17 Pros and Cons of Working for Arby's

If you’ve ever had a classic roast beef and cheddar sandwich from Arby’s, you know why they’re one of the more popular fast food chains in America.

Eating at Arby’s can be a great time, but is it as good of an experience to work at Arby’s?

To learn more about whether we’d recommend working at Arby’s keep reading the article below for our list of pros and cons.

Pros of Working for Arby’s

1. The fast pace will keep you moving

If you’re tired of a sedentary job or you like staying active throughout a shift, the speedy nature of working at Arby’s will be a welcome change of pace.

Since sandwich makers and cashiers rarely sit down on their shift, you’ll definitely get your steps in when you’re working at Arby’s.

Of course, this can be tiring.

But if a day spent on your feet serving customers sounds fun, Arby’s might be right up your alley.

As an added bonus, you’ll definitely sleep well after a shift of working at Arby’s because it’s so fast-paced and physically demanding.

2. High standards on food quality

When you work in fast food, you probably at least want to work somewhere that produces high quality meals.

This can give you a huge sense of pride and self-esteem when you’re at work.

At Arby’s the food quality is decent and the recipes keep customers coming back for more every lunch rush.

With such high standards, you’ll make customers happy.

This will make you happy as an employee, too.

3. Arby’s offers plenty of opportunities to work with customers

If you love talking to strangers and putting a smile on their faces, Arby’s can be a rewarding place to work.

Depending on your location, you might get to know regulars and see an ever-revolving roster of new customers come into the restaurant.

As a people person, working at Arby’s can fire you up and keep you engaged with your work.

If you don’t like working with customers, you could also try to get a position in the kitchen where you might not have to interact with them as much.

4. Flexible scheduling

Depending on the store needs, you might be able to enjoy flexible scheduling if you work at Arby’s.

This means that if you are a student or you have another job, your management team at Arby’s will be able to work with you to create a schedule that fits your available hours.

Unlike a regular 9-5 office job, Arby’s positions allow workers to work later in the evenings.

As a night owl, this can be especially helpful.

5. Team player company culture

If you do best working in a team environment, Arby’s is the place for you.

Instead of working alone, you’ll have a whole team of coworkers working together to make sandwiches and get them out to customers.

This can make the workday even more enjoyable and fun.

You can also make friends at work if you wish and have a good time while getting paid to make sandwiches.

6. Low barrier to entry

Whether you have no work experience or you’re ending a long break from the workforce, Arby’s can be a great first job to get your foot in the door.

Since most of their store positions don’t require advanced degrees or extensive experience, you’ll learn a lot of your role by doing it on the job.

For those who are hands-on learners, this can be especially helpful.

7. Arby’s has a system in place to streamline sandwich making

Over the years, Arby’s has created a system for making their sandwiches that makes the process straightforward and simple.

Once you learn this system and become comfortable with your role in it, you’ll be making sandwiches quickly and efficiently.

This can take some of the stress of the job down a notch.

8. Promotion from within

Many Arby’s managers started at the bottom of the ladder as a cashier or kitchen staff and worked their way up.

If you want to work for a company that offers opportunities for growth, Arby’s might be a good fit.

You can work as an associate and move onto a position as a shift leader.

You could also become a general or assistant manager if you gain enough experience.

Overall, this can make your job at Arby’s more rewarding and fulfilling in the long term.

9. Employee discount

When you’re on the clock at Arby’s, you’ll receive a 50% meal discount on breaks.

You can also use this discount right before your shift or right after your scheduled shift.

This makes it convenient to pick up dinner after you get off of work.

It also puts some money back into your pocket to spend elsewhere.

Cons of Working for Arby’s

1. Low pay

Like most service jobs, positions in the store at Arby’s don’t have the best pay.

According to payscale.com, Arby’s only pays employees at the stores an average of $10.89 an hour.

With the cost of living, this is simply not enough for most employees to survive, especially if they work on a part-time basis.

If you just need some extra income, this might not be a dealbreaker.

For those who need to support a household, this can be a little too low.

2. Too busy at times

While it can be nice to always have something to do at work, Arby’s does have peak hours that can be overwhelming.

If you’ve never worked in food service before, the high volume of customers to check out or orders to prepare can feel like it’s way too much sometimes.

If you prefer a slow, steady workday over a fast-paced one, Arby’s might not be the right choice for you.

3. Repetitive tasks

While your workday will be full at Arby’s, it almost certainly won’t be anything new or exciting after your first few shifts.

Every day, you’ll do the same repetitive tasks if you’re on the same station.

For those who like predictability at work, this can be pleasant.

If you need variety during the workday, the repetitive tasks can start to bore you after a while.

What’s more, it can be hard on your body if you’re doing the same thing over and over again.

4. Late close time

For evening workers and management, the late close time of 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. at some locations can make it difficult to maintain work life balance.

If you are working a full day at the store, it can feel long and exhausting.

Additionally, it can make it harder to make evening plans after work if your friends tend to work a traditional 9-5 schedule.

Still, this isn’t uncommon for the service industry so if that’s your industry, you may need to adjust your expectations.

5. Arby’s generally doesn’t give their employees many breaks

On Indeed, several former employees of Arby’s shared in that they rarely got breaks while working there.

If you know that you’ll need a meal or relaxation time while at work for a full shift, Arby’s might not be able to match that need.

Over time, this can be draining and make it harder to stay on top of eating regularly.

Since every location is different, you should ask management about break policies during the interview process if that is important to you.

6. Old or broken equipment is common at Arby’s restaurants

If you would prefer to work somewhere with cutting edge technology that is state-of-the-art, Arby’s might not fit your vision as an employer.

Many employees of this company on Indeed reported that the equipment they use to cook food was frequently old or broken.

This can make your job there much more difficult than it has to be.

While this is probably not true of all Arby’s locations, it’s worth considering as a potential future employee.

7. Some locations have low safety standards

When you work at Arby’s, you’ll need to maintain a certain level of food safety and cleanliness to meet industry standards.

Unfortunately, some locations don’t take this as seriously as others, according to Indeed.com’s reviews.

While some locations are very clean and take food safety seriously, others leave something to be desired.

If you end up working at an Arby’s that isn’t as clean as it should be, you can always take steps to transfer to one with higher cleaning standards or make a report to your manager.

8. Standards vary from store to store

If you liked working at one Arby’s location, you might not like working at another.

The management, staff, policies, and even cleanliness standards can change between Arby’s locations.

For some employees who transfer between stores, this can be frustrating and confusing.