Does Arby's Have a Tip Screen? (2026)

Why Arby's Doesn't Have a Tip Screen

Arby's opened in 1964 in Boardman, Ohio — founded by the Raffel brothers as a roast beef sandwich alternative to the burger-dominated fast food landscape. The concept was simple: slow-roasted beef, sliced fresh, served on a bun at a clear price. That simplicity has defined the brand for over 60 years.

Arby's workers are paid hourly wages. The quick-service restaurant model — counter service, drive-thru, standardized menu, predictable pricing — doesn't include a tipping component. When you order a Classic Roast Beef or a Beef 'n Cheddar, the price on the menu board is the price you pay. No tip prompt appears at the end of the transaction.

Tip screens are a POS software feature that operators can enable or disable. Arby's corporate and franchised locations use POS systems configured without active tip prompts. The standard Arby's checkout is: order, pay the displayed price, receive your food. No guilt screen, no suggested amounts, no "custom tip" option.

"We Have the Meats" — But Not the Tip Screens

Arby's tagline — "We Have the Meats" — is one of the most effective in fast food. It's direct, confident, and accurate. Arby's has roast beef, turkey, brisket, corned beef, chicken, and fish. The menu is built around protein variety in a way that no other major QSR chain matches.

What Arby's doesn't have: tip screens. The brand's directness extends to its checkout experience. You pay for what you ordered. The transaction is complete. No additional ask, no guilt prompt, no suggested percentages.

This is consistent with the brand's positioning. Arby's has always been a chain that knows what it is — a roast beef and meats specialist — and doesn't try to be something it's not. Adding a tip screen would be inconsistent with that directness.

Inspire Brands: Arby's, Wendy's, Sonic — All Tip-Free

Arby's is owned by Inspire Brands — a restaurant group that also owns Wendy's, Sonic Drive-In, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin', and Baskin-Robbins. Inspire Brands is one of the largest restaurant companies in the world by number of locations.

Among the Inspire Brands QSR portfolio, the pattern is consistent: Arby's, Wendy's, and Sonic Drive-In do not have tip screens at their standard US in-store locations. This isn't a coincidence — it reflects a portfolio-level operational approach that has not adopted tip prompts for its quick-service chains.

Inspire Brands manages POS systems and checkout flows across its chains. The decision not to enable tip prompts at Arby's, Wendy's, and Sonic is a deliberate operational choice, not an oversight. These are large, professionally managed chains with sophisticated operations teams. They know tip screens exist. They've chosen not to use them.

The Drive-Thru: Curly Fries, No Tip

Arby's drive-thru is a core part of its business. The drive-thru checkout is standard QSR: pull up, order, pay the displayed amount, receive your food. No tip screen at the window.

Arby's curly fries are one of the most beloved side items in fast food — a seasoned, spiral-cut fry that has a dedicated fan base. Getting curly fries through the drive-thru is a simple, pleasant transaction. The checkout being tip-free keeps it that way.

A tip screen at the drive-thru would add friction to a transaction that is specifically designed to be frictionless. Arby's hasn't added one, and there's no indication that's going to change.

Counter Service: Roast Beef and Honest Pricing

Arby's counter service is traditional QSR: you walk up, order from the menu board, pay, and wait for your food. The counter interaction is direct and efficient. No tip screen appears at the register.

Arby's has been rolling out updated POS systems and digital menu boards at many locations. These upgrades have not included tip prompts. The modernized checkout experience at Arby's is still tip-free — the technology update didn't bring a tip screen with it.

This is notable because POS upgrades are often the moment when tip screens appear at restaurants that previously didn't have them. A new Square or Toast installation comes with tip features enabled by default. Arby's has managed its POS upgrades without enabling tip prompts.

Arby's in the QSR Landscape

Arby's occupies a specific niche in the QSR landscape — it's the roast beef chain, the meats chain, the alternative to burgers. With over 3,500 US locations, it's a significant national presence. And across all of those locations, the checkout experience is consistent: menu price, payment, done.

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  Wendy's (also Inspire Brands): No tip screen. Fresh, never frozen — and tip-free.
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  Sonic Drive-In (also Inspire Brands): No tip screen at standard in-car service.
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  McDonald's: No tip screen. The original fast food chain.
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  Burger King: No tip screen. QSR pioneer, tip-free since 1953.
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  Popeyes (also RBI): No tip screen. Louisiana chicken, honest pricing.

The pattern across major traditional QSR chains is consistent. The original fast food chains — built before tip culture touched counter service — have not adopted tip screens. Their workers are paid hourly wages, their pricing is transparent, and their checkout experience reflects that.

Arby's Workers and Wages

Arby's workers are paid hourly wages that vary by state and location. In higher-wage states like California, Washington, and New York, fast food workers earn $15–$20+ per hour. In lower-wage states, workers earn at or above the state minimum wage.

The tip screen argument — that workers need tips because wages are insufficient — applies most strongly to tipped workers in full-service restaurants in states with low minimum wages and active tip credits. It applies least strongly to hourly fast food workers at large national chains. Arby's workers earn hourly wages regardless of tips. A tip screen at Arby's would be a revenue supplement, not a worker necessity.

That's not a knock on Arby's workers, who do real work in a demanding environment. It's an honest accounting of why tip screens exist and what they actually accomplish at a QSR chain.

What About Delivery?

If you order Arby's through DoorDash or Uber Eats, you will see a tip prompt. That's the delivery platform's tip screen — it has nothing to do with Arby's. The tip goes to the gig delivery driver, not to Arby's employees.

Arby's employees making your Beef 'n Cheddar are paid hourly wages regardless of delivery tips. The delivery tip is a separate transaction between you and the delivery platform's driver network.

For in-store orders — counter or drive-thru — Arby's is tip-free.

Arby's Checkout Model

Arby's is a franchised chain — most locations are operated by franchise groups, not corporate. Inspire Brands (Arby's corporate owner) maintains standardized POS guidelines, but franchisees have some flexibility in their technology implementations. The vast majority of Arby's locations use standardized corporate-approved POS systems that do not include tip prompts.

Arby's is drive-thru-heavy in its format — the majority of transactions happen through the drive-thru, which is structurally tip-free. The counter service experience at Arby's also does not include a tip prompt in the standard configuration. This is consistent across franchised locations in most markets.

The signature items — the Beef 'n Cheddar, the French Dip, the Smokehouse Brisket — are available at the posted menu price. No tip screen, no service charge, no additional prompts at checkout.

Arby's Tipping FAQ