I could give 4 or 5 stars to a hot dog stand, frankly, if it were the best hot dog stand I'd ever been to. Like my parents always said, no matter what you end up doing, even if it's washing floors, be the best floor washer ever! This Arby's fits in that category: The best fast food joint ever and the answer to a traveler's prayer. Magically, my fiancé and I were just on hour 6 of an 11 hour drive up from South Carolina when I started jawing about what a great business model it would be to create "fast" food places that advertised on the highway signs but where you could get fresh, organic food. Whole Foods Quick Stop, maybe? Having had this thought, we slide off 95 North into Petersburg VA and thar she blew: The realization of my dream, Arby's South Crater. The first thing you notice are the big signs about grass fed beef. That's all they serve there, and it's advertised in the windows and on the napkins. For those of us who read Omnivore's Dilemma, that alone counts for a lot. An article "You Are What Your Animals Eat" by Jo Robinson is distributed in full-color glory on the counter to educate the food buying public. But once you get inside and you see the respectful full color menus set about for you to actually read and ponder instead of the usual, ugly and illegible over-the-counter sign, you know you've arrived someplace different. The spot where the usual menu is was taken by a bright mural of grass and sky...nice! This, and the bright skylights, colorful banners and clean booths, gives this fast good joint the feel of a good family restaurant. The menu reflects the positive, green feeling of the rest of the restaurant. Fresh lemonade (delicious, lemony and honey-sweetened if I didn't miss my guess); seasonal vegetables place (order 3 plus a fresh baked muffin for 6.99); four fresh salad choices including such yummy ingredients as gorgonzola cheese, kalamata olives, almonds and raspberry vinaigrette; turkey special sandwiches on corn and multi-grain breads, lightly toasted and featuring ButterBall turkey with avocado, pesto, baby spinach and cranberry mustard (!?): and much much more. All of this comes in addition to the Classic Roast Beef Sandwich and French Dip you're used to getting at Arby's, but with real, healthy beef instead of Industrial Steer Flesh. Oh yes, you can taste the difference. The piece de resistance was our little little plastic cup (made from plant material and fully biodegradable) for 1.59 with 6 little, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. Soft and delicious! My partner's first question was: How can they do this? We thought that franchises had to follow in lock-step with the offerings on their menus and even the method of preparation. I asked our server, who had on a name tag that respectfully gave BOTH his first and last names, how long the restaurant had been like this. Well, a week and a half, he shyly admitted. I asked who was the genius behind it all, and he said, "oh, that's Mr. Rip, our boss. Mr. Rip likes quality, so we do things the way Mr. Rip wants." Needless to say, I am very curious about this Mr. Rip and intend to research him further if only to send him a note saying "Way to go!" This Arby's, though slightly more expensive than the common Arby's, is well worth a special visit, if only to see realized what fast food could be: Healthy, respectful, clean and green. read more

Ordered on mobile app, paid for. Cashier at window kept saying I had a total to pay. Kept repeating was a paid mobile order. She walked away and closed window. Few mins later came back and said I had no mobile order. Showed her my phone with the paid order slip. She took my phone through the window and showed to other staff. Several mins later came and slung a bag of food and shut window. I sat waving arm and honked at staff chatting, laughing with each other and scrolling in their phone. Finally got someone's attention to get drink. No apologies, just absolute rudeness! Then get home to find order was wrong. No ham and cheese sandwich that was ordered. Will NEVER come back here to this ghetto location. If I could give ZERO STARS for this visit, I would. read more

Arby's - Almost $25 for this? So sad, and the order wasn't even right! - Fast Food Near Me - Petersburg, Virginia

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Waited forever at the drive thru window while our food sat in a bag on the counter. By the time we got it, our food was cold, but we took it and left anyway. There were a lot of people working so not sure what they were all doing. The roast beef was hard in places and it was not the best experience. read more

Very friendly staff and food service is always amazing and always fresh food and fast service The manager is the best there.

The food is always fresh even though it's a little pricey. The customer service is good. The employees are always friendly. The ambiance is relaxing and not overly crowded. read more

Rude staff members on their phone the whole time i was at the window. Cold sandwich, ordered curly fries but cold bottom of the pan fries not one was curled. read more

Friendly, helpful and all around good service - and we were just passing through! We've been to a number of Arby's in other states and this is by far the best service and the food was hot and tasty. We'll try to take this stop again on our next trip. read more

I can't say that food out of a bag is worth anything more than 3-stars. But in this case, I almost made an exception. Arbys is like the filet mignon of fast food - almost up there with Wendys. I mean, seriously, curly fries and cherry turnover with your roast beef sandwich? Now, as Nate said, there isn't much in Petersburg that's worth expecting much out of but this place will give you that refreshing breath of fresh air that is welcome - especially in that crap town. read more

The nicest Arby's I have been to in the whole United States ever. Period. The decor (a fully tiled bathroom!?!), service (they give you pagers to tell you when your order is ready), and food (prepared quickly and very presentable) were all top notch above and beyond my expectations - especially for Petersburg, VA! When my family and I stepped into this establishment, we first were thinking maybe the place wasn't the same Arby's chain of restaurants we were familiar with on the west coast. Arby's usually is on-par with Burger King or McD's when it comes to staff, decor, etc. What sealed it for me was a trip to the restroom to wash my hands - there was a tiled (like the expensive marble type tile) floor, walls, and stall. I *had* to take a photo! Bottom line: if you like roast beef or other Arby's offerings, give this place a shot. read more

the food is bad because there boneless chicken tasted like trash and fries are bad and they take 1 Hour for boneless chicken come on.

This is not a bad spot to grab a nice hot roast beef sandwich. Now they are a bit on the pricey side but it's better than the burger joints. A couple of these sandwich and you are to go for awhile. And throw in one of those jamocha shakes and your done. And if you are glutton for punishment get one of them apple turnovers, and if that don't do ya I don't know what to tell ya. read more

I have always been satisfied with the food that I bought from this location. Customer service is top notch.

Service is friendly and quick, food as good as at any Arby's, but after a night of work, I was hungry as hell and stopped by at 9:45 and the damn place was closed already! What? And it didn't look like it had recently closed, it looked like it had been shut down for more than 30 minutes. A fast-food joint that closes down that early has committed a major error in my book. The whole point of fast-food is convenience. If you're closing down at 9pm it kinda defeats the point. read more

Very nice flagship restaurant. Deliciously prepared food - if one can say that about fast food. Superbly clean. Menu that is only available here far as I can tell. Fresh food, salads are fresh, rotisserie chicken,pastries. They have pagers when your order is ready! Grass fed beef. Polite and helpful staff. Best Arbies I have ever been too. read more

Arby's - a view of a restaurant with tables and chairs - Fast Food Near Me - Petersburg, Virginia

Visited on July 01, 2017..........Manager and employees, standing around joking......when the restaurant was absolutely dirty! I watch one employee walk right by dirty tables. Arby's please train your employees to use down time wisely. read more

This is a chain restaurant located almost 2 miles off of Interstate 95. I did not know that Arby's had made changes recently, or if it was merely this one. They were definitely trying to move up the scale here. Classical music in the background, very clean dining room, a bakery display and menu items that I have not seen at other Arby's (the only reason it got 4 stars here). Frankly, I was quite impressed with this specific one. They had menu hand outs as you walk in the door. Silver trays at the registers. They even used pagers to let you know when your food was ready. The food was much fresher here, than at any other Arby's I have been to in the past. read more

Haven't been in an Arby's for awhile. Was pleasantly surprised to find a new healthier menu. This store looks to be new and is very clean and so are the restrooms which is especially nice when traveling. Good stop for fast food. read more

Very modern, clean and a large variety of choices! We like the new Arby's

Best Arby's I've been to. Clean, friendly staff. Inside its like a mini arboretum with trees and plants. They give you a buzzer for when your food is ready. Menus on hand to read. Bathrooms are spotless. Really out of the norm for fast food. Well done! read more

A ordered a steack sandwich with fries. It was fast and it had a good taste too - all I expected! It's worth to stop here.

Excellent food and excellent staff, they'll take good care of you while getting your food quick and painless. Drive thru people are really good at getting the orders out and fast. They also give you back your coupons for you to come back. read more

This is the best Arby's I've been to! Clean, open space, menu variety- not your typical Arby's. Fresh salads, dear bar with honey, Nutella and Torani flavors. Fresh pepper and salt grinders on each table. Friendly staff. Very unique and inviting. read more

Normally when you stop at an Arby's, you have a general idea of what you can get. Roast beef, curly fries, jamocha shake, etc.. But this Arby's has a little bit more than your average location. I had been here about 10 years or so ago and was impressed with how much more it offered than your average Arby's. So when I was in Petersburg the other day, this seemed like the best option for a quick lunch stop. I don't know if this is a corporate test store or what (my brother says there's a similar one by the Richmond airport), but you can tell it's different from the minute you walk in. First off there are menus (!) up front which is a fast food rarity. In addition to the regular Arby's fare, they have rotisserie chicken (!) and fresh vegetables (!). Sorry for all the exclamation marks, but as a longtime Arby's customer, I am shocked to see these things on the menu. They use those light-up buzzers so it feels more like a Fuddruckers-type place than fast food. Ultimately though, it is just fast food and the chicken bacon swiss that I got was no better than the same sandwich at a different store. But when I do eat fast food, I prefer places like Arby's and this is the nicest one I've been to. read more

great food & speed of service but the employees were rude. when i pamper myself and go out to eat, i expect great service and friendly attitudes. gosh what is it about employees these days? read more