Dan’s Sandwich Shop

I was born in 1968 and grew up in Newton with this place as a Maid Rite. Roughly every couple of years I come back to visit family and I always try to stop back here. Today I ordered two MaidRites and it was so bad I didn’t want to eat the second. Something has happened to the meat. It seems to come from a different part of the cow now with a different fat ratio.

There is nothing like a good small town dinner. Dan’s is just that. Great food and fresh baked donuts where a great treat.

⁵⁄₅. Old school. And keeping it old school. A 4 star cumulative rating is a little low. This is the best of the best. It’s simple, but great. Nothing else that needs to be said.

One my favorite stops for a quick and easy lunch when I just need something fast for lunch. Their Maid Rite loose meat sandwiches (I typically get your standard Maid-​Rite with onions, pickles and mustard) are some of the best I’ve had and I really enjoyed their french fries. The service is always quick, prompt and kind. You can’t go wrong!

Provided an order in no way resembling my clearly stated request. I waited 15″, and when I called to complain (I got takeout) after I got home, the owner was both unapologetic and very clear that he did not care about his inferior product, the time I had to wait for it, or the fact that I was unhappy with what I got. Apparently I should just put up with his kitchen help not being in the mood to give me what I asked, and paid, to have. I finally complained enough to have the owner offering to replace the order. I just will not return, even to have the order replaced. Anyone that disinterested in my business doesn’t need it, apparently. And I certainly have no interest in paying for bad food from someone who doesn’t care.

Maid-​Rite is a long-​standing Iowa chain, as I understand it, open since 1926. This particular location has held onto it’s classic charm and appearance. When you walk in, it feels just like you’ve walked into a roadside diner from the past.
The menu is very no-​nonsense and everything is very reasonably priced. Breakfast offerings are your basic eggs, meat, toast and potatoes. (And this particular location offers the absolute best donuts ever.)
My husband and I stopped here after a visit to the Maytag Cheese headquarters in Newton, where we met the owner — unbeknownst to us, by asking if there were any good joints around town to stop in for breakfast. I’m glad we asked — this was the perfect fit for our mood and our tastes. We each had a basic breakfast of eggs and meat and were completely satisfied. The owner, kind as he is, gave us some donuts for the road. I can’t even begin to tell you how good they were… wow. The standard donut will never be the same after tasting these treasures — I mean wow. It won’t be often, but when we make the drive to visit our family in Iowa from Kansas, we’ll definitely be making a detour to visit here again.

This was my first Maid-​Rite experience, and overall, I’d say it was a good one. I went for the Cheese-​Rite with onions, pickle and mustard. That’s a pretty safe bet for a first-​timer, I’d wager.
The sandwich has been aptly described elsewhere as a sloppy joe without the sloppy, and that goes a long way toward capturing the essence of it. The finely chopped and mildly seasoned ground beef is generously scooped onto a bun, and a spoon is provided to return the inevitable spillage to its rightful home. I think mine could have used a little more salt, but that’s a matter of personal preference.
I liked the small-​town-​diner feel of this place very much. There’s plentiful parking outside the rear entrance if you can’t grab a spot on the street.
It’s worth a try. Loose meat sandwiches are a long way from my favorites, but I’d stop again.

Man that is some loose meat!
I’d drive all the way to Iowa to get this treat.
Not like any sandwich you’ve had before.
This one will have you asking for at least one more.
There are only two choices: plain or with cheese.
You can certainly add any condiment you please.
I like mine with cheese, a side of fries, ketchup, and onion.
You may like yours plain, with mustard, and a bag of Funyuns.

As someone who grew up in Newton and didn’t move until I finished high school I must admit that the ONLY restaurant that I miss in Newton is Maid-​Rite. It’s one of those places that you don’t appreciate until you don’t have it anymore.
Seriously, growing up in a small town you just assume everyone has it just like you. Everyone had a small hamburger joint (kinda hamburger…) right? Heck they even have a competitor right next door that sells the same thing! Who knew?
Actually, Newton had Maid-​Rite before they had McDonald’s and trust me… if I had the choice today between McDonald’s and Maid-​Rite there wouldn’t be a choice. I’d be scooping up the left over meat with the spoon they give you in a heart beat. A spoon with your hamburger (kinda hamburger…) is something you may just go your whole life and not experience.
Fries and milk shakes are good also. Service is fine. Just like any small town they go through people as people move on. Just sit down at the counter and enjoy the experience and forget about the world and talk to the folks sitting around you. They’ll talk back — trust me.
I left Newton over 20 years ago with no intent to ever come back. But whether for funerals or marriages I get pulled back occasionally and I never miss out on the opportunity to stop and have a Miad-​Rite hamburger (kinda hamburger…) And every time I go in I can’t help but think back to when I was a kid and how simple things used to be. How many places offer up that on their menu?

Maid-​Rite is ultra no-​frills small town fast food. The sandwiches really aren’t much tastier or more special than chain fast food, though the loosemeats are a sort of unique take on the ground beef format. I’d say it’s worth it for the experience, but really, the only real leg up that they have is that by stopping in at a local chain, you don’t feel quite so bad about global deforestation and homogenization of food sources and all the other things that you might be thinking about while eating your Whopper. I probably wouldn’t go out of my way for a Maid-​Rite, but I gues it’s something you should try once in Iowa, anyway…
The service was fast and helpful (not exactly friendly, but efficient), though we realized later that we were overcharged by $ 1. Not a big deal, but I guess it pays to check.

OK, the Maid-​Rite discussion always brings out the range of reactions of «it’s WHAT?» from non-​Midwesterners to eye-​rolling nostalgia from former Midwest residents when it comes to «loose meat» sandwiches.
All I know is that when I return to Newton on my infrequent trips there, the FIRST place is think about and dash to is the Maid Rite. Admittedly, it might be steeped in the nostalgia of having sat in the Maid Rite with my pals when I was a fledgling middle school brat. But I have to say there is something beyond the memories when it comes to eating a classic Maid Rite. It is SO midwestern. Simple, to the point, nothing fancy, yet another great Iowa beef experience. One of the laws of great beef is that it SHOULD be simply presented and Maid Rite is that to the core. Plain white buns, loose meat, mayo, pickles and for Gawd’s sake, NO Ketchup! Heresy.
I love going back here and often dream of the sandwiches to the point of inquiring about West Coast franchise plans. The Maid Rite, for better or worse, is deep in the fabric of my soul, my memories and my taste buds.