Another Midwest dining icon is about to open for the first time in the Denver metro area.
Maid-Rite — known for its loose-cooked hamburgers and breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches — expands from Iowa to East Dry Creek Road and South University Boulevard in Centennial.
Scheduled to open June 20, Ralph’s Maid-Rite Sports Diner will be the first in the Maid-Rite chain to feature a bar. It also will provide sports enthusiasts with their favorite teams on TV.
“I grew up just outside of Chicago, and when I worked with my dad, we always went to Maid-Rite,” franchise owner Dewey Burton said, referring to his dad, Ralph.
Steak ‘n Shake, another longtime Midwest favorite, announced last week that ground may be broken this month on a franchise at 8271 S. Quebec St.
Burton, a former telecom sales-and-marketing manager, has hired a 15-person staff for his Maid-Rite, which will sport a retro 1950s-60s look.
Maid-Rite was born in 1926 in Muscatine, Iowa. There are 75 of the casual-dining restaurants in 14 states, with seven under construction. Colorado will be the farthest west that Maid-Rite has ventured.
A second Maid-Rite will open in August at East Arapahoe and South Parker roads. Bradley Burt, president and chief executive of Maid-Rite, said the Des Moines-based company also is working on two other metro-area locations.
“There are so many Midwesterners in the Denver area, and Maid-Rite has a great following,” Burt said. “We like the market; we like the people. There are a lot of dual-income families who eat out, and our menu is affordable with an average ticket of $6.50.”
Ann Schrader: 303-954-1967 or aschrader@denverpost.com
