Maid-Rite in Lexington, Missouri.Photo byGoogle Maps.

Maid-Rite is an American casual dining franchise restaurant chain. It was established in 1926 by Fred Angell. The four franchises that were granted in the late 1920s are still open. There's something to be said about the longevity of this chain.

Bradley L. Burt is the CEO of Maid-Rite Corporation which is headquartered in Des Moines, Iowa. There are 27 locations in Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio. Missouri has three of them.

• Mark Twain Dinette & Drive-In, 400 North Third Street, Hannibal, MO 63401
• Maid-Rite Drive-In, 1401 Main Street, Lexington, MO 64067
• Maid-Rite, 1028 Kingshighway, Rolla, MO 65402

The Lexington location is about a 54-minute drive from Kansas City. According to the Good Food St. Louis blog, "What Ted Drewes is to frozen custard, Maid-Rite is to loose sandwiches."

Many of our original franchises granted in the 1920s are still in operation today. We are proud to say that we now have third generation family members operating family owned Maid-Rites. (Source.)

Photo byFacebook/Maid-Rite.

Fred Angell

Fred Angell worked as a butcher in Muscatine, Iowa. He created the Maid-Rite sandwich from a combination of a special cut and grind of meat with his spices which made it different from your basic hamburger. It was called a loose meat sandwich.

Angell established his first restaurant in Muscatine. It began as a walk-up and order eatery and later, his dine-in building opened. The second restaurant was opened with his son, Francis Angell. That restaurant was a drive-in with car hop service.

The first franchise opened in Durant, Iowa which is still open. The franchises grew after that under the help of his grandson, William Angell.

Photo byFacebook/Maid-Rite.

Selling to a partnership

In 1984, the Angell family sold their controlling interest to a farmer from Russell, Iowa, Clayton Blue, and a contractor from Des Moines, John Gillotti. The original Muscatine restaurants were sold to a local businessman, Gary Kopf.

While Clayton Blue planned to expand the chain into a bigger operation, he defaulted on the contract, so Gillotti purchased the chain in 1988. In 1991, after Gillotti died, the Blue family and Gillotti heirs got into a legal battle over the ownership of the chains.

In 1992, an injunction was issued by the Polk County District Court which prohibited any new Maid-Rite franchises. In 1995, the court awarded the Gillotti family ownership of the 138-store chain. With problems with franchise fees and product quality, some of the restaurants closed. By 2002, there were only 83.

In 2002, an investor group led by Bradley Burt purchased a majority interest in the chain, and the Gillotti family retained an interest. During the first two years of this ownership, 20 franchisees closed.

Maid-Rite started using computerized systems to control its expenses and began offering courses on Maid-Rite food preparation to new franchise owners. It also created a new uniform decor for the restaurants to hold onto Maid-Rite's nostalgic brand.

In 2006, Maid-Rite had a 10-year plan to open more than 1,000 restaurants throughout the country. In November 2007, it had an agreement with Hy-Vee Convenience Stores to sell its sandwiches.

So, if you're ever in the area of Hannibal, Lexington, or Rolla, Missouri, it might be worth the stop to visit Maid-Rite which is close to being 100 years old. Visit here to see the menu. The Dine & Dish website has a recipe noted as the Maid-Rite Sandwich.

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