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According to an article on <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/16/how-humor-saved-arbys-and-bolstered-its-brand.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-humor-got-pop-culture-to-start-thinking-arbys-2709718" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">CNBC</a>, myriad factors have led to a saturated foodservice franchise space, including &ldquo;rising labor costs, changing millennial tastes and an oversurplus of restaurant chains.&rdquo; According to the article, &ldquo;it is estimated that <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/217561/number-of-quick-service-restaurant-franchise-establishments-in-the-us/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-humor-got-pop-culture-to-start-thinking-arbys-2709718" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">there are 194,723 franchised quick-service restaurants in the U.S, up from 151,887 a decade ago.</a> To stay in the game, brands are modernizing, pushing discounts, enhancing conveniences, adding healthier fare and more to get customers in the door.&rdquo;

In the quagmire, Arby&rsquo;s has emerged as a surprising frontrunner in recent years, &ldquo;recently <a href="https://www.qsrmagazine.com/reports/top-50-breakdown-market-segments?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-humor-got-pop-culture-to-start-thinking-arbys-2709718#sandwich" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">ranked No. 3 </a>in the sandwich category behind Panera and Subway by QSR magazine&rsquo;s list of the nation&rsquo;s top quick-serve and fast-casual brands,&rdquo; the article said. The roast beef franchise has flourished since CEO Paul Brown joined the brand in 2013. New LTOs like the 2013 brisket sandwich and 2014&rsquo;s rollout of the playful tagline &lsquo;We have the meats&rsquo; bolstered sales, the article said.

The biggest sales boom, however, came in 2014 when Pharell Williams wore that infamously oversized brown hat to the Grammy Awards. Arby&rsquo;s playfully tweeted &ldquo;@Arbys: Hey @Pharrell, can we have our hat back? #GRAMMYs&rdquo; and &ldquo;generated 6,000 new followers for the brand,&rdquo; according to the article. Shortly after, Arby&rsquo;s became the brunt of a recurring joke on Jon Stewart&rsquo;s &ldquo;The Daily Show.&rdquo; According to the article, Brown responded by having the brand cater the show almost every time Stewart leveled a job. The pi&egrave;ce de r&eacute;sistance? When Stewart announced his retirement, the article said, Arby&rsquo;s tweeted: &ldquo;Jon, feel free to reach out to us at career@arbys.com.&rdquo;

Read the full story <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/16/how-humor-saved-arbys-and-bolstered-its-brand.html?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-humor-got-pop-culture-to-start-thinking-arbys-2709718" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" style="text-decoration-line:none" target="_blank">here</a>.

<div>Image: Arby&#39;s Instagram</div>

How Humor Got Pop Culture to Start Thinking Arby's

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A playful social media presence turned the brand into a cultural mainstay.

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