SPRINGFIELD, IL – While Route 66 brings in new faces from across the globe to the capital city, Maid-Rite has survived over a century rooted in the community raised on their sandwiches.
It’s the Springfield staple: steamed loose meat hamburgers topped with pickle, onion and mustard. If you get it without onions, it’s a Maid-Wrong.
As America’s oldest (and disputed) drive thru, this classic sandwich shop on the corner of East Jefferson and South Pasfield streets celebrated their 100th anniversary in July of 2024, and for the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road are inviting tourists travelling the historic trek to stop on by for a bite of history to eat.
A bite that is still disputed as the nation’s first drive through, competing with Red’s Giant Hamburg, established in 1947 by Sheldon “Red” Chaney in Springfield, Missouri.
Sam Quaisi, who bought Maid-Rite in 1986 from Clarence Donley, has dutifully run the restaurant staying true to original owner Clyde Holbrook’s vision. The cars may get larger and shinier, but the clientele remains loyal.
“Customers are still the same, they grow up here and still come in,” Quaisi said. “It’s been growing stronger to be honest with you because old folks are visiting. You have visitors, you don’t take them to a steak house, you bring them to this place. That’s where they grew up.”
Quaisi’s seen firsthand families grow up in the dining area, pointing to the original dining room covered in pictures with older customers and celebrities. An office job would never make him satisfied in life, he said, but filling out orders both in store and shipping across the United States a taste of Springfield does.
Standing the test of time
To say there’s been changes to the food industry since Maid-Rite opened would be an understatement. Modern drive throughs, ordering on phone apps and using third parties like Door Dash or Uber Eats are all seen as commonplace now.
But not at Maid-Rite.
Unlike regular drive throughs, when you pull up there’s no microphone, no LED board, not even a card option. The old glass window pops up, and out pops Quaisi takes your order.
There hasn’t been a change to the recipe since its inception – or to the steaming equipment screwed into the original box car the restaurant was built in to serve capital workers, and drivers from the Illinois State Arsenal, rebuilt into the State Armory at 107 E. Monroe St.
Not much has been added to the menu either since the ‘80s except the inclusion of a horseshoe sandwich Maid-Rite style with steamed loose burger as the meat base and chilli.
Maid-Rite sandwiches are served with their brother the Cheez-Rites, French fries, homemade sarsaparilla root beer, floats and shakes are on the original menu board.
Keeping connections alive
The Maid-Rite brand started in the 1920s by Fred Angell in Muscatine, Iowa and expanded in the ‘20s to have four franchises, including the Springfield location. All four original franchises are open today.
Seeing the changing faces coming back to Springfield even after leaving years ago, is what has rooted Maid-Rite as a staple in the city that isn’t going away, but instead growing stronger by the decade.
Quaisi shared a memory of running the shop one day to see a full van of children and adults walking into the store with an old man; the man who moved to California after graduating from Springfield high school brought their family back to show them “this is where I met your mom,” in the dining area.
Quaisi says the business hasn’t seen a rough patch in years, even during COVID-19 when social distancing was in place, the restaurant still had the same customers coming through with their cars for a bite of hometown cooking.
Pam Roesler is one of those customers who keeps coming back. She shared how back in the ‘90s, her and her husband would come to the spot because it was close to his work and they could grab a bite to eat together.
While her husband passed away in 1995, Roesler is making sure her granddaughter still can experience the same meals her grandfather did to keep the connection alive.
“He worked up here at the Centennial Building and he came here for lunch,” Roesler said. “Now that he’s been gone I wanted my kids and my grandkids and my great-grandkids to learn what their grandpa used to eat.”
While Quaisi doesn’t have anything specific planned for the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road, a charity cruise to benefit Aaron Wachtel, a local survivor of a mountain biking accident, will be held at the business at 118 N. Pasfield St. on July 18.
Hosted by No Limits Car Club and Route 66 Cruisers, proceeds for the cruise will benefit the Wachtel family.
The store hours of operation are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
Claire Grant writes about business, growth and development and other news topics for The State Journal-Register. She can be reached at CLGrant@usatodayco.com; and on X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Maid-Rite has stood test of time in Springfield over the last century
Reporting by Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register / State Journal-Register
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By Claire Grant, Springfield State Journal-Register | USA TODAY Network
