Arby’s launches $1.99 protein sliders to win value snackers

Arby’s is trying to make protein feel like a snack-order, not just a full meal. The chain began selling four $1.99 sliders on June 8, positioning the lineup as a value-driven, portable option for customers who want something more filling than a typical snack without moving into entrée pricing.

The menu is built around the Roast Beef Slider, Buffalo Chicken Slider, Chicken Slider and Ham Slider. Arby’s lists them at 180, 240, 230 and 170 calories, respectively, and says the lineup delivers between 10 and 12 grams of protein per slider. The chain is selling the items in restaurants and through digital ordering channels, and its menu site identifies the 1.99 Sliders as a limited-time offer.

That combination of protein and price is the real story. Arby’s is leaning on its meat-forward identity while dropping the format into a smaller, more casual purchase occasion, the kind that can work as an add-on, a light meal or an in-between stop during the summer rush. The move also reflects a broader shift in restaurant menus, where higher-protein items are increasingly showing up in value buckets rather than staying confined to premium bowls or wellness-focused cafés.

The format is not new for Arby’s. The chain first introduced sliders in 2015, when it rolled out five mini sandwiches featuring roast beef, chicken, corned beef, ham and jalapeño roast beef. In that debut month, Arby’s said guests bought 29 million sliders, or nearly 1 million per day, a sales burst that showed how well the smaller sandwiches fit the chain’s brand and pricing strategy.

This version is tighter, with four items instead of five, but the logic is similar. Arby’s, part of Inspire Brands, is using a lower-cost protein product to keep traffic coming from consumers who remain price sensitive even when they want something more substantial. The slider format lets the chain compete in the crowded snackable-food space without forcing a full entrée transaction, which makes the offer as much about occasion-building as it is about calories or macros.

For Arby’s, the test is whether $1.99 can make protein feel accessible enough to become part of the snacking habit. If the answer is yes, the slider line is more than a value-menu promotion. It becomes a blueprint for how a meat-heavy brand can sell protein one small bite at a time.