Top Round Roast Beef

Critic's Review

Update 9/1/23

While putting up their new menu with higher prices, I decided to check to see if the franchisor had put up this location yet.

So they've been open well over a year and the Franchisor still hasn't updated their web site to include this restaurant as a location. Usually, franschise agreements require a payment for marketing; I hope these guys aren't paying.

Previous Musings

There's a new bar at the entrance to NY, NY; I walked by it once before and couldn't find any info on it. Nothing. No new venue. Nothing on the NY, NY website or facebook page about it. This time I asked the guy at the bar; he claimed that the bar is owned by Top Round Roast Beef place next door.

What's weird is that, according to county records, Top Round has only applied for a Beer and Wine license. I haven't quite figured out the Clark County license database (there are many "pending" licenses for restaurants that are fully operating); and their restaurant license address is inside the Park MGM (the original plan); but there is no mention of this bar anywhere; not by NY, NY, not by Top Round. If you spend 40K on a liquor license and build a nice bar, wouldn't you tell people about it? Maybe put a picture on your facebook page? I've never seen a person being served at this bar, so maybe the liquor bottles are just for show?

Of course the franchisor STILL hasn't updated their web site to include this restaurant.
---------------------------

On Friday, July 1 at 9:40pm Shake Shack is hopping with a line and most tables occupied. Top Round is dead empty. Oh, those guys sitting in the corner? They were just smoking a joint; no food from Top Round.

------------------------
Top Round Roast Beef is now open in New York, New York in the space previously occupied by Bruxie. It was announced that they'd be opening in the Park MGM, but apparently the plan changed and they didn't bother telling anyone. Wondering why this 8 year old concept has only 2 franchise locations and 2 that have closed? They also have no menus online and their main website doesn't even have their basic info on it a week after opening:

How hard is it to maintain info for 3 locations on a web site? With a year of planning and construction, how can you not have a basic page with hours and a menu up on opening day?

There are too many good restaurants in Las Vegas to review Arby's or Top Round, so here's a review of one of their other location so you might get an idea what to expect:

Review of Top Round in Fort Lauderdale

With the French Dip gone from most 21st Century menus; Arby's (and Subway) are pretty much the only places selling Roast Beef anymore; Arby's has 3,700 locations and sell Roast Beef with Cheese on an onion bun for $3.99. Who wants to compete with that?

These guys do. With a price point at more than twice the price; you'd better have something a lot better. We decided to see how they measured up: head to head.

The first gold star goes to Arby's. Arby's has a drive-thru. Roast Beef isn't cooked to order, so it's fast. I ordered a roast beef with cheese at the microphone and the bag was ready by the time I drove up to the window. Maybe 20 seconds. $4.27. Easy Peasy.

A mile away and I'm here; a sparkling new restaurant that somehow passes as upscale; the only real difference is that this restaurant is a week old and Arby's is probably 40 years old. They have a huge wall menu; the giant fonts will be good for their 70+yo clientelle who remember when Roast Beef and Pot Roast were special occasion treats.

Neither the big wall menu nor the take out menus on the counter tell you how much beverages cost. This location has no online ordering. They have a wine and beer license but there's nothing on the menu about them. The entire back of the take-out menu is wasted with games and drawings. You're dealing with a franchisor (and franchisee) here who doesn't know how to market a restaurant.

I order a roast beef with cheese; $8.87. I have to dismiss the tip suggestion and sign with my finger; you know how I feel about that. I paid cash at Arby's, so I don't know if you have to sign there for a < $5 order. I always pay cash at a drive-through.

At 4:30pm I don't expect them to have much of a crowd. The place is clean and bright; you'd never know a dreary taco place was here before.

They have some seasoning shakers on the table; Salt, Spices and Soy powder. No thanks.

They have some sauces at the condiments bar; I was never a mustard on roast beef guy; I liked mayo which always got me into trouble at Ben's Jewish Deli. Never ketchup on roast beef and never BBQ sauce on anything. I took a bit of the "Round Sauce" for a try. I had to ask for containers with a lid; they don't have them out. I was hoping they'd have a horseradish sauce; but they only had raw horseradish at the bar. Raw horseradish is way too harsh; it needs to be tempered with sour cream.

It took about 7 minutes for the food to come out.

Order and Service Time: ADVANTAGE: Arby's

I live a few blocks away so transit time shouldn't have been an issue for the Top Round sandwich. I'd stopped in Publix after picking up at Arby's (mainly because of Arby's difficult location) so it had been about 1/2 hour for the Arby's sandwich.

Top Round has a nicer bag. Out of the bag, the sandwiches are wrapped similarly; at quick glance the Arby's sandwich appears to be a bit larger.

Out of the wrap, the Top round is clearly smaller but also better organized. Little care was taken assembling the Arby's sandwich.

I straightened out the Arby's sandwich and cut them both in half. Arby's is an onion bun; you can see the neatly sliced meat and a good slathering of cheese.

The Top Round sandwich was less meat, less cheese on a smaller, plain bun.

I tasted them both; the Top Round roast beef was bland and there wasn't enough cheese to compensate. I needed to add salt to the Top Round. The Arby's sandwich was surprisingly good on its own. Arby's included their "Horsey Sauce" in the bag, and this is where Arby's broke from the pack.

The horseradish sauce, although not brimming with healthy ingredients, elevated the Arby's sandwich to a point that left Top Round limping 20 lengths behind.

Dammit I haven't had an Arby's Roast Beef sandwich in 35 years, and as grouchy as my palate has become over the years; this is one tasty offering.

On the other hand, the Top Round sauce is junk; some sort of cross between BBQ sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

Overal, there was nothing special about the beef that made it hold up on its own.

I wasn't going to eat both of these sandwiches; I ended up devouring the Arby's sandwich and tossing the rest of the Top Round in the garbage. Which should tell you all you need to know all by itself.

Conclusion

When I decided on doing this comparison, I fully expected the Top Round sandwich to be better. But how much better could it be? At twice the price, it had better be a lot better. When you create a business with exactly 1 competitor; it would seem that you'd have a pretty clear bar for building a better mousetrap. Meat that is clearly superior, a fantastic horseradish cream sauce; a signature roasting process; would be all that's needed to compete at a higher price; I don't see anything here that's superior to fast food.

The big problem is that the main product, the Roast Beef, isn't any good. It doesn't taste better (it tastes worse), they don't give you more and their additions aren't as good. I probably won't be going to Arby's again any time soon; I wouldn't come back for this if it was $3.99 for one of these. I got a 9" meatball hero (good for 2 lunches) last week for $7.99; in what universe is this tasteless little sandwich worth $8.29?

BurgerFi built a pretty good operation selling tasteless burgers by creating a comfortable environment for families and tapping into the fact that everyone likes burgers. That's not the case with Roast Beef; Arby's and Subway are supplying that dwindling market just fine at less than half the price.