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    Maid-Rite

    4.6 (41 reviews)
    Closed 7:00 am - 3:00 pm

    Maid-Rite Photos

    MAID-RITE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Maid-Rite

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    Fluffy omelets with toast
    Patti C.

    Great place to grab a breakfast or lunch . Friendly service with everything handmade makes this tiny diner charming. Countertop stools and old fashioned flair with a touch of home cooking gives you a hearty breakfast at a reasonable price. Light fluffy omelets and "made rite meat" are tasty . The service is fantastic with friendly help. A real hidden gem although it is a chain, this one is a joy

    Simple two eggs and two toasts
    Matthew K.

    Giving this 5 stars because it's exactly what you want in a diner. Food not exquisitely gourmet or anything but exactly what you would want Ina diner and the home made jam was really tasty. Servers were the best. Such great people. Chatted to them for a while and both chef and server just great humans. Perfect ambiance for sitting belly up to the counter and having a morning get up and go breakfast.

    Inside
    Shelley C.

    Gotta love the GPS that guided us to this location. I was actually asking for info on how to get to the city. Ending at this tiny little mecca was a super bonus! I guess this little treasure is the center of town, or Karma felt we should show up here. Either way, it was worth it to sit on a bar stool in cramped quarters, order a sumptuous burger and fries, then watch the waitress craft an excellent butterscotch milk shake. Loose meat burgers are something super old school. NuWay in Wichita, KS is the only other loose meat burger I have ever had the pleasure of eating at and it was established years ago, too! This loose meat is akin to eating a sloppy Joe, but with less slop. Oh, who am I kidding? It is a delightfully tasty mess on a bun, not too greasy, but enough that you need to buy stock in napkins before it's over! The fries doubled as edible chopsticks for all the meat that fell off the bun, by no means shorting the bun any meat! There is something special about a loose meat burger. No matter how you hold it, you WILL lose some into the basket! The butterscotch shake was sweet, tasty, delicious, filling, cold... I could go on and on with description. One thing for sure was that we were full when we left. It's no wonder they have been around for so long. Keep on doing it the same way and you won't go wrong. If you are reading this, figure out how to go eat there!

    One of the oldies but goodies!
    Jerry M.

    This Grand Dame of Diners has been open in downtown Cedar Falls since 1947. Maid-Rite was founded in 1926 in Muscatine, Iowa, by Fred Angell. A butcher by trade, Angell created a recipe for his loose-meat sandwich that a friend said was made right. He opened his Maid-Rite restaurant in Muscatine, the first fast food restaurant. Angell offered car-hop service at his second restaurant, a concept copied by White Castle and A&W not long after. Angell sold four franchises by 1930, which are still in operation. Several of the original Maid-Rite stores are extant and are historical landmarks - the Maid-Rite in Springfield, Illinois offered the first drive-through window. While this particular restaurant is not on the National Registry of Historic Places, it is certainly a local landmark. A throw back to diners before the days of portion control, rigid menus and cartoon mascots, this restaurant serves up Maid-Rite sandwiches the same it was done 65 years ago. A classic Coca-Cola button sign on the roof belies the fact that the restaurant pours Pepsi products, but it's still a great vintage sign. The building also sports neon signage, another great throwback to earlier times. While the diner is showing it's age, it is clean and maintained. If you're looking for a fancy dining experience with uniformed wait staff, silverware, china and linen napkins, you're in the wrong place. On the other hand, if you would like a great sandwich, don't want to spend a lot of money and relish a dining adventure, come'on over to Maid-Rite in Cedar Falls!

    Restaurant exterior
    Kristian D.

    This is a rather unique place in Cedar Falls, IA. The Maid-Rite chain has many locations, but this one is a true diner setup with lots of small town charm. The standard Maid Rite is a loose meat sandwich with fixings. I had the Cheese Rite which adds American cheese. It does not need cheese which gets lost in the mix. The meat is seasoned, tasty, and overflowing, but not overly salty or spicy. The fries were nothing special. I would recommend some other side instead. Well worth a stop!

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    12 years ago

    place is dirty nobody wanted to wait on us the help is lazy we waited forever and the food sucked wont go back!

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