Arby's venison sandwiches

[tacklejunkie]

Are they any good? Do they use real venison?

[Jim Almquist]

I was wondering the same.

My guess they must be using farm raised deer

 

Still doesn't seem right for fast food

[eyeguy 54]

It is shipped in from New Zeland. I called Arby here and sounds like 100 sandwiches. Wont last long. 

[Getanet]

7 minutes ago, eyeguy 54 said:

It is shipped in from New Zeland. I called Arby here and sounds like 100 sandwiches. Wont last long. 

 

Did you call the one in St. Louis Park? I heard on the radio last week that was the only location in MN that is selling them, but it was a morning show, so who knows if they have their facts right...My folks like near the SLP location, and I could stop there on my way up to deer camp today - but sorry guys, I just can't bring myself to eat venison from a fast food restaurant so I won't be able to give you a report. Hopefully someone is braver than me!

[Duffman]

It's literally right across the street from my office. Not the greatest place for that offering from a demographic standpoint. Kinda like putting in the Toby Keith's Bar and Grill at West End, which didn't last all that long either.........but boy oh boy did they have some of the shortest shorts on the waitresses for the first year or two.

 

Which seemed to be the only draw, 'cause both the food and the beer were terrible. That space is still empty after a year or more.

As soon as The Yard House went in right next door with their 160+ brands of beer on tap, it was only a matter of time before TK's went under.

 

So like others have stated, the venny sammich shouldn't last long.

 

[eyeguy 54]

5 locations in MN.  about 25 in line SE st cloud. Nice thick steak sandwich but had bbq sauce on it. onion rings on it also. tasted like bbq sauce.  

[Duffman]

What do I know? They sold out in minutes over here according to a co-worker.

Supposedly they only had enough for 70 sammiches.

[eyeguy 54]

I wasted 5.24 but fun to check it out.  

 

[Duffman]

From the Strib......

 

 

 

Well, that was quick.

Venison fans, if you were planning on making an Arby’s run this weekend, you’re out of luck. The fast-food chain’s dabble into the deer-hunting demographic sold out in 15 minutes at the one Twin Cities outlet – in St. Louis Park – where it was available.

“The PR storm preceding it exceeded our expectations,” said John Kelly, Arby’s senior vice president of operations, West region. “The phones have been ringing off the hook.”

Kelly arrived at 9:30 a.m. for the restaurant’s 10 o'clock opening.

“And there were people lined up,” he said. “The parking lot was full.”

I found a parking spot in a nearby lot at 10:05. One of the customers in line ahead of me was trying to buy four sandwiches. No can do: the limit was two. When I ordered mine, a voice rang out from the stove: “We’re almost out.”

By the time my order arrived a few minutes later, the polite man working the cash register was breaking the bad news to customers: No more venison. The restaurant's allotment of 70 sandwiches had sold out. 

Would I order another, were that possible? Probably not. Then again, the acquired taste that is venison isn’t my thing. It was a generous portion (it probably landed somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 ounces) of farm-raised meat, cooked (I’m guessing the more accurate verb would be “pre-cooked”) to a juicy medium rare.

I'd been expecting a shaved meat sandwich, along the lines of Arby's roast beef sandwiches, but no. It was a chop. Venison is a notoriously lean meat, and I was expecting a fairly tough texture, but it wasn’t, landing somewhere on the continuum between Salisbury steak and brisket. Not bad.

The predominant flavor – at least at first – was the peppery/sweet punch of Arby’s Sauce. Ugh. But underneath? The unmistakable gaminess of deer meat. (I’ll admit: it took far more Curly Fries than I would normally allow myself to cleanse my palate). A handful of soggy fried onions was the sole garnish, and the sturdy bun, with its criss-cross scored top – held up quite well.

File this one under “V” for “Viral Food Novelty.” Given its propensity for generating talkers, the Minnesota State Fair would be an ideal venue for this sandwich. Fairgoers would undoubtedly line up for the sandwiches, particularly given the surprising low price: $5.

The near-instantaneous sellout in St. Louis Park mirrors the company’s experiences elsewhere.

“I was at the Nashville restaurant on Monday,” said Kelly. “They had more inventory there, and they were still sold out by lunchtime.”

Forget about tapping any inside connections. Kelly said that a number of friends asked him to set a sandwich aside. 

“I was like, guys, I’m going to get crushed here,” he said with a laugh, adding that the restaurant’s staff didn’t even get a crack at the delicacy.

Will there be a repeat performance? Probably.

“It’s going to take a process to get it in,” said Kelly. “I don’t know that there’s a supply the size that’s big enough for us. We went to places that have the most hunters per capita. We might do it for a specific regional market, say, Minnesota-Michigan-Pennsylvania-Ohio. But we’re also getting responses from people saying, ‘We hunt in North Carolina, too.’ There are hunters everywhere.”

Just as I was leaving, a friend of Kelly’s – and a hunter -- walked in and got the bad news.

“Sorry about that,” Kelly said to him. “You’ll have to go get your own now.”

Fortunately, Minnesota's deer hunt firearm season opens Saturday.

[eyeguy 54]

The predominant flavor – at least at first – was the peppery/sweet punch of Arby’s Sauce. Ugh.....   yepper,  that sums it up. LOL