This Famous Sandwich Shop In Illinois From 1920 Was America's First Drive-Thru
By Elizabeth Crozier|Published February 26, 2019
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
There’s a famous fast-food sandwich that everyone in Illinois needs to try, and it can be found at our first drive-thru restaurant. Known as the first in the nation, this revolutionary joint is as vintage as they come. Check it out.
Maid-Rite sandwich shop has been a Midwest tradition for nearly 100 years. While the original building was built in Springfield in 1920, when it included the nation's first drive-thru, the restaurant was not franchised until 1926.
Today, there are also locations in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, and Ohio.
Not much has changed in the past 100 years at this iconic fast-food joint. Prices may have gone up a bit but the items have stayed the same. The story goes that in 1926, a delivery man tasted the ground beef sandwich that Fred Angell was serving and declared that it was "made right."
From there, the Maid-Rite burger was born. It has always been a simple, loose meat sandwich with the option of ketchup, mustard, onion, and pickles. These addicting sandwiches may be the reason Americans demanded drive-thrus in the first place.
If you love this ground up meat on bread, you'll love it even more on top of a bed of cheese-covered french fries. Nothing beats this classic drive-thru food.
This chain of unique drive-thrus is also known for its homemade root beer, which you can also get as a float. Guests also enjoy other sodas, milk, and shakes.
The original Maid-Rite is open six days each week. Stop by Monday through Friday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. as well as Saturday between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
If you’ve ever been to American’s first drive-thru, we’d love to hear from you. Please share your experiences and photos with us below in the comments.
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