Fast food chain Arby’s introduced its new Steak Nuggets in early October, hyping up the product as “tender, juicy, hand-cut, bite-sized morsels of steak—seasoned with garlic and pepper for a bold, smoky flavor.”
Featured VideoNot long after, one TikToker offered a far more critical take, calling it “burnt dog food.”
TikToker reviews Arby’s new Steak Bites
TikToker Emily Davis (@emxlydavis) posted a video in which she challenged the Steak Nuggets’ quality. She asked, “Why did y’all lie about the Arby’s Steak Bites? Now, you might be thinking, ‘That looks like burnt dog food.’ Yeah, that’s what it tastes like, too, if you’re actually debating going and getting them.”
AdvertisementEmily added, “They have the same texture as the beef jerky nuggets. Just wet and weird. That ain’t steak. Before you say, ‘That’s fast food, Emily, you should know it’s not gonna taste like actual steak.’ Just for a split second, I believed Trisha Paytas. Just. Just for a split second. And I know.”
“We did a small local test for Steak Nuggets in May, and our guests went absolutely crazy so we knew we needed to bring them to a national audience,” An Arby’s spokesperson told ABC News. “Right out the gate, we’ve seen content of guests already ordering in our drive-thrus to get a first taste of Steak Nuggets.”
@emxlydavis Emilys Honest Food Reviews🤣 #arbys #arbyssteaknuggets #fyp ♬ original sound – Emily DavisAdvertisement
Social media reactions
But not all consumers shared the enthusiasm. Across TikTok, Reddit, and other platforms, social media users chimed in quickly after the introduction. On Emily’s video, one TikToker simply remarked, “They look both dry and soggy at the same time. ☹”
Meanwhile, an alleged Arby’s employee commentning on the video shared a photo of the box and opined, “It’s lowkey probably ground and meat binder that give it its strange texture.”
AdvertisementAnother worker added more blunt commentary, “as someone who works at abrys they’re so nasty💀 especially the weird mac and cheese bowls. don’t even get me started on the sandwhich😭 mayo and pickles? God worst things we have and none of our food is good.”
On Reddit, u/Salsero_Coreano said the steak nuggets “tasted like dried chunks of their beef brisket.”
Others replied that while this particular product might not have been successful, they appreciated a restaurant offering something new to their customers.
u/wewillroq wrote, “The concept itself seems ight, think the reason others haven’t done beef nuggets is the aesthetics.”
Advertisement“I can definitely appreciate a fast food chain trying something new. I feel like everything the last 10 years has been a copy and paste. Good or bad this is a step in the right direction and I’m going to try it for this reason alone,” said u/__revelio__.
Emily Davis and Arby’s did not respond immediately to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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