Restaurant executive, businessman. Co-founder, with his younger brother Leroy Raffel, of the Arby's fast food chain. They opened their first Arby's location in Boardman, Ohio, on July 23, 1964, at the intersection of Market Street and Route 224. The restaurant featured a beef roast on a rotisserie in a glass case, held ten seats, and customers paid 69 cents for a 1/4 pound roast beef sandwich, chips and a drink. The brothers originally wanted to call their franchise Big Tex, but another local businessman already held the name and refused to relinquish it. They then settled on the name RB--which stood for Raffel Brothers--but also roast beef. Soon the name was modified to Arby's. The brothers were able to keep the ten gallon cowboy hat logo. At the time of Forrest's passing, the Arby's franchise had grown to 3,735 restaurants in 48 states and four foreign countries. The original restaurant in Boardman still stands, but is now known as the Wild Birds Unlimited store.
Restaurant executive, businessman. Co-founder, with his younger brother Leroy Raffel, of the Arby's fast food chain. They opened their first Arby's location in Boardman, Ohio, on July 23, 1964, at the intersection of Market Street and Route 224. The restaurant featured a beef roast on a rotisserie in a glass case, held ten seats, and customers paid 69 cents for a 1/4 pound roast beef sandwich, chips and a drink. The brothers originally wanted to call their franchise Big Tex, but another local businessman already held the name and refused to relinquish it. They then settled on the name RB--which stood for Raffel Brothers--but also roast beef. Soon the name was modified to Arby's. The brothers were able to keep the ten gallon cowboy hat logo. At the time of Forrest's passing, the Arby's franchise had grown to 3,735 restaurants in 48 states and four foreign countries. The original restaurant in Boardman still stands, but is now known as the Wild Birds Unlimited store.
Bio by: James Lacy
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