Discovery Channel has Shark Week. And Arby’s has Beef Week, which TikToker John Eats Cheap (@johneatscheap) excitedly gushed about to his followers on TikTok.
If you’re wondering what Beef Week entails it means that customers can put their hands on five hot roast beef sandwiches at Arby’s for just five bucks, but there are some stipulations folks have to follow to get this deal. This can be seen as a welcome reprieve in the fast food landscape—where a single burger can often cost double that at some chains.
It seems like many miss the days of fast food being cheap (cue the nostalgic rants from folks pining for Mickey D’s dollar menu). The fare, which is usually associated with ultra-processed, high-sodium ingredients, was an understandable consequence of purchasing meals from one of these chains. That’s because it used to be cheap. For just a few bucks, you could head to any popular franchise and leave with a full belly and a greasy headache, with your bank account intact.
However, food inflation seems to have particularly hit the fast food industry hard in recent years. In fact, fast food establishments have purportedly experienced levels of inflation that are significantly higher than the national average when compared to other industries.
This could be why John’s video about Arby’s deal accrued nearly 310,000 views as of Saturday. He begins his TikTok excitedly talking into the camera with a big Arby’s paper bag.
“Did you see what Arby’s did now?” he says, teasing a deal from the food giant to his viewers.
“Everybody complained and how about that? It’s Beef Week, brought the five for five. Five roast beef sandwiches for $5, it’s going on this week at Arby’s,” he says, excitedly, taking out the hot beef sandwiches out of the bag, one by one.
@johneatscheap #arbys #fiveforfive #roastbeed #wehavethemeats #fastfood #tastetest #bargainshopping #takeout ♬ original sound – JohnEatsCheap
Viewers weigh in
One commenter reminded viewers that nabbing the five-for-five roast beef sandwiches deal isn’t as easy as walking into an Arby’s location and asking for it.
“Gotta use the App. Gotta pay online,” they said. “You forgot to mention that.”
The chain lists its own terms and conditions for receiving this deal on its website, which it says runs between June 10 through the 16th, and that it’s only guaranteed at participating locations in the continental United States: “Must have or establish an Arby’s account to redeem. Not valid for delivery or in-store orders. May not be combined with other offers or coupons. Limit 1.”
And if you’re thinking that you’re going to cater a large-scale party with this deal, getting 20 sandwiches for 20 people for just $20, then you might be disappointed—that’s because the bargain is limited to one customer. If you’re interested in trying it out, head on over to the restaurant’s Deals page here and sign up for an account, or log in and start ordering if you already have one.
One commenter who responded to John’s video stated that they weren’t exactly happy with the deal, stating that Arby’s five for five days used to include the hot beef and cheddar, meaning that if you’re going to want to get five sandwiches with slices of cheese on them, then you’re going to have to fork out some extra money to do so.
However, others thought that this was a fantastic bargain, with one writing, “Taking them apart and stacking all the meat on one is worth it for $5 alone lol.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Arby’s via email and John via TikTok comment.
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