Arby’s added two new SKUS to create its Italian Beef Dip: A seeded sub roll and giardiniera. | Photo courtesy of Arby’s
Arby’s has been all about roast beef since its founding in 1964.
“It’s our core product and our entire brand has been built off roast beef,” said Michael Israel, director of culinary innovation for Atlanta-based Arby’s. “We spend a lot of time thinking about how we can elevate it.”
With the fast-food chain’s latest LTO, he elevates roast beef into the Italian Beef Dip, Arby’s take on the classic Chicago sandwich that has been elevated itself by the popular TV series, “The Bear.”
“We like to look at the American culinary landscape for inspiration,” said Israel, “and Italian beef is top of mind for a lot of folks right now. It really seemed like a perfect fit to take those flavors and pair them with our roast beef to make a really delicious version of the sandwich that we could serve to the whole country. You don’t have to be in Chicago to enjoy it.”
Indeed, the Italian Beef Dip rolled out this winter to 3,500 Arby’s locations and will remain on the menu through March. Here’s how it got there.
Building the sandwich from the beef up
It goes without saying that Arby’s signature roast beef is the star of the Italian Beef Dip. “We didn’t do anything extra to our roast beef,” said Israel. “We slow cook it every day in each restaurant, then slice it hot, wafer thin, so we get that meltingly tender texture. It’s very well seasoned with salt and you really get the pure, straightforward flavor of slow roasted beef.”
To build on that core ingredient, the chef distilled the traditional Italian beef into its critical components. “The bread is a really important part,” he said. “It’s a very wet sandwich and is intended to be eaten with a lot of that dip or jus without falling apart.”
To achieve the desired result, Arby’s reformulated the recipe for its sub bun, creating something more artisanal with a big, open crumb to soak up a lot of the jus but still keep its structure. A supplier partner bakes the rolls for systemwide distribution.
A classic Italian beef doesn’t include cheese, but Israel felt it would add a layer of richness and craveability. So Swiss cheese is melted on top of the beef.
“The cheese is something we took some liberties with,” he said. “Our mission is deliciousness, not necessarily creating a carbon copy of something.”
During the R&D process, the chef tried a number of different cheeses before landing on Swiss. He experimented with hard, aged cheeses like white cheddar, as well as several in the orange and yellow category. “Visually, these cheeses were a disconnect, and flavor-wise there was a little too much sharpness and not enough creaminess,” said Israel.
The Swiss cheese has amazing mouthfeel when it melts, he added. It gets really creamy and complements the beef, plus imparts enough cheese flavor to add complexity to the entire sandwich without conflicting with the other ingredients. “It knows its role as a supporting player,” said Israel.
Which brings us to the giardiniera, “the most complex part of the development process,” he added.
Giardiniera, a condiment native to Chicago, is a pickled mixed vegetable relish that is a key component of an iconic Italian beef sandwich. The flavor can range from mild to very spicy; the vegetables can vary and they can be marinated in vinegar, brine or oil. “There are probably as many versions of giardiniera as people who live in Chicago,” joked Israel.
He tried many versions, but it was important to the team that the vegetable medley reflect what is commonly found in Chicago—mainly celery, carrots and olives.
“We did a lot of exploration to understand flavor, texture and heat level too, and we ended up developing a custom blend with Vienna, the iconic Chicago brand [famous for its hot dogs] that also produces giardiniera,” said Israel. “This one is packed in an oil brine, which adds richness, and it’s slightly crunchy for a nice textural contrast to the build.”
The final piece of the puzzle was determining the giardiniera’s optimal heat level. The team spent a lot of time on this piece, testing products that went from mild to hot. “We chose the Goldilocks path—medium,” he said. The heat is driven by serrano chilies, and working with Vienna, they regulated the quantity so it resulted in a “very delicious kind of warm heat” that would appeal to a broad spectrum of customers.
The last building block was the au jus. Since Arby’s roasts a lot of beef, they already had access to a lot of the natural juices that collect during cooking.
“We thought about doctoring our current au jus for this sandwich and tried a number of iterations,” said Israel. “In the end we decided to stick with what we have. Our jus is an ingredient we’re really proud of. It’s very beefy, has great depth of flavor, and from its inception, was intended to make our roast beef taste better.”
The Italian Beef Dip is served with a cup of au jus on the side for dipping. It’s on Arby’s menu nationwide while supplies last; average price is $7.29.
What’s next?
Arby’s is a brand that takes more risks than most fast-food concepts. In the past, sandwiches featuring elk, venison and duck breast have appeared on the menu.
“We look for opportunities to take risks with food, and I think serving a condiment that contains olives and serrano chilies is really kind of unheard of in a drive-thru,” said Israel. “Arby’s fans know that we’ll make those choices.”
So far, customer response to the Italian Beef Dip has been very positive. “There’s a fair amount of folks who know this sandwich well and may not live anywhere near Chicago, so they’re thrilled they can get it,” he said. “And others who are experiencing it for the first time and are getting the chance to try new textures and flavors.”
With beef prices at an historic high, this could be a challenging time for a chain that specializes in beef.
“It’s about being creative on how we can still deliver on those delicious meat experiences without having to sacrifice anything for the customer,” said Israel. One solution is “dynamic” sandwich builds like the Italian Beef Dip that include toppings, a dipping experience and layers of flavor and texture. “This sandwich still offers an abundant portion of meat—4 ounces—but the ‘meat mountains’ we served in the past are less of a focus.”
Regional American sandwiches will continue to inspire menu innovation at Arby’s, and this summer, the chain is launching a limited-time Philly cheesesteak.
“We have served cheesesteaks on and off for a long time,” said Israel, “but this is unquestionably the most delicious cheesesteak we’ve ever served.”
He flew up to Philadelphia several times and tasted many cheesesteaks to jumpstart the R&D. For the final recipe, “we’re bringing in a new seeded roll, just like you’d find in all the great cheesesteak shops, and Cooper cheese—a 100-year-old cheese company that’s the best for this application,” said Israel. “We are also using Italian long peppers like you find in Philly.”
Pat plans and executes menu, food and drink stories for Restaurant Business and hosts the weekly Menu Talk podcast. She provides in-depth coverage of chefs, trends and menu innovation.
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