98 Years Ago, The Maid-Rite Sandwich Was Born In Iowa

Nothing tastes more like Iowa than a classic Maid-Rite sandwich. It's a Midwest staple that began its story right in America's heartland. For almost 100 years, Maid-Rite has been a right of passage for Iowans.

The history of Maid-Rite is rich and its traditions continue to this day. But how did Maid-Rite begin and how did it grow to become a sandwich attached to Iowa and the Midwest? We'll take you back to the start because, on this date in the mid-1920s, Maid-Rite was only known to the folks of Muscatine.

Maid-Rite Opens Its Doors In Eastern Iowa

Let's take you back to 1926. Fred Angell was a butcher in Muscatine and he wanted to create a new meat sandwich, so he worked to come up with just the right combination of cut and grind of loose meat, with a selected blend of spices. A deliveryman tasted the new creation and said, "This sandwich is made right," according to the Iowa Almanac.

Fred was quite a sandwich maker but not much of a speller hence why the name is spelled the way it is.

Fred Angell's first Maid-Rite sandwich shop opened on May 1st, 1926 at 110 Cedar Street in Muscatine. It was a traditional walk-up restaurant but quickly became so popular that Fred and his son Francis opened a second, this one including a new idea so people could get their food without leaving their cars, a drive-up window.

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The second town in Iowa to offer the Maid-Rite was Durant, just a few miles northeast of Muscatine. By the end of the 1920s, there were four Maid-Rite restaurants in Iowa including in Marshalltown.

Fred began to franchise his idea, selling the rights to Newton in 1927 and Marshalltown in 1928. Cliff Taylor purchased the 1928 franchise for the sum of $300. Cliff and his family operated Taylor's Maid-Rite Hamburger Shop.

By the time of the company's 70th anniversary in the mid-1990s, there were 138 stores in the chain nationwide.

You can find Maid-Rite locations across Iowa and even in states like Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio.

The next time you pass through Muscatine, stop for a classic Maid-Rite sandwich in the town where it all began. Thanks to Iowa Almanac for providing details about Maid-Rite and its humble beginnings in Iowa.

Here the Iowa Almanac for May 1st about Maid-Rites below.