By Gabriela Resto-Montero
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Drive-thru favorite Arby's restaurant's latest roast beef creation owes its existence to local East Village eatery This Little Piggy Ate Roast Beef, The New York Observer reported.
The fast-food chain's new "Ultimate Angus Gravy Dipper" sandwich, made from prime beef and paired with a thick gravy, was inspired by the East Village joint, said Brian Kolodziej, an executive with the chain, the Observer reported.
The Gravy Dipper is still in beta-testing, and not yet available for general consumption, the paper reported.
This Little Piggy Ate Roast Beef owner Francis Garcia took the imitation as a form of flattery.
"I'd love to do a roast beef throwdown with them, actually," Garcia told the Observer of the chain.
"We make killer french fries, too. Hand cut. And we don't do curly," he added.
Even if the Gravy Dipper takes off, the sandwich won't be too much competition for Garcia and his restaurant — there are no Arby's in Manhattan.