Arby's Deluxe Wagyu Steakhouse Burger: What’s the Deal?

On May 23, Arby’s shocked the world by unveiling its first burger, the Deluxe Wagyu Steakhouse Burger, along with a Bacon Ranch version. They’ve been branching out from just serving roast beef (R.B. … Arby’s. Get it?) for years now by offering deli-style sandwiches, but this is their first sojourn into the world of fast-food beef patties.

The Deluxe Wagyu Steakhouse Burger comes with the patty that is composed of 52% American wagyu and 48% regular ol' ground beef. Of course, throwing around the term “wagyu” has become commonplace as of late, supplanting even the overused "Angus" descriptor, which has become old hat apparently in the advertising world. Genuine wagyu, after all, is any of four Japanese breeds of cattle, and apparently in the U.S. some wagyu cattle have been bred with Angus cattle, while other American wagyu are from animals directly descended from original Japanese bloodlines and are registered through the American Wagyu Association.

What kind is Arby’s sourcing, if it is indeed really wagyu beef? That’s not really clear. Short of demanding a DNA workup, we basically have to take them at their adspeak word.

In any event, the approximately 6-ounce patty is supposedly cooked sous-vide-style, then topped with American cheese, shredded lettuce, tomato, pickles, red onion, a special burger sauce (reminiscent of McDonald’s Big Mac sauce), and stacked into a buttered brioche bun. The Bacon Ranch Wagyu Steakhouse Burger is the same with the addition of bacon and substituting Parmesan peppercorn ranch for the burger sauce.
The signage and ads make for an appealing presentation with a nice thick patty with an attractive char and fresh toppings piled within a good-looking bun. How does reality stack up against the advertising, both visually and in the taste department?

The star of the party, the patty, actually did have a really appealing crust on the outside that provided a pleasant slight crunch, and it was cooked medium well and thicker than expected. Had it, in fact, been cooked via sous-vide? Who can tell? While it seems hard to believe that Arby's suddenly has become a convert to sous-vide and decided to use this technique on hamburgers of all things, you never know. And while it was more flavorful then expected, was it wagyu beef flavorful? Eh.

The other toppings were OK. The onion was sliced too thinly and was not as substantial as one would like, bringing no additional crunch and texture to the party. The cheese, however, was melted perfectly, forming a good cap around the patty. The shredded lettuce makes it easier to eat than the whole leaf versions that are more common, and the sauce did indeed taste like that Thousand Island conglomeration made popular by the Big Mac. The bun was toasted just enough, but perhaps not as buttery as their ad copy made it out to be. So the verdict? It was fine, better than expected. At $7.49 for the non-bacon deluxe version, however, it's perhaps a bit pricey for a fast-food burger, but it’s not a bad additional option. The more the merrier, right? At least while supplies last.