Ye Olde Tavern was a tavern sandwich restaurant in Sioux City, Iowa. Becy Mercuri says that the founder of Ye Old Tavern (the previous name) Dave Higgin created the tavern sandwich in 1924, although rival chain Maid-Rite lays claim that its founder, Fred Angell, created the sandwich in 1926 in Muscatine, Iowa.
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History
The building was originally built in 1928. The creator Dave Heglin sold sandwiches that he called "tavern burgers" in 1924 at his restaurant. When the creator died, his wife Tess Heglin took over the business. Abe Kaled bought the restaurant that was previously called Ye Old Tavern Sandwich Shop in 1934 and renamed it Ye Old Tavern. He created his own formula for the tavern burger that he and his wife Bertha Kaled sold for a dime each, served in wax paper without a plate. They originally bought the buns from a local bakery, the Iowa Baking Company, which was later acquired by Old Home and so renamed. The buns were from then on dual-sourced depending on bread quality. Because of the restaurant's success, imitations started appearing, though they were actually an imitation themselves (see tavern sandwich). Later on, the restaurant went from just serving sandwiches to serving meals also. Abe's sandwich creation was served at fundraisers, churches, restaurants, and bars in Sioux County, Plymouth County, Cherokee County, and Woodbury County. Bertha sold the taverns at an event called Tavern Days, Ye Olde Tavern Day which served 875 people in less than two hours. Their children helped at the restaurant when Bertha became ill. The restaurant closed in 1974 because of Bertha's failing health; none of their children were interested in operating it.
Present
The restaurant was brought up on the radio broadcast A Way with Words on May 23, 2011, on the episode titled Pickles and Ice Cream.
Abe Kaled's invention of tavern sandwiches are also now sometimes referred to as loosemeats.