Rapid Ray's douses expansion

TED COHEN/PATCH.COM

After teasing what would be its first-ever expansion, owners of a venerated southern Maine takeout threw cold grease on the alleged plan.

"To clarify, right now we're not seriously considering a purchase" of a Waterboro fast-food joint, Rapid Ray's clarified on its Facebook page.

The Saco eatery - which started in a roadside truck 70 years ago - had stoked speculation of an expansion in a Facebook post, with a picture of the real-estate ad for Vandy's takeout.

But the party was over before it began when owners of the Saco takeout apparently realized they had gotten over their skis with customers urging the expansion.

Nearly a thousand Ray's fans excitedly started stirring the speculation in their own Facebook posts by cheerleading Ray's owners to go ahead and open an inland branch.

"I would love to see this happen," Jim Dalrymple of Limington posted on Facebook. "My body not so much."

After Vandy's went on the block, Ray's owners teased a possible purchase online by posting the question, "I mean..... should we?" followed by three pondering emojis.

Vandy's, in business 22 years, is on the market for $425,000.

"Includes private campsite, plumbed and wired with septic," according to the ColdwellBanker listing.