[citation needed] Rax was originally known as "JAX Roast Beef", founded by Jack Roschman in 1967, in Springfield, Ohio.

[8] During the late 1980s, Rax began a series of almost continuous changes to its business model, diversifying its staple roast beef sandwich sales into a more eclectic menu.

This transformation drove away its core working-class customers, obscured its staple sandwich business causing profits to plunge while other chains, such as Wendy's, took advantage of Rax's ideas and improved on them.

[10] The company attempted to convert under-performing outlets by forming joint ventures with Miami Subs and Red Burrito[11][12] as they scaled back many of its stand-alone locations to its core markets, particularly in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Delicious", a sportcoat-wearing, briefcase-toting, bespectacled, middle-aged man who constantly overshared his personal life while expressing gratitude for Rax restaurants.

[14] In 1994, Rax Restaurants Inc. merged with North Carolina–based Franchise Enterprises Inc, renaming the company Heartland Food Systems Inc., and becoming a Hardee's franchisee.

[8] The company was planning a revival for the Rax concept, including a new, simpler menu, a new store prototype, and a new logo and color scheme.

[19] However, in November 1996, Wendy's International made an offer to purchase 37 Rax restaurants, intending to convert most of them to Tim Hortons.

[25] In December 2007, Rich Donohue, a five-year franchise owner with a restaurant in Ironton, Ohio,[26] purchased the Rax trademark.

[27] The new company, From Rax to Rich's Inc., purchased the name to bypass licensing costs, and had plans to open more restaurants in Ohio and Kentucky.

][35][failed verification][citation needed][36][failed verification][clarification needed] While writing for website "Weird Marketing Tales" to point out the large number of fatal marketing mistakes made by Rax when they conducted their advertising campaigns that eventually doomed the company, the writer pointed out that even the current company's "official website" is unable to give the correct number of operating stores at the time of the article's publication in 2023.