Taylor's Maid-Rite staff waits out Marshalltown tornado in cooler, then hands out sandwiches

Tony Leys | The Des Moines Register

Show Caption Hide Caption Watch Iowa tornado topple part of Marshall County Courthouse The Marshall County Courthouse in Marshalltown suffered extensive damage when it was hit by a tornado July 19, 2018. WARNING: This video contains language some might find offensive.

MARSHALLTOWN, Ia. — The iconic Taylor's Maid-Rite survived the tornado that came to town Thursday — and its workers soon began slinging meat to feed the rescuers who flocked into town.

Elizabeth Rickett, 22, a supervisor at Maid-Rite, said she and five staff members took cover in the restaurant's meat cooler after they heard the tornado siren and saw debris start flying around the street out front.

They huddled together for several minutes, listening to the storm slam through downtown. When they got out, they found that their building had suffered just a few broken windows and a busted sign. But several nearby buildings had been destroyed, and emergency crews quickly began pouring into town.

The staff got busy, making sacks of loose-meat sandwiches and carrying them to the fire station and the hospital, where they passed them out to hungry rescuers.

Afterward, workers boarded up the sandwich shop’s broken windows. Rickett said they hoped to have the place reopened in a few days.

Another legendary downtown restaurant, Zeno's Pizza, also survived the storm. Information about its exact condition wasn't immediately available, but the building was intact.

Taylor's Maid-Rite, founded in 1928, makes a no-frills sandwich that is beloved by many native Iowans. The sandwiches, served at Maid-Rite restaurants all over Iowa, is similar to a sloppy joe, without the sauce.