ARBY’S has announced the death of the fast-food restaurant’s cofounder at the age of 96.
Leroy Raffel, one of the brothers who founded the first Arby’s in Boardman, Ohio, passed away this week.
The verified Arby’s Facebook page shared a tribute to the co-founder after his death.
“We remain honored to carry on the legacy that Leroy and his brother Forrest created,” Arby’s said in the post while calling Raffel “a truly visionary leader.”
“May his memory be a blessing,” the chain said.
The post also revealed that the “RB” in Arby’s is a nod to the co-founders’ initials.
According to Fortune, Leroy and his brother Forrest opened the first restaurant in 1964, with only 10 seats and 20 parking spots.
The new concept distinguished itself from the many hamburger chains by emphasising various sandwiches and items.
“On the day we opened, the McDonald’s hamburger was 15 cents and our sandwich was 69 cents. So you had to be a little more affluent to buy our sandwich,” Leroy told Ohio TV station WFMJ in 2014.
Within 12 years, the brothers sold the chain to Royal Crown Cola, according to the outlet.
There were 400 Arby’s locations when they sold it.
Following the chain’s share of ups and downs, including Wendy’s owning the brand at one point, Arby’s was on fire by 2016.
Today, Inspire Brands oversees Arby’s, as well as Sonic, Jimmy John’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, and others.
By 2016, the restaurant, which had humble beginnings in Ohio, had outperformed others in the fast food industry for 13 consecutive quarters.
Forrest, Leroy’s brother, died in 2008 at the age of 86.
