NEW YORK, December 29, 2025, 18:26 ET
- Arby’s is quietly closing some restaurants, according to recent media reports.
- The roast-beef sandwich chain has not issued a broad public list of affected stores.
- The pullback adds to a wider push by fast-food brands to trim underperforming locations as costs rise and consumers cut back.
Arby’s is quietly closing some restaurant locations in the United States, renewing questions about how the 60-year-old sandwich chain is navigating an uneven fast-food market. 1
The issue matters now because restaurant operators are heading into 2026 with customers still sensitive to price increases, while labor and rent remain elevated. For franchise-heavy chains, closures can quickly reshape local competition and shift sales to nearby stores.
It also underscores how even established brands are tightening their footprints as they chase higher average sales per restaurant. Wendy’s interim CEO Ken Cook, announcing a separate wave of store shutdowns, said some locations “do not elevate the brand and are a drag,” as the chain moves to cut underperformers.
Arby’s has not made a broad announcement about closures, but at least 14 restaurants have shut in 2025, with closures reported across California, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina, Tennessee and Washington, food site Allrecipes reported. The outlet also cited rising costs for food, labor and rent as pressures across the sector. 2
A Newsweek report detailing closures said the impacts this year have been most visible in pockets such as Tennessee, with shutdowns reported in Cordova, Germantown and Memphis, and another in Murfreesboro earlier in the year. It also cited closures in places including Fresno and Victorville in California, Talleyville in Delaware, Laurel in Maryland, Audubon in New Jersey, Pullman in Washington state and North Charleston in South Carolina. 3
Arby’s was founded in 1964 and built its brand around roast beef sandwiches and a menu that leans heavily on sandwiches and sides. 4
The chain sits inside Inspire Brands, a private restaurant group that also owns Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Sonic Drive-In, Buffalo Wild Wings and Baskin-Robbins, according to published company background. 5
Most Arby’s restaurants are franchised, meaning local operators run stores under the brand and pay fees and royalties. That structure can make closures appear “quiet” when a franchisee shuts an individual store without a companywide announcement.
For consumers, the shift is already changing choices in some markets, especially where Arby’s operates a smaller number of locations and closures remove a nearby option rather than thinning an oversupplied area.
In the sandwich category, Arby’s remains a sizable player despite the closures, competing for traffic against chains led by Subway and Panera, with rivals including Jersey Mike’s and Jimmy John’s also jostling for share. 3
The immediate question is whether the company or its franchisees provide more clarity on which stores are affected as 2025 ends, and whether the pace of closures continues into the first quarter of 2026.
