Rager's is in a nice, neat new space in one-half of a gas station/convenience store in Van Wert, OH, which if you're in Indy and reading this may be kind of disappointing, as it is to me because I don't have the ability to visit there EVERY DAY for breakfast or lunch like I'd want. Pork is big around Van Wert due to the large number of hog farms there. That and other agriculture make the Van Wert County Fair a really big deal: their fairground is much bigger than Marion County's here, for a county of only 15,000(?) people. Locally famous and one of the most popular food items offered at the fair is a great big sausage sandwich sold by a booth from the Lions' Club of the nearby village of Venedocia. It has a big, round, dense patty that is thicker than a McD's quarter pounder and weighs twice as much, so it's almost a meal in itself. It is well seasoned, nicely browned and VERY tasty. It seems everyone at the fair gets one sooner or later, they're so popular.
Rager's sandwich has sort of the same rural origins but is different from the Venedocia sandwich. Rager's store is sort of like Wheatley's here in Wanamaker, having begun as a farm and meat market in the little town of Convoy, OH, then a carnival vendor/food truck operator, and fairly recently opened their own actual restaurant. Rager's patty is somewhat thinner and very irregularly shaped, like maybe they just grab a hunk out of a big pan of sausage and smush it on the griddle with a spatula. It's REALLY well-seasoned, maybe more than the Lions', and is quite satisfying even though not as big. I had Rager's lunch combo of a sandwich, some perfectly cooked fries, and fountain drink for under $7, so this $$ guy was in HOG HEAVEN! I think Van Werters (Van Wertians?) agree, because the drive-thru line at Rager's stayed almost 10 cars deep the whole time I was there... SOOOOIE! Y'all come get some!
Sounds good!
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