Unearth The Voyage
Remember when grabbing a quick bite meant savoring sandwiches that defined an era in Ohio? Fast food joints across the Buckeye State once served up unique creations that became part of our shared food memories. From beloved local chains to national giants testing regional specials, these sandwich innovations captured our hearts before vanishing from menus forever.
Melt Bar & Grilled’s Parmageddon
The Parmageddon wasn’t just a sandwich—it was a Cleveland legend. This monster mash-up stuffed pierogies and sauerkraut between slices of grilled bread with mountains of melted cheese.
Born in Lakewood and named after Cleveland’s Polish suburb Parma, this comfort food sensation drew lines out the door and even appeared on national TV food shows. With Melt’s final location closing in 2025, this pierogi-packed grilled cheese masterpiece joins the ranks of extinct Ohio culinary treasures.
Wendy’s SuperBar Pita Pocket
Back in the 1980s and early 90s, Wendy’s revolutionized fast food with their SuperBar—an all-you-can-eat buffet featuring Mexican, Italian, and garden fresh options. The hidden gem? Their build-your-own pita pockets.
Customers would grab a soft pita, stuff it with pasta, taco meat, veggies, and whatever else caught their fancy. For just $2.99, Ohio kids created culinary masterpieces limited only by imagination. When Wendy’s discontinued the SuperBar in 1998, these customizable sandwich creations disappeared forever.
Burger Chef’s Big Shef
Before McDonald’s conquered every street corner, Burger Chef ruled Ohio’s fast food scene with their legendary Big Shef sandwich. This double-decker beauty featured two flame-broiled patties, melted cheese, shredded lettuce, and their signature tangy sauce on a triple-decker bun.
Burger Chef once boasted more locations than McDonald’s across the Buckeye State. When Hardee’s acquired the chain in 1982, they briefly kept the Big Shef alive, but eventually, this beloved Ohio sandwich faded into fast food history, leaving only nostalgic memories for those lucky enough to have tasted it.
Big Boy’s Brawny Lad
While Big Boy’s signature double-decker remains legendary, Ohio locations once served a lesser-known heavyweight called the Brawny Lad. This robust creation featured a quarter-pound patty on dark rye bread topped with a massive slice of raw onion and tangy sauce.
Perfect for bigger appetites looking for something different than the classic Big Boy, this sandwich developed a cult following throughout the state. As menu streamlining took hold in the 1990s, the Brawny Lad quietly disappeared from Ohio Big Boy restaurants, though old-timers still reminisce about its bold, distinctive flavor profile.
Arthur Treacher’s Captain’s Sandwich
Long before fast-casual seafood became trendy, Arthur Treacher’s Fish & Chips—founded in Columbus in 1969—hooked Ohioans with their Captain’s Sandwich. This maritime masterpiece featured a generous North Atlantic cod fillet, battered and fried to golden perfection, nestled between buttered buns with a dollop of tangy tartar sauce.
The chain’s authentic British-style fish made it a Friday favorite during Lent across the state. As Arthur Treacher’s locations gradually disappeared from Ohio’s landscape in the 1990s, the Captain’s Sandwich sailed into the sunset, leaving seafood sandwich lovers high and dry.
Red Barn’s Big Barney
Anyone who cruised Ohio highways in the 1970s remembers those iconic barn-shaped Red Barn restaurants and their signature Big Barney sandwich. This triple-decker marvel featured two all-beef patties, lettuce, cheese, pickles, and special sauce on a three-part sesame seed bun—sound familiar?
Many Ohioans swear Red Barn’s version outshined the more famous Big Mac. When the chain folded in the 1980s, road-tripping families lost a beloved pit stop. Today, those distinctive red buildings have been converted to other businesses across Ohio, but the Big Barney lives on only in the memories of sandwich aficionados.
G.D. Ritzy’s Reuben Melt
Before fancy grilled cheese shops were trendy, G.D. Ritzy’s—a Columbus-born chain—served a Reuben Melt that transformed sauerkraut haters into believers. The sandwich artist would grill marble rye bread to perfection, then layer it with thinly sliced corned beef, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing.
What made it special was how the sauerkraut was prepared—rinsed just enough to remove excessive sourness while maintaining that distinctive tang. When most Ohio locations closed in the 1990s, this perfectly balanced sandwich disappeared, though a few isolated G.D. Ritzy’s survive in other states.
Rax Roast Beef’s BBC Sandwich
Springfield, Ohio gave the world Rax Roast Beef and its legendary BBC sandwich—a mouthwatering combination of warm roast beef, crispy bacon, and melted cheddar on a toasted sesame seed bun. This wasn’t just any roast beef sandwich; the meat was sliced paper-thin and piled high.
In the 1980s, Rax rivaled Arby’s with over 500 locations nationwide. Now reduced to just a handful of restaurants, finding an authentic BBC requires a pilgrimage to one of the few remaining outposts. For most Ohioans, this perfect harmony of beef, bacon and cheese exists only in memory.
Chicken-Wrapped Hot Dog Hybrid
In the experimental fast food days of the early 2000s, several Ohio locations tested a bizarre but addictive creation: a hot dog wrapped in a thin chicken breast, then deep-fried and served on a hoagie roll with special sauce. The result? A protein-packed monstrosity that defied culinary categorization.
This Frankenstein’s monster of sandwiches never made it to nationwide menus, remaining a regional curiosity. Health concerns and changing consumer preferences eventually killed this indulgent hybrid before it could achieve legendary status. Those who tried it still debate whether it was culinary genius or madness.
Tasty Made’s Bacon Jam Burger
For a brief, glorious moment from 2016 to 2018, Lancaster, Ohio was home to Tasty Made—Chipotle’s ambitious attempt to enter the burger market. Their standout creation? A perfectly crafted burger topped with house-made bacon jam that struck the perfect balance between sweet, savory, and smoky.
Food critics traveled from across the Midwest to sample this potential challenger to Shake Shack and In-N-Out. Despite passionate local support, the concept struggled to find its footing in Ohio’s competitive burger landscape. When Tasty Made closed after just 16 months, their distinctive bacon jam creation vanished with them.
Druther’s Diner Deluxe
Before becoming Dairy Queen, many Ohio locations operated as Druther’s—a forgotten chain that served the legendary Diner Deluxe sandwich. This masterpiece featured a quarter-pound beef patty topped with a fried egg, bacon, and cheese on a butter-toasted bun decades before “putting an egg on it” became trendy.
Druther’s mascot, Andy Dandytale, would appear in commercials promoting this breakfast-lunch fusion creation. When the chain was acquired and converted to Dairy Queen in the mid-1980s, the Diner Deluxe disappeared from Ohio’s fast food landscape, though some Kentucky locations survived longer, making it a true regional loss.
Damon’s Clubhouse Sandwich
Before sports bars were on every corner, Damon’s Grill dominated Ohio’s restaurant scene with their massive Clubhouse Sandwich. Unlike typical club sandwiches, this behemoth featured thick-cut prime rib, smoked turkey, and applewood bacon stacked between three slices of sourdough with horseradish mayo.
The sandwich was so popular that Cleveland Browns players would frequently be spotted devouring them after games. As Damon’s locations gradually closed across Ohio throughout the 2010s, this legendary sandwich faded away. The combination of premium ingredients and perfect execution has yet to be matched by any current sports bar chain.
York Steak House’s Hot Sicilian Sandwich
Before shopping mall food courts became dominated by national chains, York Steak House restaurants across Ohio offered their legendary Hot Sicilian Sandwich. This hearty creation featured thinly sliced prime rib, melted provolone, and roasted peppers on a garlic-buttered Italian roll, served with a side of au jus for dipping.
The sandwich developed a cult following among mall employees working long shifts. As retail landscapes changed and York locations gradually disappeared from Ohio malls throughout the 2000s, this beloved lunch option vanished with them. Today, only one York Steak House remains in Columbus, but their menu no longer features this once-popular sandwich.
Ponderosa’s Ribeye Sandwich
Long before the modern fast-casual boom, Ponderosa Steakhouse locations across Ohio served a lunchtime Ribeye Sandwich that put modern cheesesteaks to shame. A full 6-ounce ribeye steak was cooked to order, topped with sautéed mushrooms and onions, then placed on a toasted Kaiser roll with horseradish sauce.
The sandwich came with unlimited trips to the famous Ponderosa salad bar—an unbeatable deal at $4.99. As Ponderosa locations began closing throughout the 2010s, this affordable luxury disappeared from Ohio’s dining landscape. The few remaining locations focus primarily on their buffet offerings, leaving steak sandwich enthusiasts out of luck.
