Ragin' Cajun Restaurant

Inside the 610 loop of Houston, TX, in 1974 a small, po-boy only restaurant named “Ray Hay’s Cajun Po-Boys” opened up at 4302 Richmond Ave. to young owners Luke B. Mandola Sr., Frankie B Mandola, and Ray Hay. Ray Hay’s Cajun Po-Boys brought Houstonians authentic po-boy sandwiches straight from the bayou country. With the oil boom of the 1980’s more and more Louisiana descendants migrated to Houston. Homesick for Cajun flavors and wanting to connect with their roots, Ray Hay’s Cajun Po-Boys was “A hit from the time the doors opened.” – Luke B. Mandola Sr.

In 1976 the trio introduced Houston to crawfish boils in the parking lot. These crawfish boils created a springtime tradition for friends and family. The boils were such a success, Ray Hay’s Cajun Po-Boys started serving fresh Louisiana boiled crawfish right out of the little restaurant, becoming the first in Houston to do so.

Luke B. Mandola Sr. partnered with Frank Messina to buy out Frankie B. Mandola and Ray Hay in 1981. With this change, also came the change of the name – Ray Hay’s Cajun Po-Boys was now Ragin’ Cajun, named for the University of Lafayette Louisiana “Ragin’ Cajuns”, where Luke B. Mandola Sr. graduated from in 1974.