One of the few remaining Rax Roast Beef locations in the U.S. is located in Lancaster, Ohio, above. (Credit: Ken Drenten)

By Ken Drenten

Rax Roast Beef, founded in Springfield, Ohio, in 1967, is a fast-food chain that offers roast beef, ham, chicken and turkey sandwiches, sides and shakes. That sounds pretty mainstream, but the chain has had a somewhat sporadic and confusing history. 

The company grew to as many as 504 locations in 38 U.S. states in the 1980s and fell to fewer than 20 locations on more than one occasion. Rax has declared bankruptcy and has been bought up more than once.

The chain was originally known as “Jax” and changed its name to “Rax” under new ownership in 1977. In the 1980s, Rax became a pretty successful midsize fast-food chain. Rax went beyond just offering sandwiches and sides, adding menu items like pizza, Asian food, baked potatoes, and self-serve bars for salads, toppings, dinner items, tacos and desserts.

The company is also known for its slogan “Fast Food With Style,” and for an early 1990s marketing mascot named “Mr. Delicious,” a cartoon character that had a narrated voice with deadpan humor.

Many locations began closing and the company filed for bankruptcy in 1992. After a number of ownership changes later in the 1990s and 2000s, the number of Rax locations dwindled to only those that were franchisee-owned.

The few remaining locations are nonetheless attractive to those who remember Rax’s menu offerings in its glory days. It’s difficult to get an accurate count of locations now since the official Rax Roast Beef website is no longer in operation.

As of 2024, Rax has a handful of restaurants in the states of Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. Ohio locations that are reportedly remaining are below. Some of them may not be open anymore; I can only vouch for the Lancaster location that I have seen myself.

You can search online for more information about Rax locations; several recent YouTube videos have been posted about Rax visits. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, take a drive yourself to find a taste of the ’80s.

• 800 E. Main St., Lancaster (Facebook)
• 24585 US 23, Circleville (Facebook)
• 2353 S. Dayton Lakeview Road, New Carlisle (Facebook)
• 758 E. State St., Georgetown
• 2250 S. Third St., Ironton (Facebook)
• 11306 SR 41, West Union.

Ken Drenten is creator and editor of Dusty-Tires.com, a travel blog for out-of-the-ordinary places in Ohio.

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