9 Arby's Items You Probably Forgot Existed

Having the meats hasn't always been the catchphrase of Arby's, but it's always been the core of the sandwich chain's business. Ham, turkey, and especially slow-roasted beef continue to star alongside other proteins across the Ohio-founded restaurant's menu. Most are staples in American households, but on occasion, some special offers have made appearances alongside other savory and sweet selections you may have forgotten.

Those with a taste for the wild have had opportunity to sink their teeth into a couple different prize picks normally left to hunting excursions. Likewise, daring gourmands have experienced a quintet of fiery flavors. Of course, not every forgotten menu item has been one of extremes. Just as many short-lived options have presented as twists or tweaks on Arby's classics. On the dessert side, both inventive and iconic have been tried over the years with some help from famous brands. Other collaborations have even required proof of identification for a spirited time. Here are the Arby's items you probably forgot existed.

Delicatessen and diner fans alike have long been familiar with one of the quintessential sandwiches of American cuisine: the Reuben. While its origin may be hotly contested, what isn't up for debate is that Arby's has one on its menu — and it once carried the Reuben's cousin of less renown: the Rachel. In March 2015, the sandwich chain announced that, limited to that month, the same marble rye and Thousand Island dressing that carries and dresses its corned beef sammie would pull double duty with roast turkey. Topped with Swiss cheese, the Rachel ditched the sauerkraut in favor of coleslaw. Customers were given the option of ordering the sandwich as is, as a meal, or as a double stack to truly pile on the meats.

Though many have likely forgotten the turkey creation that briefly graced the Arby's menu, there is at least one couple bound to keep the memory alive. During the limited time offer, Arby's catered a special event in one of its locations with platters of both Reubens and Rachels, along with curly fries, cookies, and turnovers, to celebrate a happily ever after for a Ruben and a Rachel.

More than a decade before the Reuben made its debut on Arby's menu as part of the chain's Market Fresh lineup in 2005, there was a different way to enjoy the pairing of beef with Swiss. Instead of salt-cured corned beef, roast beef was the star of the Sourdough Beef 'N Swiss sandwich. While painting a decent picture of expectations, the name covered broad strokes of what biting into this handheld fast food item was like in the early '90s.

Available on the menu from 1993 to 1994, this Arby's sandwich started with sourdough bread, lightly toasted to add a crunch to each yeasty bite. After that, roast beef was layered on before introducing the cheese. If you envisioned slices of Swiss, think again. Arby's poured on a thick and gooey Swiss cheese sauce, with an advertisement for this sammie ensuring that "your mouth will water" and "your stomach will thank you" for picking one up at your local restaurant.

Given that only months later the whole world was turned upside down, it's easy to understand that a special September 2019 fast food menu and the event that inspired it are forgettable. It was then that social media users jokingly got it in their heads that they could storm the infamous and highly classified U.S. Air Force facility, Area 51. While some gathered peacefully in futility under the tongue-in-cheek premise that the military couldn't stop all of them, Arby's showed up to address their appetites with its E.T. Sliders and galaxy milkshakes.

The Bronco Berry Sauce-covered chicken tender sandwich and the color-changing, fruit crunch-topped milkshake were just a couple items served out of the chain's Roadside Meathouse. There was also a version of the Rachel, dubbed the Redacted on Rye Sandwich, and Arby's Frying Objects — which were moon rock-covered curly fries. Arby's had announced that it prepared to feed as many as 1,500 at the Hiko, Nevada, event, which also featured live music performances and VIP speakers, though far fewer people actually showed. Nearly two years after the menu was left to be forgotten, the chain's online store was still selling Area 51 merchandise to celebrate World UFO Day.

Sure, some menu items are in it for the long haul, but there are those that only grace our palates for a season or two. In 2019, this meant a fall treat that had nothing to do with pumpkin spice and everything to do with hybridization. Combining Danish dough bites with a cream cheese icing and cinnamon filling, Arby's debuted its cinnamuffin.

Warning customers that it would be around for a limited time, Arby's released the dessert at the same time it introduced the Hershey's chocolate-topped s'mores shake. The chain has a reputation for releasing popular desserts, including in 2026, when it made our list of the year's best new fast food desserts with its peach cobbler rolls. In previous years, Arby's released a cinnamon apple crisp, which fans continue to remember fondly, around the same season it would later drop the cinnamuffin. As for reviews of the short-lived, indulgent, hybrid sweet, while unique in execution, the cinnamuffin was considered to be run of the mill and a little overpriced for the portion size.

Arby's regulars and casual visitors are undoubtedly familiar with its two puff pastry mainstays — the apple and cherry turnovers. What many may have forgotten is that this duo once had a decadent third iteration partnered with two powerhouses of the dessert industry. We're talking about the chocolate turnover. Introduced in 2010, the chocolate turnover combined rich Hershey's chocolate with the light and flaky dough of Pepperidge Farms. Drizzled with chocolate on the outside instead of frosting, this menu item had staying power. Enduring for more than half a decade, the chocolate turnover was ultimately pulled from Arby's restaurants in 2016.

The removal left fans of the handheld dessert upset with the chain. As diehards pelted the marketing team with questions about the decision on social media, a Change.org petition was started to bring the turnover back. Instead, Arby's encouraged customers to move on with the changing times and embrace the chocolate chip cookies it released in 2016 in partnership with Ghirardelli. Meanwhile, the chocolate turnover became history, and it remains among the discontinued fast food desserts we feel deserve a revival. 

Fast food chains of all stripes have certainly come a long way from the days of serving primarily fountain drinks and hot coffee. But assorted shakes, refreshing fruit juices, and iced java are still the norm compared to some forgotten Arby's collaborations. On multiple occasions, the meat-focused restaurant has made it possible for its flavor profiles to stand out in stiff drinks and craft cocktails.

In 2021, Arby's worked with Tattersall Distilling Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to make two limited-edition potato vodkas reminiscent of two variations of the chain's sides. Emphasizing the salt and sugar of its crinkle fries and the spices of its curly fries, the vodkas sold out. The same thing happened the following year, when Arby's brisket inspired a smoked bourbon. Ohio's Brain Brew Distillery collaborated with the chain and incorporated the hickory, mesquite, and pecan wood used in the meat's smoking process to nail those same ephemeral notes.

Rather than rest on its laurels from the two-fold success, Arby's took a different approach in 2024 when it infused its popular Horsey Sauce with chardonnay. Packaged in a wine bottle, the sauce was released ahead of the Kentucky Derby and about a month after Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter" dropped — and it drew its name from the horse featured on the album cover: Chardonneigh.

Each year, a season comes back around that prompts requests for time off of work and even school closures in certain areas. We're not talking about the holiday season; this is about hunting season. To mark the occasion of tracking down game that will help feed families in the months to come, Arby's debuted a venison sandwich in 2016. That limited run in select locations exploded in October 2017 — around the time of year when venison tastes best — as the chain became the first major nationwide brand to offer deer at all of its more than 3,000 locations.

The sandwiches featured a venison steak, cut thick and topped with crispy onions. Set atop a specialty roll, the finishing touch was a juniper berry sauce. In addition to the nationwide rollout, Arby's also tried its hand at elk sandwiches with a blackberry port wine sauce in three restaurants located in Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming.

There were some conservationists who opposed the principle of mass-marketed venison, including the Montana Wildlife Federation. Claiming that it seemed reminiscent of a time of excess hunting in the U.S. during the 19th century, the organization's executive director Dave Chadwick told NPR, "We really shouldn't be selling game animals for food." Addressing those concerns, Arby's stated that its free-range, grass-fed deer was sourced from farms in New Zealand.

Heat enthusiasts are undoubtedly familiar with the Scoville scale and how it works, measuring a food's palate-scorching potential via capsaicin content. In January and February 2022, Arby's took a five-fold approach to cut through the winter chill when it introduced two iterations of its Diablo Dare sandwich. Whether or not you sought out smoked brisket or crispy chicken, each sandwich layered heat with seasoning, ghost pepper jack cheese, fire-roasted jalapeños, and a Diablo BBQ sauce. Even the bun was infused with fiery potential courtesy of red chipotle.

The implied challenge, putting "dare" in the name, was not presented without an avenue for sweet relief. Understanding that "this is not a sandwich for the faint of heart," as Arby's chief marketing officer Patrick Schwing stated upon its release, the chain included a complimentary vanilla shake with every purchase. Those who were disappointed to miss out on the mettle-testing handheld dish were afforded a second short-lived opportunity later that October, with a few twists. 

While the crispy chicken made a reappearance, the smoked brisket version of the sammie was swapped for roast beef, and both sandwiches featured cheddar cheese. Meanwhile, Arby's used the same seasoning, jalapeños, and BBQ sauce, along with some cheddar sauce, and set the whole lot upon some crinkle-cut fries, dubbing this side the Diablo Loaded Fries.

For years, consumers have grown accustomed to the bass tones of actor Ving Rhames reminding them that Arby's has the meats. These days, those who crave more out of the carnivorous creations can beef up their Arby's order with a request for double the meat. But decades ago, the chain tried a different approach to pile high sliced deli selections: Double Decker sandwiches.

Looking every bit like Arby's version of a McDonald's Big Mac, the Double Deckers that debuted in 1990 featured a third piece of bread to separate that extra helping of meat and cheese. Included on our list of '90s fast food items we're glad didn't last, the sandwich came in three varieties. You could get roast beef and Swiss, a roast beef deluxe (which featured the addition of lettuce and tomato), or a Bac'N Cheddar (also with roast beef). Short-lived as they were — they didn't make it to 1991 — modern alternatives with extra meat are not only carb-friendlier, they're also easier to take a bite out of than these towering '90s sandwiches.