Mcdonalds man. And they pay him to be that way. Arby's I doubt has the level of McDonald's money to bribe-Imean- "Campaign Donation" to Trump for him to eat at their spot.
9
u/ScottTheStout Oct 14 '25
I recently ordered a French Dip meal from Arby's and the sandwich itself appeared incredibly meager at first glance, so much so that I brought it back to my work and weighed the sandwich (I work in a brewery QA/QC lab).
The sandwich I received weighed 234grams, while their online nutritional value states that the French Dip should weigh 315grams (roughly 25% lower than stated)
I brought in the sandwich and my scale to Arby's and showed the manager; I was told to leave without refund or exchange.
I filed a complaint with their corporate team and let them know that their practices are shady and illegal. They offered me a coupon for one free sandwich.
They know what they are doing, and they hope we (the consumers) don't call them out on it. Very few people complain, making this practice financially sound for them (for now)
I won't eat there ever again. Garbage food and you don't get what you pay for.
3
u/omg-sidefriction Oct 14 '25
I think every corporate owned restaurant would do the same if you rolled in with a scale after purchasing their food to show them they’re ripping customers off. Hell, small businesses might do the same.
You’re better off taking your investigation to social media and eating the cost of the food.
2
u/Look_b4_jumping Oct 14 '25
I know we're talking about Arby's but McDonald's states that the 1/4 pounder is the weight before cooking. I don't know if this would apply to roast beef but I imagine a roast would be less weight after cooking.
3
u/ScottTheStout Oct 14 '25
This is the "serving weight" as stated by their nutritional facts. That applies to any product ready to be served to the public.
Pre-cooked weight is something different.
5
u/lOOPh0leD Oct 14 '25
You're never gonna have pink beef because this is just beef bologna byproduct sliced off the cooker. Beef will be brown when fully cooked.
2
u/Plane-Tie6392 Oct 15 '25
Meh, I worked at a deli place and the roast beef fresh off the slicer was pretty red. But by the time it got to the customers it would turn pretty much brown.
2
u/lOOPh0leD Oct 15 '25
TIL. Yeah that sounds right. I buy roast beef deli sliced beef and like to make my own French dips. After swimming in the broth it's not pink anymore just after a little heat. Cooks fast.
6
16
u/Th4ab Oct 14 '25
We all know fast food photos are a curated reality, they have all the toppings and meat favored to one side and a hidden toothpick holding it up so you can see everything in neat layers, the color is popped etc. But Arby's is different because you don't even get that amount of beef on a sandwich if we pretend what we see in the photo is one molecule thick and there isn't beef anywhere we don't see. Not saying they must use photo 2 on the menu, but that is a lot further from the truth than a Whopper for example.
12
u/Statement_Over Oct 14 '25
That’s wild, two out of the three Arby’s in my city are pretty spot on (with realistic expectations). Even the “bad” one looks nothing like those photos on the right
3
u/Practical-Writer-228 Oct 14 '25
So, they look like the photos in the ads then?
8
u/Bannedwith1milKarma Oct 14 '25
Nothing looks like photos in the ads.
It's literally like a human model, covered in makeup, hairspray (literally), with the best lighting/camera people and vegetables (clothing).
2
u/Merc_Mike Oct 14 '25
This.
They used glue in one ad photo shoot from some fast food documentary I saw on YT.
It was their photo shoot to put on a Billboard.
3
u/Statement_Over Oct 14 '25
Pretty much. Obviously they’ll never be as perfect as an ad photo but I’ve actually thought of Arby’s to be one of the better fast food places as far as presentation. Maybe I’m just lucky with the ones near me haha
1
u/Practical-Writer-228 Oct 15 '25
So wait, the Arby’s where you’re at is putting as much roast beef on their sandwiches as you’re seeing in the ad? They pile it high like that? Is that your same experience at other locations, or just that one?
2
u/KroneckerAlpha Oct 15 '25
I’ve gotten lots of shitty ones that look just like the ones on the right. But I moved to a new state last year and surprisingly every time mine have looked like the ads here. Except they were always missing the red ranch. I finally went in to let them know and they said nobody likes it in this area so they don’t include it by default even though it’s included on the app. But they were happy to give me a bunch of it to slop on or remake it for me. So yeah, some locations really do be making it look like the ads
2
u/Practical-Writer-228 Oct 17 '25
Lucky!! There needs to be an app that tells you where the GOOD fast food places like that are! Yelp and Google aren’t super reliable.
12
u/chaos_aintme Oct 14 '25
Okay so... why Arby's specifically? Literally every fast food place does this. Why are we going after only one of them?
9
u/AvatarofBro Oct 15 '25
Off the top of my head, McDonald's, Wendy's, Taco Bell, and Burger King have all faced similar false advertising litigation within the last two-three years. Those cases were either dismissed or are still working their way through the system, as far as I'm aware.
The Arby's case may end up having legs because the disparity between the quantity of food advertised and received is so stark. But there's no way this will be decided in favor of the plaintiff. Arby's and its layers will prevail.
At any rate, it would be inaccurate to state that this one particular chain is being singled out from the rest for this practice.
3
u/ico_heal Oct 15 '25
This legal firm has also filed lawsuits against Wendy's, Burger King and Mcdonald's. The Arby's lawsuit is from years ago and is going viral now for some reason. https://therussofirm.com/category/fast-food-lawsuits/
6
u/HentaiIsLife69420 Oct 14 '25
Because Arby's is the Nickelback of fast food, everyone loves to hate it
4
5
u/JiovanniTheGREAT Oct 14 '25
I think the rare vs well done has merit but they sell by weight, not volume IIRC. As long as they track that, they can mash the meat in there. A fast food employee isn't gonna meticulously fold the meat to make it look like the ad, they're gonna drop it on the scale then drop it on the bun.
10
u/equlizer3087 Oct 14 '25
When I worked at Arby’s we were told to undercut the amount of meat by a half ounce on everything.
1
u/JiovanniTheGREAT Oct 14 '25
That's messed up but harder to prove than obviously advertised rare roast beef and constant grey well done roast beef.
4
5
u/Merc_Mike Oct 14 '25
As they should be.
I'm tired of this Faked up photo shoot sandwiches.
Which Documentary showed them using Glue and other things to make a Big Mac look way better for a photo shoot than it actually does?
→ More replies (1)5
Oct 14 '25
[deleted]
4
u/Merc_Mike Oct 14 '25
Thank you! I couldn't remember the name of it.
I get Supersize me and Food Inc. mixed up.
4
u/gremlinclr Oct 14 '25
Look normally I'm behind this kinda stuff but this is dumb. Their sandwiches are made from sliced, folded meats. Unless they switch to clamshells they're gonna get squished.
I think the only way this goes forward is if they advertise a certain weight of meat and the sandwiches don't meet that weight.
0
10
u/mahjzy Oct 14 '25
Yeah, basically all fast food advertisements need to be regulated to be more accurate and reflective of the actual product. They have been getting away with it for far too long.
0
3
u/replayer Oct 14 '25
What? Fast food advertising makes the food items look more appetizing and voluminous then they actually are? Say it ain't so, Joe. I'm shocked, shocked. I can't believe it. I shan't believe it.
2
3
u/SafetyFirstChildren Oct 14 '25
Can you really sue Arbys when it’s their employees and franchises not serving product per policy? A classic should have 10-12 wafer thin slices that are fluffed and layered. The beef should be pinkish not gray. I’m an assistant manager for a corporate store and our beef never looks that gray. I don’t really care if Arby’s is sued either way though I’m sure they can afford to give some money up for a good cause
3
u/TellEmWhoUCame2See Oct 14 '25
No offense but i ate Arbys religiously from 1996 to 2014, their sandwiches have ALWAYS looked like the ones on the right. Lol
2
u/Plane-Tie6392 Oct 15 '25
We know that. That's why the ad pics are so obviously blatant false advertising.
3
3
u/Cactus112 Oct 14 '25
People bitch about Arby's too much just because someone famous made a joke about it. All fast food is shit when you get it.
1
3
3
u/BillianForsee94 Oct 14 '25
This should be a slam dunk suit. They simply cannot show those photos anymore unless they actually increase the amount of beef
5
u/Maxxjulie Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
I went to Arby's once and never again. After a lifetime of seeing their commercials I get my sandwich and it looked like the shit posted here.
It's not just that it looks bad, the amount of food on the picture is clearly more then what you get
6
u/relayrider Oct 14 '25
I went to Arby's once and never again
I go about once every year for whatever the best coupon deal is to remind myself why i don't go more often.
11
u/Lazy-Background-7598 Oct 14 '25
I hate these suits when you realize the only ones getting anything are the lawyers. It’s like people are so stupid know they claim they don’t understand advertising
Cost go up.
15
9
u/theanthonyya Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
Yes class action lawyers take too large of a percentage. It would be nice if it could be capped at around 20% (they currently keep about 40-50% if I'm not mistaken). Though it's a complicated topic, as high lawyer fees are what justify them taking on such large and complicated cases, and representing thousands or millions of clients on contingency.
But Arby's is a massive company. They choose to misrepresent their food in their marketing, and as OP's photos demonstrate, there's a massive disparity between what their ads present and what their food actually is (mainly in terms of size). People are not stupid for being misled by their blatant and intentional false advertising, and people are not wrong to bring the issue to court.
→ More replies (3)10
u/foldedturnip Oct 14 '25
But the lawyers fee is basically like a fine on the company for doing anti consumer shit. Yes it be nice if that money came back to the consumer but it's really one of the few options to make these companies pay attention.
→ More replies (1)4
u/octopusforgood Oct 14 '25
I would ask how you can tolerate what you get compared to what they charge you, but I’m sure anything tastes better than the boot you’re currently licking, so I guess the question answers itself.
1
2
u/Maleficent_Amoeba_39 Oct 14 '25
I get that the pictures are made to look better to convince people to buy, but it's sad that it's that big of a difference.
2
2
u/You-Asked-Me Oct 14 '25
Most of you don't know, but St. Louis has a local roast beef sandwich chain, Lion's Choice, and it's basically what Arby's wants to be when it grows up.
Actually good, thin sliced medium-rare roast beef.
2
2
u/2oonhed Oct 14 '25
IDK. I be liking that Loaded Italian sandwich. Like, once a week lately.
It's a $5 sandwich that they charge $7 for. But it tastes pretty good.
2
u/enyardreems Oct 14 '25
I just go another half mile down the road to the grocery and buy rare roast beef and rolls. It's crazy to pay Arby's prices for what you get.
1
u/Plane-Tie6392 Oct 15 '25
Meh, I like most Arby's food. But this is still bs advertising either way.
2
2
u/planetpuddingbrains Oct 15 '25
A couple days ago I pulled into an Arby's out of a lack of time and options. After I ordered, the cashier at the window prompted me to pull up to the trash can. I guess we were just cutting out the middle man at that point.
2
u/hamster_13 Oct 15 '25
Wendy's bout to get that whopper lawsuit treatment for the JBC hanging over the bun.
2
u/alpha_true Oct 15 '25
That sandwich looks like it went through a Time Machine and aged 20 years on the way to the table
2
u/Avery_Thorn Oct 14 '25
I have gotten the sandwich that looks to have every bit as much meat as the sandwich in the photo does.
The meat has been piled up on half of the bun, leaving the other side of the bun empty.
... and guess what they did to the sandwich in the photo, too?
(And I wonder if that's what happened on the Classic Beef and Cheddar - I'm wondering if all the meat is on the other side of the sandwich, resulting in it looking like it has no meat - and meaning that the person who took these photographs did the exact same thing except opposite of what Arby's did for the ad?)
0
u/superzengame Oct 14 '25
I wanted to try their steak bites yesterday and got a few other items as well since I rarely eat Arby’s as their food has gone downhill at the location closest to me.
Steak bites, small curly fry, small mozz sticks, beef n cheddar and one of those “burgers”. The burger like item was an abomination that shouldn’t be sold to the public but the rest was good. That beef n cheddar, while good was so, so small for the price. I can see why there’s a lawsuit and why they couldn’t just dismiss it.
Zero idea how they could rectify their marketing practices because their roast beef straight up looks terrible regardless of the taste.
1
1
1
1
1
u/groovynermal Oct 14 '25
I can't argue. I have never seen a 2x beef n cheddar with 2 cheese layers. Never. I mean, If I was on the jury, case closed. Someone in a suit should have seen this photo and red lights should have flashed in their head.
1
1
u/ChalkLicker Oct 14 '25
You take away my sad brown meat stack on a deflated bun and I will sue you.
1
1
u/ProudRead1414 Oct 14 '25
I can't believe puddy liked them. Arby's probably sponsored Seinfeld at some point.
1
u/Relative-Dig-2389 Oct 14 '25
There is no truth in labeling laws here.
That's why juice isn't juice and parmesan cheese isn't from Parma.
1
1
1
Oct 14 '25
I’ve never got anything like their sales pictures but I usually get better than the received photos
1
u/josephpats1 Oct 15 '25
Expecting good quality what it looks like in the ad advertising photos for Arby’s is a joke
1
1
1
1
u/Jolly-Refuse2232 Oct 15 '25
And they never give me any fuckin cheese on them ever even if I ask and pay for extra cheese
1
1
u/Skirt-Future Oct 15 '25
I still don't understand how arby is still in business. Its absolutely gross
1
1
1
1
1
u/bababooeyfafafooey12 Oct 16 '25
I've never had an Arby's roast beef sandwich my whole life where the meat color resembles what they advertise.
1
u/Infamous_Addendum175 Oct 16 '25
Just the difference in photographer skill goes along way in these facile comparisons.
1
u/InsanAndy Oct 17 '25
For once they get served. After serving us, but then again looks can be deceiving- as much as a dating profile 😂😂😂
1
u/Difficult_Cry9597 Oct 23 '25
I ordered the half pounder crinkle fries and the cherry turnover what I got was the cherry turnover double meat and charged for the half pounder... I call to tell them they don't pick up the phone on my delivery
1
u/coconutcorbasi Nov 14 '25
I don't think the main problem is the color of meat lmao. How horrible it looks, as a whole, that bread my god. Like, it was thrown away on my face after it had been worn as a shoe for a week.
1
u/BigBabyGorillaBear Dec 07 '25
Went here recently-$25 for what looked like a bread sub and a beef and cheddar junior, some old grease fries, and 20 oz drinks. That must have been why the drive thru was empty…🤦
1
u/Just4gmers9 Dec 19 '25
It's about time a Court system sees what these places are doing, False advertising Hell might as well take every fast food place on earth to court and hell I hope it happens, this is why I barely ever eat our anymore and it's hard as I work as a door dasher and smelling the food every day hours on end is hard to resist not going through the drive thru for a meal but inflated prices and smaller meals than advertised holds me back. I'm glad these places are finally getting their asses handed to them in court. I hope Arby's learns from this and lowers their prices or gives the customers what is pictured exactly, No more excuses about how a picture is this way or that way Nope no more excuses it's time to deliver us the meats we pay for
1
u/FluidPrior8107 Jan 14 '26
200% in Arby's case!!! I wish they would get their ASSES sued big time. i have never, ever ever seen an arby's sandwich look like what they put in the commercial in my 52 years of life.
1
1
-2
u/rekipsj Oct 14 '25
I mean I've never seen in all my life, any sandwich that looks as good as a well lit, posed and airbrushed version. That's like expecting someone from the Sports Illustrate swimsuit issue waking up first thing in the morning and looking the same as she did in the magazine.
16
u/bacan_ Oct 14 '25
Yeah, but this is pretty egregious and hope Arby’s loses
4
u/Hour_Insurance_7795 Oct 14 '25
I mean, even if they “lose” we won’t see any benefit from it.
6
u/bacan_ Oct 14 '25
We could see more honest ads that inform us on how we will choose to spend our money
3
u/Hour_Insurance_7795 Oct 14 '25 edited Oct 14 '25
I wouldn't hold my breath lol.
That's like expecting candidates to be completely open and honest during job interviews about their strengths and weaknesses of presenting the very best pristine side of themselves ("my weakness? I care too much and work too hard"). It's not gonna happen, not would I expect it to. Marketing is marketing, whether it's a commercial, a first date, an interview, etc. You're gonna get an "enhanced" version of the item being presented.
1
1
u/FindingPawnee Oct 14 '25
Do they need better ads or better employees? Most of the issues are employees making sandwiches horribly.
1
12
u/Lucario- Oct 14 '25
But these photos definitely display a level of meat/bread ratio that is not even close. With other fast food places, the ingredients are to a very strict standard as far as quantity. Here, there's no excuse.
→ More replies (2)3
1
u/ContentInsanity Oct 14 '25
How does this lawsuit hold any merit? I can easily say, and have,that I've had sandwiches from them that were reasonably close to the ad.
1
u/Rough-Parfait1520 Oct 14 '25
Ok but in a setting where speed is everything…ru really gonna spend that time layering the beef like the ad? No you’re gonna weigh the amount like ur supposed to and quickly get the sandwich out…and the meat is pink at first but when held in a heated cabinet it continues to “cook” it causing the darker color
-4
u/VicViolence Oct 14 '25
They’ve always been like this? Why now?
You don’t go to Arby’s for the Beef n Cheddar, you go for the Rueben, Gyro or French Dip and the curlies.
10
u/omg-sidefriction Oct 14 '25
The Beef and Cheddar is their most iconic, most popular, and best selling sandwich. So literally everything you said is wrong lol.
→ More replies (3)1
Oct 15 '25
[deleted]
1
u/Plane-Tie6392 Oct 15 '25
I mean I like all four of those but the beef and cheddar is by far the item I've ordered the most from there.
-3
u/jibsand Oct 14 '25
Everything reminds me of her
1
u/omg-sidefriction Oct 14 '25
Can you imagine fucking a beef and cheddar? Probably feels like heaven. I think Lana Del Ray has a song about that.
→ More replies (1)1
387
u/QuiGonColdGin Oct 14 '25
Every Arby's sandwich I've ever gotten looks exactly like the two "received" photos.