
A fast food chain that originated in Muscatine has been ranked as the iconic spot for a postgame meal in Iowa according to one of nation’s top websites that covers high school sports.
According to a tweet over the weekend from MaxPreps.com, Thrillist rated Maid-Rite as the most iconic place to grab some grub after a big game in the state.
What’s the No. 1 spot in your state to grab that grub after the DUB? 🍔
(📸 @thrillist ) pic.twitter.com/BZWeebcFgW
— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) September 3, 2021
Fred Angell was a butcher in Muscatine who combined a special cut and grind of meat with a selected set of spices and created the Maid-Rite sandwich, which is not a traditional hamburger. Rather, it is called a “loose meat” sandwich.
While the component meat is similar, the Maid-Rite sandwich’s meat is not formed into a patty, making it similar to a sloppy joe without the tomato-based sauce.
Angell opened his first restaurant on Cedar Street in Muscatine, which was strictly walk-up. Later, a new eat-in building was opened.
He and his son, Francis Angell, opened a second restaurant featuring a “car hop” or drive-in service, the first of its kind in the United States.
Maid-Rite remained under family ownership until 1982. The original Maid-Rite restaurants in Muscatine were sold to Gary Kopf, a local businessman who also operated vending companies, family restaurants and bakeries.
There are currently 21 locations in Iowa, and 11 locations in other states. Maid-Rite’s corporate headquarters are located in Des Moines.
As with any type of these lists and rankings on the internet, the post has stirred all kinds of debate and arguments over where the best postgame meal can be found.
More people go to Casey’s after a game than they do Maid-Rite in Iowa. Who made this list?
— Cycle K (@yoquierovelokr) September 6, 2021
NC is really Cookout.
— Tim Buckley (@TimBuckleyWX) September 6, 2021
Nobody from Missouri has ever experienced a football team win and been like, “Hell yeah, let’s got get the butternut squash soup at Panera!”
Not one. Not a single human that’s ever lived there.
— The Ghost of William Faulkner (@PharmacistReb) September 6, 2021
Of all the “pizza” spots in NY you really think that trash??? Lmaoooooooooo nah
— Bruce Buffer’s Wife® (@BeccaCardia) September 5, 2021
Wow what a great game, let’s go to the mall and grab some Auntie Anne’s pretzels.
— Justin Miller (@ijustin13) September 6, 2021
No list can be taken serious without a Waffle House on it!
— Donald Pickett (@DonaldgPickett) September 3, 2021