SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K

                                 CURRENT REPORT

                     Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                         Securities Exchange Act of 1934

        Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 11, 2003

                            THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION
             (Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

                           Commission File No. 1-9973


                     Delaware                           36-3352497
      (State or Other Jurisdiction of      (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
        Incorporation or Organization)

        1400 Toastmaster Drive, Elgin, Illinois           60120
       (Address of Principal Executive Offices)        (Zip Code)


    Registrant's Telephone No., including Area Code      (847) 741-3300




Item 5. Other Events

On August 11, 2003, The Middleby Corporation issued a press release announcing a
$5 million prepayment of notes due to Maytag Corporation. The press release is
attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits


      (c)  Exhibits.


           99.1 Press release dated August 11, 2003 of The Middleby Corporation.



                                       -1-

SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized. THE MIDDLEBY CORPORATION ---------------------------- (Registrant) Date August 11, 2003 By: /s/ Timothy J. Fitzgerald ---------------------------- Timothy J. Fitzgerald Vice President and Chief Financial Officer -2-

                                                                  Exhibit 99.1

The Middleby Corporation Prepays $5 million on Notes to Maytag

    ELGIN, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 11, 2003--The Middleby
Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD), one of the world's leading manufacturers
and marketers of restaurant and foodservice cooking equipment, today
made an additional $5 million prepayment on notes due to Maytag
Corporation.
    The note prepayment was funded from $2.8 million of borrowings
under the company's revolving credit facility and $2.2 million of
existing cash balances. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility
are assessed interest at a floating rate of 3% above LIBOR, which is
currently 1.17%.
    Selim A. Bassoul, President and Chief Executive Officer, commented
"With this recent payment, a total of $16 million has been prepaid on
the Maytag notes reducing the remaining balance to $5 million. The
Maytag notes carry an interest rate of 12%. We have reduced our total
outstanding debt by approximately $15 million to $73 million as
compared to $88 million at the end of 2002."

    Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to the
company regarding the company's business which are not historical fact
are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The company cautions investors that such statements are estimates of
future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of
important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially
from such statements. Such factors include variability in financing
costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key
customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political
risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the
impact of competitive products and pricing; the timely development and
market acceptance of the company's products; the availability and cost
of raw materials; and other risks detailed herein and from
time-to-time in the company's SEC filings.

    The Middleby Corporation is a leader in the design, manufacture,
marketing and service of a broad line of equipment used for cooking
and preparation of food in commercial and institutional kitchens and
restaurants throughout the world. The company's leading equipment
brands include Blodgett(R), Blodgett Combi(R), CTX(R), MagiKitch'n(R),
Middleby Marshall(R), Pitco Frialator(R), Southbend(R), and
Toastmaster(R). Middleby's international subsidiary, Middleby
Worldwide, is a leading exporter and distributor of foodservice
equipment in the global marketplace and its international
manufacturing subsidiary, Middleby Philippines Corporation, is a
leading supplier of specialty equipment in the Asian markets.
    For further information about Middleby, visit the company's World
Wide Web site, http://www.middleby.com.

    CONTACT: The Middleby Corporation
             Selim A. Bassoul, 847-429-7788
             David B. Baker, 847-429-7915
             Timothy J. FitzGerald, 847-429-7744