Maid-Rite

The place is great! We ordered pizza to go. When I arrived to pick it up the place was hopping, and my pizza was delivered to me with a smile. Because of the fantastic atmosphere, I inadvertently left behind my wallet. We called them the next day and the gentleman that answered the phone said they indeed had my wallet. We picked it up and not a single thing had been tampered with! They are a very honest and respectable establishment! I can not wait to visit again! Thanks from, Omaha :)

Seen the giant sign from I80 and stopped for a Maid-​Rite. What I got was a rude, unpleasant experience. The person at the drive thru had such an unwelcoming attitude. I asked for extra onion on my sandwich, which was smaller than a Mcd’s regular burger. She told me there was extra onion on it and when I asked for more she argued with me. I should know what I like. $ 3.50 for a Maid-​Rite that had very little meat. Thought I was in Iowa not on the West Coast.

This is a must stop for us whenever we travel to Iowa to visit my husband’s family. He grew up eating Maid-​Rite sandwiches and introduced me to them a few years ago. I agree that they’re good. This place is clean and the staff is always friendly. The loose meat sandwiches are always hot and fresh and tasty.

I was excited to show my kids what maid-​rites were after driving all day. Unfortunately, they closed to both my party and another wanting to eat, at 7:25pm. There were two tables still eating as well. I guess they don’t need the business!

As you enter the front door part of the wall and wallpaper is falling off and has not been repaired in a very long time. Not very pleasing to walk in to a run down entrance with one of the door locked also. Person at cash register just glared at us and never said hello, goodby or thank you. This restaurant needs so customer service help. I ordered battered fried mushrooms and ranch sauce didnot come with them. I went to the counter again to a less than friendly employee and I asked for ranch dressing to dip my mushrooms in and she very loudly said you will have to pay another 54 cents for that. What rude people!!! I wont be stopping there any time soon

The décor was great, the restaurant was very clean, and the staff was friendly. The food was ok. I am from Iowa and have had better loosemeats, but it was not the worst I have ever had either. Prices might have been a touch high. Overall it was a decent place to eat for a quick meal.

I’ve lived away from Iowa for the better part of the past decade and I’ve been really wanting to try Maid-​Rite again. Most locations in Des Moines have been closed for business. I stopped here on my way through to Iowa City. I have to say they were worse than I remember. First off a basic Maid-​Rite is $ 3.29. I ordered two and I think the loose meat sandwich concept is flawed. Half the salty ground meat falls out of the bun before you even take the first bite. That’s why I guess they give you a spoon. You wouldn’t tolerate a pizza where half the toppings slip off and you have to use a utensil. The bun is the vehicle but it doesn’t work. I think I’ll leave Maid-​Rite (Maid-​Wrong) rightfully in the past.
P. S. Forget about eating a Maid-​Rite while driving. Meat crumbs will fall all over your car and you may drive off the road.

They served us raw chicken and didn’t even apologize when we told them about it. Dangerous and rude

Stopped by for a meal on a long road trip. I didn’t really understand this place and why they decided to make their sandwiches the way they do. The ground meat sandwiches fall apart and frankly just don’t taste so good.
Burgers are a great thing, so why ruin it by breaking the meat apart and let it fall out of the sandwich. Plus you can never get the same flavor with it as you would with a solid burger made on a grill, or a real sloppy joe, drenched in sauce.
The rest of the items were nothing to write home about either. I wanted soup and they had a lasagna soup (never heard of that before). It ended up being something resembling a lasagna that had too much watery sauce in it so it fell apart in a soup cup. I mean it tasted OK, but the concept didn’t work well.

I’ve been to this restaurant several times, and I can say that I like the décor a lot.
The food is usually good and delivered to your table quickly. I really liked the fries, and the meat was nicely flavored. However, I was a little disappointed by the service in my last visit. I got (almost) the right burger, but it seemed to be missing the toppings that I requested. Also, I had requested a cheesy maid-​rite, but the cheese (for which I paid extra) seemed to be missing,

After driving about six hours from Omaha on our way back to Chicago, we stopped at Maid-​Rite, a small local fast food place in Little Amana, Iowa, in the Amana Colonies, and right off I-​80.
They are known for their «loose meat sandwiches». These are essentially sloppy joe’s without the sauce. So, picture hamburger meat broken up (not in patty shape) and spiced. They serve this with ketchup, mustard, pickles, and onion on a soft bun. Not a gourmet treat and not really great. The french fries were very good. The Pepsi was flat and syrupy.
So, it was an experience — now I can say I’ve had a loose meat sandwich. Other than that, not really a memorable experience.

This place is right off of I-​80, making it an easy stop for lunch or dinner for cross-​country travelers. It’s definitely a fast food place, but it’s also an Iowa landmark, so it’s worth trying if only so that when you meet someone from Iowa, you can have something to talk to them about. I didn’t think the classic loose meat burger was bad, but I didn’t think it was amazing either. Mostly I thought it was messy (even though they give you a spoon!). Maid-​Rite also sells pork tenderloin sandwiches, another Iowa tradition. I have no idea how authentic they are, but if you want to try them, they’re here! We also tried the onion rings, which were only ok. This particular Maid-​Rite was very clean and had excellent service.

Different kind of burger

This was my first time to have «loose meat» sandwich. I enjoyed it as did everyone else with me. (It was the first time for all of us.) The staff was friendly as were the customers. The «retro» diner was clean and well maintained.

I’m told if one comes to Iowa there are two things they need to eat. The first is a Maid-​Rite and the other is tenderloin. I had no idea what a Maid-​Rite so I had no expectation of quality or taste. It’s basically a dry sloppy joe with garlic and onions without a tomato base. Most of the meat falls off the white hamburger bun, hence the spoon that comes with it. The cook was kind enough to show me what a frozen tenderloin looked like, which is basically chicken fried pork. Haven’t had it yet but Maid-​Rite serves it. When in Rome do as the Romans and eat a Maid-​Rite. It will make you a better person. Dogs will like you, birds will sing in your present, colors will be brighter, children will laugh (instead of cry like they do now) and strangers will greet you like long lost family members on the street.

I am from Muscatine, the birthplace of Maid-​Rite, a place where it was common to ask your waitress if she could dip your bun in grease before assembling. Many a cheese-​rite with pickles and mustard has passed through this guy. The wife and I pass by this joint everyday on our commute, so to see it reopened was quite a treat. The evening that we partook in the grease was a reminiscent one.
Their decore was similar to the 50’s diners that we all went to in the 80’s, very sleek and clean. All staff members were friendly and happy to be there. The food was excellent, done just the way it was supposed to be.
I recommend this place for all who have a second to sit down, put your day on pause and up that cholesterol.