the friday feed: the maid-rite sandwich shoppe

While driving home from Lake James and after exiting Interstates 69 and 469, Todd decided to skip the four-lane highways and take Route 127 through Ohio's farm country. The two-lane road runs north and south, hugging the Indiana state line, and it's the kind of drive that's made for discovering small-town gems.

When we rolled into Greenville, Ohio, it was dinnertime and we were hungry. I remembered a list I made from a question on the Dayton Foodies Facebook page: What Dayton-area restaurants belong on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives*?* Even though Greenville is a stretch to consider it the Dayton area, the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe had plenty of mentions, so we set the GPS to its address.

Maid-Rite is a Greenville institution. Founded in 1934, the restaurant has been woven into the fabric of the community for generations. During a fire in the 1990s, the city's fire chief reportedly joked that he'd be run out of town if the Maid-Rite couldn't be saved. Fire departments from neighboring communities answered the call to help put out the fire.

We pulled into the parking lot, walked toward the entrance, and immediately noticed something quite unusual: chewing gum plastered across the brick exterior. It's a  wonderfully odd tradition that adds to Maid-Rite's charm. 

Step inside and you'll find a classic diner that's been doing one thing exceptionally well for decades: serving its famous loose meat sandwiches.

So what exactly is a loose meat sandwich? Picture a sloppy joe without the tomato sauce. But the Maid-Rite isn't just seasoned ground beef on a bun. The closely guarded recipe creates a sandwich that's both savory and slightly sweet, a flavor uniquely its own. We each ordered a Maid-Rite sandwich and accompanied it with a thick, old-fashioned chocolate malt. Satisfied customers.

The Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe may be a little off the beaten path, but it's exactly the kind of place that makes taking the scenic route worthwhile.