Maid-Rite interested in Albert Lea

Published 9:42 am Tuesday, August 26, 2008

A longtime Albert Lea eating tradition may soon return to town.

Maid-Rite, an Iowa-based restaurant chain, is interested in opening a store at the former Starbucks location at 2221 East Main St., according to a local real-estate broker.

Tom Leland, of Gateway Commercial Realty, has been in contact with Maid-Rite, while working for the building’s out-of-town owners.

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“I’ve had some very positive discussions with Maid-Rite, among others, about coming to Albert Lea,” said Leland.

According to the Star Tribune, Maid-Rite is looking at many of the buildings in Minnesota Starbucks closed this summer. There are only two Maid-Rites in Minnesota — Brainerd and Bemidji.

Maid-Rite, a maker of loose-meat ground-beef sandwiches, opened its first store in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1926. The company operated a franchise in Albert Lea at 220 E. William St., from the late 1940s until the late 1960s. The site is now the home of Produce State Bank.

The building contains 1,854 square feet, which puts it well within Maid-Rite’s usual size range. The company issued a news release last week specifically on the Albert Lea site.

“The standard equipment package for a Maid-Rite diner can be as low as $95,000 to $125,000 for a 1,500-square-foot floor plan, plus with lease-hold improvements, working capital and franchise fees, the total cost for a franchisee restaurant can be in the range of $175,000 to $250,000 to open and operate a Maid-Rite restaurant,” said Maid-Rite President and CEO Bradley Burt in the news release.

He noted the advantage of doing business in a city that is the crossroads for Interstate 35 and Interstate 90. He also praised the city’s diverse economic base.

Leland said he hopes a new dining option could lead to further positive developments.

“If a Maid-Rite restaurant is successful here, then maybe other fast-food chains would be interested in locating in Albert Lea in the very near future,” he said. “Certainly that’s what I would like to see and many other people would as well. Our city certainly has room to grow. We want to get the building leased and get it re-opened.”

Maid-Rite emphasizes quick, low-cost eating in a clean and friendly environment, according to the news release.

“If we have the opportunity to have a franchisee owned and operated Maid-Rite in Albert Lea, we want our customers to know that the Maid-Rite red-and-white stop-sign logo stands for quality, consistency and value in enjoying our delicious, great-tasting sandwiches at an affordable price,” said Tania Burt, executive vice president of Maid-Rite. “Within our vision is to always our Midwest, friendly hometown hospitality philosophy in serving our customers that is so important in all of our franchisee restaurants when customers visit us.”

Maid-Rite currently has 82 restaurants located in eight Midwestern states, with one soon to open in Arlington, Tex. Albert Lea was targeted as a priority city by the company as part of its 2008 development growth plan.

Bradley and Tania Burt have owned the Maid-Rite chain since 2001. Most of the stores are owned by franchisees. The Star Tribune said the Burts also hope to bring 30 stores to the Twin Cities.