Editor’s Note: Today’s photos come courtesy of HHR Contributor billytheskink
Rax Roast Beef is an interesting topic; they never operated in Houston but certainly came close. Chances are, as well, if you’re a retail fan and reading this, you’re at least somewhat aware of Rax’s existence. It’s one of the few stories to make it into the mainstream, and honestly, in my opinion, for the wrong reasons. For some background, Rax was founded as Jax Roast Beef in 1967 in Springfield, IL. Over the years, the company would build up a base of stores in the Midwest, changing names and ownership a few times. In 1982, they landed on Rax and, with this new identity and ownership, put their efforts towards expanding franchising. The company looked to expand adjacent to existing territories, and that push had brought Rax into Louisiana by about 1984. Rax would come as far South as Lafayette, and in 1985, it opened its first Texas location along the border in Texarkana. The company’s southward trajectory made it seem like it was destined to come to Houston. However, that would not end up happening. The closest they would come would be the location we’re looking at today in Tyler.
Despite Rax never making it to Houston, the location in Tyler seemed to do quite well compared to the other locations in our general area. The Rax in Louisiana would all close by the end of the 1980s, with the Lafayette locations being demolished, one for Houston-based Bambolinos! The Texarkana location would last until 1988, when it closed. The building stuck around for much longer, serving as a few other restaurants before being demolished in 2016. The Tyler location still stands as of this article; from what I can tell, the location was tried for a steakhouse for a few years before becoming a gas station. Its time as a gas station has mostly been independent, but within the past few years, it was picked up by local Texas chain CEFCO, who did spend some money updating the exterior, but the Rax interior still lives on to this day!
Fast food restaurant to gas station, that’s a pretty crazy one! The owners of the gas station did make the building work well as a convenience store, although some of the obvious fast food remnants are crazy (I could only imagine how strange it is having an old freezer as an office!).
Fast food restaurant to gas station, that’s a pretty crazy one! The owners of the gas station did make the building work well as a convenience store, although some of the obvious fast food remnants are crazy (I could only imagine how strange it is having an old freezer as an office!).
Pretty wild conversion here!