Rax — Restaurant in Ohio

My family and I frequent the New Carlisle Rax. Generally we've had pretty decent service until this evening. We ordered and were told our total which seemed higher than it should be considering we ordered the regular rax that are 2 for $6.98. Once we got up to the window to pay we questioned our total because it was 28 something for 4 sandwiches on sale, 3 curly fries, and 3 cups of cheese sauce. The woman at the window said it didn't take the sandwich discount off so she fixed it we paid she handed us the change with no further speaking. No this is the amount of your change or your food will be right out, nothing. When she came back with our food, she handed out the bag said thanks and my husband took the bag and asked for horsey and bbq sauce. She grabs a handful and basically tosses them at my husband. More sauce packets ended up on the floor and outside the car than in his hand. She shut the window and walked off. He knocks on the window and when she comes back he asks who the manager on duty was. She answered that it was in fact her so he then asked why she was being completely out of the way after we asked why the total was so high because we are regulars there and haven't been out of the way with her during any of our visits, she responded with we were being rude coming there at 7:55pm which she said was right before they close, even though Google states they don't close until 9pm. There was a line when we got there and more people pulling in behind us, so I have to ask myself if the customers before us and after will be given the same treatment that we did. One thing I do know is I will no longer be spending any time telling people to take the time to drive there and give them a try or going there again myself. It's so sad in a small town when you have people being out of the way when it costs nothing...

So I flew 1,400 miles round trip from Florida for the sole purpose of getting lunch from Rax and I was not disappointed. Yeah, true story. Having grown up eating at Rax as a child I still have fond memories of Uncle Alligator & Rax’s tasty roast beef sandwiches and a recent craving for them came across me. So I booked a flight to Dayton Ohio to embark on my Quest for Rax. Upon arrival in Dayton I placed an order for my treasured Rax and within no time it was delivered to me at the Dayton airport. As I prepared to feast I imagined dining in one of the slick solariums of Rax in its heyday. My hands were trembling as I hoisted the Big Beef Sandwich to my mouth in anticipation of the taste I had been craving for so many years. As I took the first heavenly bite I knew that the journey was worth it. The hot fresh roast beef was delectably delicious and even better than I remember from the past. Hands down much better than the other roast beef guys. The other guys may claim that they have the meats but Rax has them beat with the best roast beef sandwich. I also had to complete the meal of course with some twisty fries & cheese sauce which also did not disappoint. Knowing that I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the Rax Experience again anytime soon I had ordered several extra roast beef sandwiches to bring home to Florida. And for the following two days after I returned home I enjoyed those Rax sandwiches for lunch that I had carried back 700 miles. They were still mouthwateringly delicious even on the third day. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to return to Rax but I do know that I thoroughly cherished that dining experience and without a doubt they earned a solid Five Star...

Recently I visited Rax (well, "visited" is a strong word) via a livestream hosted by two brothers on a great American road trip (again, "great" is a strong word) to relive their childhood at one of the last remaining Rax locations. After a windy detour to Wilbur Wright's birthplace and a unexpected delay caused by a failing of the self-proclaimed navigator's directional "vibes," the brothers and their virtual entourage arrived at Rax (if only we'd had audio to hear their reaction to reaching the destination of their pilgrimage). Waiting for them at the restaurant was a smaller, but no less passionate real-life entourage. Group photos and kind greetings ensued; this long-anticipated trip had finally happened and it was as momentous an occasion as it could be, for taking place in a weathered parking lot.

As the brothers chowed down on their Rax feast, the elder proclaimed, "They deserve to still be in business." The younger stated, "I'm enjoying it." From an outsider's perspective, the meal seemed satisfying enough, and expectations were exceeded. The experience would have been much more immersive if the dining room was open, but for this adventure that was years in the making, we'll take what we can get.

Rax may not be the pinnacle of all road trip destinations, but on that Sunday afternoon it brought together thousands of people from across the world. It was chaos and laughter and roast beef all the way down. Despite not actually being there in person, I had a wonderful Rax experience.

Just as the elder brother signed off from the livestream, I will sign off from this review with: "We wanted to go to Rax, and we...