You wanna rally the people? Threaten one of their icons.
"I'm moving to Oregon at the end of the month and if they close this place down, I'm never coming back to Iowa," says a Taylor's Maid-Rite customer, crowded onto a stool, Wednesday night in Marshalltown.
"This business is a family to this community, and you protect your family," says another.
Marshalltowners believe they have good reason to rally around Taylor's--the Department of Inspections and Appeals says the 82-year-old cooker might be a health hazard, even though there's never been problem.
"I don't think it's right. I think they're pushing something they shouldn't be pushing," says longtime Taylor's customer, Jerry Brinks, a Marshalltown resident.
"The key to eliminating cross contamination is temperature," says co-owner, Don Taylor Short. "Our temperatures exceed the minimums of both cooking and holding by nearly 50 degrees."
Short co-owns the place along with his mom, Sandy, whose father opened Taylor's in 1928. In 82 years, the only problem has been meeting demand.
The huge cooker is the only method fast enough to meet that demand--some 600 pounds of meat a day. The DIA wants meat separated.
"Transfer it to a crock pot, take it out of the crock pot, wash the crock pot 80 times a day," says Short.
The Shorts say they'd never keep up with demand--and watching them sling 70 dozen Maid-Rites, today, that's not hard to believe.
Fortunately, the customers aren't the only ones speaking up. Local legislators have waded in.
"I can't tell you how many emails and calls and texts and the whole works, people love the this place and they dont want it to change," says Senator Steve Sodders of State Center.
Sodders introduced an amendment this week that would allow Taylor's and other older restaurants to keep their old methods. The bill passed the senate, today, and is on its way to the house.
Short says the legislative help is crucial, but the bottom line has always been clear.
"If your product is not good, you don't have customers. We have customers, our product must be good."
And must be worth fighting for...
"Don't touch the Taylor's Maid-Rite, absolutely!" says Bill Wilson, who started the Facebook group "Save Taylor's Maid-Rite" on Sunday, and has seen its membership swell to over 7,300 in just three days. The group will hold a "Save Taylor's Maid-Rite" rally at 2 p.m., Friday in Marshalltown.
Mess with an icon? Watch out for the Iowans.
"I'm moving to Oregon at the end of the month and if they close this place down, I'm never coming back to Iowa," says a Taylor's Maid-Rite customer, crowded onto a stool, Wednesday night in Marshalltown.
"This business is a family to this community, and you protect your family," says another.
Marshalltowners believe they have good reason to rally around Taylor's--the Department of Inspections and Appeals says the 82-year-old cooker might be a health hazard, even though there's never been problem.
"I don't think it's right. I think they're pushing something they shouldn't be pushing," says longtime Taylor's customer, Jerry Brinks, a Marshalltown resident.
"The key to eliminating cross contamination is temperature," says co-owner, Don Taylor Short. "Our temperatures exceed the minimums of both cooking and holding by nearly 50 degrees."
Short co-owns the place along with his mom, Sandy, whose father opened Taylor's in 1928. In 82 years, the only problem has been meeting demand.
The huge cooker is the only method fast enough to meet that demand--some 600 pounds of meat a day. The DIA wants meat separated.
"Transfer it to a crock pot, take it out of the crock pot, wash the crock pot 80 times a day," says Short.
The Shorts say they'd never keep up with demand--and watching them sling 70 dozen Maid-Rites, today, that's not hard to believe.
Fortunately, the customers aren't the only ones speaking up. Local legislators have waded in.
"I can't tell you how many emails and calls and texts and the whole works, people love the this place and they dont want it to change," says Senator Steve Sodders of State Center.
Sodders introduced an amendment this week that would allow Taylor's and other older restaurants to keep their old methods. The bill passed the senate, today, and is on its way to the house.
Short says the legislative help is crucial, but the bottom line has always been clear.
"If your product is not good, you don't have customers. We have customers, our product must be good."
And must be worth fighting for...
"Don't touch the Taylor's Maid-Rite, absolutely!" says Bill Wilson, who started the Facebook group "Save Taylor's Maid-Rite" on Sunday, and has seen its membership swell to over 7,300 in just three days. The group will hold a "Save Taylor's Maid-Rite" rally at 2 p.m., Friday in Marshalltown.
Mess with an icon? Watch out for the Iowans.
