This review isn't based on the the food or the service since I have no idea. Â Why? Â Because I came here twice looking for a Maid Rite sandwich and found it closed. Â Once at 3:15pm on a Saturday, and then the next afternoon around lunch time. Â I mean, who ever heard of a fast food place being closed on Saturday afternoons? Â And Sundays completely? Â Well, I guess there's chick fil-a, but they're just weird. Â I had so been longing for a loose meat sandwich and had not been in a Maid Rite for nearly 15 years. Â When I heard there was one near our hotel I was just giddy. Â The last thing I expected was to have the place closed pretty much the entire weekend. Â Major, major disappointment.
Review Source:While the historic cred is valuable and worth experiencing at least once, Â The atmosphere is terrific. Â The Maid Rite sandwich this place serves is lacking, very lacking. Â My favorite maidright was the ones my mother made. Â Lots of hamburger onion mustard and fresh bun... the sandwich delivered to me at Maid Rite included limited meat. Â Mother never scrimped. Â And most surprising of all the bun has been squashed for some reason...not apparent. Â It looks like someone sat on it before they handed it to me. Â "Here Ethyl, sit on this Maid Rite before we give it to the customer". Â The best maidright sandwich in Springfield that you can purchase is the crumbled beef sandwich you can buy at Joe Rogers "The Den" Chili Parlor on 9th St. Â Their sandwich is what a real maidright should be, and just like Mother would be proud to call her own...Thanks Mother for all those delicious maidright sandwiches...The Best!
Review Source:I was in town for the IL State Fair..the fair food was boring, I mean to say, how many food booths are there that sell corn dogs? Â Like every other one! Food at the fair was really pretty bad (good pork chops though)..I went to Maid Rite and I am glad I did.
The history of the place is not as old as Springfield politics, but close. Just go, get the Maid Rite with Cheese! Have a homemade Root Beer. Â They claim to be the first drive thru..I say OK, but go inside and check it out, you can also eat outdoors if it's nice out. Â Love this place. (see my pictures posted)
The staff was super nice, and appreciate everyone who stops by.
I have such wonderful memories of visiting with my grandfather when he was alive in the 1980s. Â He dined there when he was attending Springfield High School in the 1920s, truly amazing history! Â When I am back in Springfield I try to visit and have the two cheeserites, fries and root beer.
Wayne Gorsek
Simple goodness. Steamed loose meat was moist without having to be dripping with grease or fat. Wit' cheese was my choice. The star is their addictive home brewed Root Beer. Â Owner Sam was a pleasure to meet and is always ready to tell you the history of the place. Regulars constantly flow in and out at the counter or past the drive-thru window for their Maid Rite fix..
Review Source:My mom grew up in Canton, Illinois where there was a  Maid-Rite diner. As a kid, every time we visited my aunt, we always stopped by the diner to have a Maid-Rite. Before I met my husband, he has never heard of a Maid-rite. Now he loves them. I told my husband the other night that we should make some Maid-rites. We haven't made them for awhile. The secret to a good Maid-rite is to use dill relish. If you use regular relish, it is not a Maid-rite sandwich.I also put a little ketchup on the sandwich.When I make Maid-Rites it brings me back to when I was a kid and went to visit my aunt in Illinois.That will always have a special place in my heart. I just talked to my mom on the phone and she told me that she would like a Maid-rite. Even though,my family loves Maid-Rites I wish that their was a Maid-rite diner in California. My mom also grew up on Tenderloins. she loves them. but of course there is no place like that out here either.
Review Source:I have eaten there once and it was ok. Â I loved the Root Beer and would go back just for that. Â I was expecting more for the price. Â It is a lose beef sandwich and they are small. Â I want to say for fried and a drink it was around $8. Â Not bad after reading about the place my mouth was watering, yet the beef was dry.
I would go back and eat there but it is not the top of my list.
My husband has been talking about this place for... Â Years. Â Years! Â So we were in Springfield this week visiting and decided to stop at Maid Rite for lunch. Â It's a little intimidating - don't move the chairs and be quiet!!! Â We ordered - me the two Maid special and my husband the Maid horseshoe. Â Food came quick, which is always nice. Â We sat quietly at our little two-person table and devoured our food. Â Very tasty! Â The meat in the Maid reminds me a bit of the stuff on a White Castle, which is not a bad thing in my opinion. Â The fries are pretty tasty, though sort of standard fast-food fare. Â My only complaint is that the sandwiches could have used a little more meat on them and for the price, it was a bit high. Â Overall, though, I would go back to give it another try.
Review Source:I must travel 2,500 miles to get to Springfield, but Maid-Rite is always one of my first stops. The food is unique and tasty (first-timers should stick with the 2 sandwich special with fries and root beer for the traditional experience). Â The more-adventurous might enjoy the shop's version of a "horseshoe" sandwich - a Springfield original.
But I also go to Maid-Rite to get my dose of home-town nostalgia. This location is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is certainly one of the first drive-thru windows in the country. The current owner seems well-aware of the historical significance, and maintains much of its old-time charm. (Hand-painted signs on the wall for "The Law" of the dining room, etc.) Â I'm sure there can't be much profit for the owner, so I am thankful that he puts in the love and effort to keep the place going.
Personal note: I can recall sitting with my grandpa in the tiny little benches in the original "caboose" section - and now I am old enough to be a grandpa myself. So it is more than the food that brings warmth to my tummy when I visit. Â
It's worth the $7 to enjoy the history - and the food is darned good too!
I always get the special when I go - 2 maid rites, fries and a drink. Â Pretty good sandwiches. Â They are loose meat instead of the regular pre-formed patty. Â They are quite tasty and well seasoned. Â The fries are hit or miss - sometimes they are amazing and other times they are merely fries. Â
I've never eaten instead - only drive thru. Â Which they claim is the first in the nation. Â
If you live in Springfield, or have are visiting and have never had a loose meat sandwich, definitely worth a trip.
This is one of the must-see restaurants I go to when I'm in Springfield. Â It has a very simple menu, but all I ever want is the loose meat sandwich, crispy french fries, and a root beer. Â I try to get a couple of those little sandwiches to take home with me -- if they don't heat the sandwich up right then, you can heat them up when you get home. Â It tastes better heated only once. Â This is what the owner himself told me. Â The service has always been extraordinarily friendly.
Review Source:Get the special (2 Maid-Rites, fries, and a drink) with cheese and a root beer. Just tasty.
The sandwiches are normal hamburger size - think McDonald's regular hamburger, rather than a quarter-pounder or White Castle. The fries remind me of Wendy's - very potato-y. As many have already said, the root beer is awesome and worth a stop on its own. They sell it by the gallon, and I kind of wish I had gotten one.
Maid Rite may not be anything to look at and you might think that your just getting a loose meat sandwich. Its much more its a time honored tradition. There are very few places you can go and say you are eating at the same place and eating the same thing that your grandparents ate back in the 20's. It may be simple, but in this case is simple is awesome.
Review Source:The decor is simple. The dining room is small. There is almost no variety. Really, the only thing to get is a Maid-Rite sandwich (you can add cheese), fries and a soda. However, that's all you'll ever need after you taste a Maid-Rite.
If you have never heard of the sandwich, it is a steamed loose meat sandwich. Kinda like a sloppy joe, but not really. I can't really describe the taste, but it is one you must experience. It's hard to screw up fries, but they do them right. The root beer is a must. I don't care if you normally drink something else, get the homemade root beer.
It's great, fast and cheap. A little tip: this is kinda like White Castle. You'll need to get two or three Maid-Rites for a meal. One is just not enough.
My only complaint is that they are not open late enough.
Great, great loose-meat sandwiches. Get two or three with cheese and you won't regret it. This place makes me understand how Roseanne could make a living running a place that sold loose-meat sandwiches. If they were anything like this place, then they must have had customers going in and out all day long (yes, i just referenced Roseanne, the sitcom).
Sure, the sandwiches are the main attraction, but the root beer here is incredibly delicious. Make sure to get a frosty mug and a side of fries to make your experience complete.
This place is a classic. I recommend two cheese rites with everything, fries and a root beer. By the way...they brew their own root beer. Smother some of the secret hot sauce on your cheese rites and go to town. Â Whenever I am in town for business, I take clients there and even though they are creeped out at first glance...the place soon becomes their favorite. Flavor...good flavor.
Review Source:Overrated. C'mon don't get caught up in the hype. Ever had a loose meat sandwich? Think sloppy joe without the sloppy. Decent root beer. Over all it's totally way over priced. Two maids( the afore mentioned sandwich ) fries and a drink for about 7 bucks. Been there a bunch , always feel like I need a shower when I leave. If you need nostalgia  and an over priced lunch hurry on down to maidrite.
Review Source:What can I say my grandmother was present the day Maid rite first opened it's doors in 1924. She went to high school up the street at Springfield High School. Then my mother and father were both introduced to the Maid. Soon my sister and I were. It is the 1st drive thru and it is listed in the national historic society. Although the original owners are long gone and several new owners have followed. The maid is true to the original recipe, thank you!
If you have never had a maid you need to get one. Actually you need to get more than one at least 2.
The maid is a very well seasoned loose meat burger served with mustard onion and pickle relish just a dab of each on a soft steamy bun. Make sure you smoosh em together to keep the meat in the bun.
Also do have the homemade root beer it is delish~~~!
Just drive up order 2 maids and a beer you wont be sorry!
This shop claims to have the first drive-thru in the nation, and I tend to believe it. The place looks like it was built before cars, but in a good way. It has the heavy wooden interior and big windows that remind me of every CCC-era camp canteen that I've been to. It feels well worn and welcoming.
I had no idea what a rite burger was walking in; so I was lucky that the gregarious old lady at the register highly recommended (actually just plain told me what to get) a few items on the menu. And it was great. A couple of loose-meat burgers, fries, and root beer only cost me a couple of bucks. I'd love to stop in again if I'm in the Land of Lincoln.
I love this place, it just screams "1936." Â I say that as I don't think anything has changed since the day it opened, very old timey and charming. Sitting off of a busy corporate strip stands a neat and unassuming little building hiding a very tasty secret - the "Maid Rite."
You order from a tiny little window, and lo, a few minutes later, your taste bombs - aka Maid Rites- come out of the window, wrapped in waxed paper and accompanied by gum drops, also wrapped in waxed paper.
The Maid Rite itself is DELICIOUS, some kind of a loose meat, White Castle sized concoction w/chopped dill pickle and onions. Â Sides (french fries and such) are seemingly home made and fantastic.
The staff is friendly, the food is ridiculously cheap and delicious, and it's a family run business - what's not to love?
In a world of fast food restaurants, Maid Rite is an absolute prize.
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