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New sandwich shop offers cheap meals “maid” just “rite”

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By Kevin McCune Contributing Writer Updated 11:26 AM Wednesday, February 10, 2010

OXFORD — Got some loose change? Maybe you’ll want to spend it on a loose-meat sandwich that’s made just right.

On Monday Feb. 1, the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe opened for business on High Street Uptown.

Maid-Rite sandwiches have been a staple in the Midwest since the 1920s. They consist of ground beef with pickle and onion – over the years many have described it as the Sloppy Joe without the sauce.

The new Maid-Rite in Oxford is not to be confused with any of the national chains that bear the same name.

It is independently owned and operated by the Trimble-Koontz family, who has also owned the famed Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe in Greenville, Ohio for 76 years.

This marks the first time that the Greenville-based Maid-Rite has decided to expand to another location.

Family owner, Mark Koontz felt Oxford was an opportunity too good to pass up.

“Oxford seemed like a really solid choice, with the high school, community, and university,” he said.

Koontz is relying on the values that made his family’s Greenville location successful for so many years to help the new Maid-Rite flourish.

“We’re very community based. We like to get very involved in the community, we want to be very family oriented, and we also try to come in at a lower price, $1.70 per sandwich.”

It’s that lower price that has Miami University students buzzing.

“For a buck seventy, it’s not bad,” said Miami senior Mimi Marcus.

“I like that it’s cheap, definitely that it’s cheap, I like the onions too,” said Ian Vanness, another Miami University senior.

Of course, it’s not just the price that people like, it’s the taste too. Koontz feels the quality of the food they serve is what truly will help make them successful.

“The quality of product we use is tough to compete with, we use lean ground beef, everything you get here is fresh,” Koontz said.

Marcus liked the taste of her Maid-Rite.

“It’s good, it’s like a hamburger but crumbly,” she said.

Marcus’ friend, and fellow Miami senior, Erica Hogan agreed.

“It’s good, it’s like McDonalds,” she said.

Some people, unfamiliar with Maid-Rites, were unaware that the meat is supposed to be ground beef, but it was a pleasant surprise anyway.

“It’s not bad, it’s different, the meats all ground up into pieces, my favorite part is the meat,” said Miami sophomore David Yoon.

Mark Koontz couldn’t stress enough the importance of wanting Maid-Rite to become a part of the Oxford community. Inside already hangs pictures of Oxford from the 1920s that help to create a certain sense of nostalgia.

“We want to be part of Oxford, like we’ve been here a while,” Koontz said.

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