Rax

In 1963 Restaurant Administration Corporation (RAC) was founded by J. Patrick Ross. The company owned and operated a variety of restaurant enterprises starting with one Burger Chef store in Wheeling, West Virginia. RAC grew by opening additional Burger Chef restaurants in Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Over the next several years RAC continued to broaden its expertise by opening or operating Ponderosa Steak Houses, Patriot Steak Houses, Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers, Long John Silvers and JAX Roast Beef. Between 1968 and 1977 RAC built more than 99 restaurants and managed a total of 195 stores. Eventually, the success of JAX Roast Beef Restaurants convinced the company to sell its other enterprises, focusing attention on the roast beef business. The first JAX unit opened in Springfield, Ohio in 1967. In 1969, General Foods purchased the concept, converting the name to RIX Roast Beef. When General Foods later abandoned RIX, Restaurant Administration Corporation converted its 10 franchise units back to JAX. In 1976, a brand new look was created for the JAX stores. This new restaurant image and the operational changes it incorporated were highly regarded and widely accepted by other individuals in the fast food industry. From this encouragement, it was decided to franchise JAX nationwide. In 1977, JAX was changed to RAX (a more suitable trademark for registration) and in 1978, the first franchise unit opened. The corporate name changed from Restaurant Administration Corporation to RAX Systems, Inc. In 1982, the name was changed to Rax Restaurants, Inc. The founders of Rax made revolutionary changes that are common to the fast food industry today. Rax pioneered the salad bar, baked potato and the serpentine line for ordering. Rax was also the first to add Solariums to the dining area of their restaurants. Rax Restaurants, Inc. filed for Bankruptcy and was forced to sell or close many corporate owned stores. The remaining 56 independently owned stores remained open and a new marketing strategy was unleashed; "Gotta Get Back to Rax". Once the word was out, people returned to Rax for the variety and service they had known and expected. Although there have been many changes within our business operations over the past 30 years, many things stay the same. At Rax you will always find a friendly atmosphere, quality food, and clean stores. Our employees take pride in their work and it shows. Today many Rax Restaurants still have extended salad bars. Each store has its own menu offering a range of delicious sandwiches, salads and side orders. The food is delicious and nutritious. So, what are you waiting for? Visit a Rax near you.