If you’re a Columbus BBQ fan, you probably felt your soul leave your body for a second when the Ray Ray’s news dropped. Out of nowhere, three of their locations went dark. And yes, this comes only a few days after the owner asked the community to show a little extra love to the Granville spot. So if you’re confused, welcome to the club. I’m right there with you.
Here is the simple version.
First Things First… Which Ray Ray’s Locations Closed?
Ray Ray’s suddenly closed both their Marion and Johnstown locations on November 12th, with very little warning to employees and the general public. Their Linworth spot will also be closing by the end of the month.
BUT, before you start panic-calling your group chat, here are the locations that are still open, and still serving kickass BBQ:
- Westerville | 5755 Maxtown Rd, Westerville, OH 43082
- Clintonville | 4214 N High St, Columbus, OH 43214
- Granville | 1256 Columbus Rd, Granville, OH 43023
- Franklinton (Land Grant Brewing Co.) | 424 W Town St, Columbus, OH 43215
These are safe. You can still get your brisket and pulled pork without writing a farewell letter.
Why Close Three Locations at Once?
According to Ray Ray’s, this is less “the sky is falling” and more “we want to keep being good at what we do.” They want to focus their energy on fewer locations so they can keep the quality as high as we, the Ray Ray’s lovers of Columbus, have come to expect. Basically, they want every plate of ribs to hit like Ray Ray’s ribs, not “Ray Ray’s-but-on-a-bad-day” ribs.
As someone who has eaten enough BBQ to know when things are slipping, I get it. Better to scale back now than lose what made the place special. Luckily, I’ve not tasted any decline in their product thus far, and I trust them implicitly!
We’ll keep following the story, but for now, don’t worry. Your next plate of ribs isn’t going anywhere.
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