An Iowa Grocery Store Founded In 1875 Still Serves Hot Lunch Four Days A Week

A small-town grocery store burned to the ground in 2021, and the owner rebuilt it on the very same foundation. Then he got right back to serving hot lunch Tuesday through Friday.

That’s one way to prove a comeback is better served with a side of sausage.

The family behind it first opened shop in 1875 as a dry-goods store. Today, a fourth-generation owner runs the place, bringing a master butcher’s skills to sausages made by hand.

This Iowa store makes potato sausage good enough to bring customers all the way up from Kansas City, and the national awards keep rolling in. All that from a grocery store measuring less than 4,000 square feet.

Apparently, great sausage doesn’t need much room to make a name for itself.

Between the handmade sausages, the award-winning meats, and those weekday hot lunches, this little store has plenty going on behind its modest storefront.

And after surviving a fire that could have ended the story, it’s still giving people a very good reason to pull up a chair. Preferably before the lunch crowd gets there first.

Lunch Is Served Four Days A Week, So Plan Your Tuesday Accordingly

Hot lunch from a grocery store sounds like a small miracle, and Mulholland Grocery pulls it off every week. A hot lunch special lands Tuesday through Friday, ready starting at 11 a.m.

That schedule makes lunch planning wonderfully easy. You just pick a day and show up hungry around late morning.

The special changes, so you won’t get the same plate every visit. Think of it as a weekly surprise that comes with a shopping cart nearby.

The deli counter also keeps busy outside the hot lunch window. You’ll find classic deli sandwiches, croissant sandwiches, and wraps made fresh for grab-and-go eating.

Two names stand out on the store’s list of favorites. The French Dip and the fresh ham salad are both considered Mulholland classics.

Ham salad might not sound flashy, but small-town deli staples earn their fame slowly. A recipe sticks around because people keep asking for it.

Here’s a smart move for road-trippers heading through southwest Iowa. Time your drive for a weekday lunch, then grab a sandwich for later too.

Your future self, three hours down the highway, will be grateful. Gas station snacks simply can’t compete with that.

Sausage Fans Drive Hours For This Meat Counter

Kansas City is roughly a three-hour drive from Malvern. Some shoppers make that trip anyway, just for specialty sausage.

The star of the show is potato sausage, a nod to old-world recipes. Owner Tom Mulholland is known as a master butcher who crafts cuts and sausages by hand.

That skill earned Mulholland Grocery the title of Best Meat Counter in Southwest Iowa. It beat out larger regional chains, which is quite the underdog win.

The case holds plenty beyond potato sausage. USDA Choice and Prime steaks, fresh chicken, and a range of homemade brats all share the spotlight.

Breakfast got an upgrade with Mulholland Breakfast Brats. On weekends, the store often features smoked salmon and backribs for a special dinner at home.

Ham loaf is another house-made item worth knowing about. It’s a classic Midwest dish that deserves more fans outside the region.

A tip for first-timers is simple. Ask questions at the counter, because a butcher with decades of experience can steer you toward the right cut.

Planning a birthday dinner or holiday meal? Bringing your plan to the counter early is always a solid idea.

Fresh Produce Won Its Own Trophy Too

Meat gets plenty of attention here, but the vegetables refuse to be overlooked. Mulholland Grocery also won Best Place to Buy Produce in the Best of Southwest Iowa awards.

Winning one award is great. Winning two in completely different departments shows a store that sweats the details.

The shelves get stocked daily with fresh fruits and vegetables. That steady routine matters in a small town where this store is the main local option.

When the season cooperates, the store prioritizes produce grown by Iowa farmers. Summer in this state means sweet corn and tomatoes are serious business.

Buying local helps more than your dinner plate. It keeps money moving through nearby farms and the surrounding community.

So how do you shop smart here? Check what’s in season first, then build your meals around it.

Pair those fresh vegetables with a steak from the meat counter, and dinner basically plans itself. You could even toss in some ham salad from the deli as a side.

That’s a full meal from one compact store on Main Street. No sprawling parking lot required, and no wandering forty aisles hunting for lettuce.

The 2021 Fire Couldn’t Keep This Store Down

December 2021 brought terrible news to Malvern. A fire destroyed the century-old building that housed Mulholland Grocery.

Losing the store meant more than losing a place to shop. Local reporting warned the town could become a food desert for residents without easy transportation.

Tom Mulholland didn’t walk away. He faced delays, setbacks, and the challenge of financing much of the rebuild himself.

He has said the thought of quitting never entered his mind. That’s the kind of stubborn every small town hopes its grocer has.

The new store officially reopened on December 20, 2024. It went up on the same foundation as the original building.

Three years is a long wait for a community that relies on one grocery store. The reopening gave Malvern back fresh food and a familiar gathering spot.

The new building is bright, clean, and just under 4,000 square feet. Small, sure, but it packs a full grocery store into that space.

Stories like this remind us that small businesses carry whole communities. When you shop here, you’re part of the sequel.

Four Generations Have Kept The Lights On

Back in 1875, Fred E. Mulholland opened a dry-goods store in Malvern.

Over the years, that business grew into a full-service grocery.

Today his great-grandson Tom runs the show. That makes him the fourth generation of the family to shape the store.

The family name wasn’t always on the sign, though. The business left family hands for a stretch before Tom brought the Mulholland name back in 2008.

Talk about a homecoming. Few people get to restore their great-grandfather’s legacy on the same Main Street.

Tom didn’t arrive empty-handed either. He spent around 20 years as a meat-department manager at a popular Omaha store before returning to Malvern.

That background explains a lot about the meat counter’s reputation. Old family roots plus big-city butcher training is a pretty strong combo.

Some longtime customers have followed Tom’s work since the early 1990s. That kind of loyalty doesn’t happen by accident.

It’s a reminder that small-town history isn’t stuck in a museum. Sometimes it’s behind the deli case, slicing your ham.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors Is Basically Store Policy

When floodwaters hit the Malvern area in 2019, many families were forced from their homes. Tom Mulholland stepped up in a big way.

He turned roughly 8,000 dollars in donations into more than 80,000 dollars worth of products. Those supplies went to displaced families who needed help fast.

That’s a ten-times stretch, which is the kind of math a grocer understands. Buying power plus generosity can go a long way.

The store’s value showed up again after the 2021 fire. Without it, plenty of residents faced a long drive just for fresh food.

A grocery store in a small Iowa town works like a lifeline. It feeds people, employs neighbors, and gives everyone a reason to bump into each other.

Tom often credits his team for the store’s success. He has said great employees make the difference.

Shopping here supports that whole circle of care. Every loaf of bread helps keep a hometown business standing.

Next time you grab a cart, remember the backstory. Your grocery list is doing a little good for Malvern.

Senators And National Judges Noticed This Little Store

Awards usually go to big companies with big marketing budgets. Mulholland Grocery collected a few anyway.

In March 2025, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst named it the Small Business of the Week for Mills County.

The honor recognized its long legacy and its community-focused rebuild.

Then the U.S. Chamber of Commerce came calling.

It named the store one of America’s Top 100 Small Businesses and a Champion of Adaptability.

Adaptability fits perfectly here. Surviving floods, a fire, and a three-year rebuild takes serious flexibility.

Those national honors sit alongside the local wins for best meat counter and best produce. Not a bad trophy shelf for a store under 4,000 square feet.

Recognition like this shines a light on rural grocers everywhere. Small-town food stores face real challenges, and success stories give others hope.

For shoppers, the awards are a nice bonus, not the main reason to visit. The sausage and hot lunch handle that part.

Still, it’s fun knowing your sandwich came from an award-winning business. Bragging rights come free with every purchase.

Your Holiday Dinner Might Not Require You To Cook

Holiday cooking can turn the nicest host into a stressed-out mess. Mulholland Grocery offers catering, which might save your sanity.

The store prepares full meals for gatherings, including prime rib with sides. That’s a big relief when you’re feeding a crowd at Christmas.

The meat department also smokes meats in-house. Smoked items pair nicely with almost any party menu.

House-made salads round things out. The deli is known for options like ham salad and turkey salad.

Special requests are welcome at the meat counter too. Tom has a long history of helping customers plan cuts for birthday dinners and celebrations.

Can’t find a certain product on the shelves? Staff will try to order it in for you.

That kind of service feels rare in the age of self-checkout. Here, a real person actually listens to what you need.

A simple tip goes a long way. Call ahead for big events, so the team has time to prepare.

Then you can spend the holiday chatting instead of basting. Everyone wins, especially the cook.

Set Your GPS For Main Street And Come Say Hi

Finding the store is refreshingly easy. Mulholland Grocery sits at 409 Main St, Malvern, IA 51551, right on the town’s main drag.

Malvern is in Mills County in southwest Iowa. It’s a manageable drive from Omaha, which makes it a fun day-trip stop.

Hours are generous for a small-town shop. The store opens at 7 a.m.

Monday through Friday and closes at 7 p.m.

Saturdays run from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sundays go from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., so weekend shoppers have options.

Remember, hot lunch only happens Tuesday through Friday starting at 11 a.m. Mondays and weekends are better for stocking up on meat and groceries.

Cyclists have stopped here for bike-packing supplies, which makes sense. The store is a handy refuel point for anyone exploring the area.

Bring a cooler if you’re traveling far. Those handmade sausages and steaks deserve a cold ride home.

A store that started in 1875 is still feeding its town today. Stopping by feels like shaking hands with Iowa history, with lunch on the side.