The Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop in

Springfield, Illinois Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest ...

, is one of the few remaining early

Maid-Rite Maid-Rite is an American casual dining franchise restaurant chain. Before it became a restaurant chain, it was a single restaurant, opened in 1926 by Fred Angell. By the end of the 1920s, four franchises were granted; these four restaurants are s ...

franchises in the United States. This specific shop, built in 1921, claims to have the first

drive-thru A drive-through or drive-thru (a sensational spelling of the word ''through''), is a type of take-out service provided by a business that allows customers to purchase products without leaving their cars. The format was pioneered in the Unite ...

window in the U.S. The building, along historic U.S. Route 66, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 1984.

Notes

{{National Register of Historic Places Buildings and structures in Springfield, Illinois National Register of Historic Places in Springfield, Illinois Commercial buildings completed in 1921 U.S. Route 66 in Illinois Tourist attractions along U.S. Route 66 Tourist attractions in Springfield, Illinois Restaurants in Illinois Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Illinois Diners on the National Register of Historic Places Diners in Illinois 1921 establishments in Illinois