Legacy meets innovation.
For 80 years, homegrown restaurant Max’s has brought families together through its signature fried chicken.
Now, it goes beyond oil and salt to enrich the dining experience with new concepts introduced at its first branch in the country.
The restaurant introduced a cafe and a bar at its branch on Scout Tuazon Street in Quezon City, aiming to tailor the experience to a younger generation, according to Paolo Salud, a fourth-generation member of the family behind Max’s.
“I think being able to innovate with respect to the heritage, that’s innovation,” Salud said.
Patrons can now enjoy coffee at the restaurant, which has partnered with younger brands like Yardstick Coffee.
“We kind of injected them into the Max’s dining sequence because in general…imagine having made a coffee after a Max’s deal,” Salud said.
“This is what Max’s experience is, and this connects and communicates to the younger generation,” he added.
Aside from coffee, customers can also enjoy fun moments at Ruby’s Lounge, a bar owned by Max’s that opened last year.
Redevelopment
Jim Fuentebella, Vice President for Marketing of Max’s Group, said they began to “build the brand properly” after the COVID-19 pandemic.
He noted that certain branches, including the one on Scout Tuazon, were in need of redevelopment.
“So, we made a decision after Covid to build the brand properly and to honor that Max’s Scout Tuazon is the only heritage store of Max,” Fuentebella said.
“This is the only place that you will see the Philippine brand still here from where it was found, in the middle of Scout Tuazon,” he added.
As part of the renovations, Max’s established a museum within its Scout Tuazon branch, showcasing artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia that highlight the restaurant’s rich history over the decades.
They also recreated a dining room setting from the 1950s and 1960s in an effort to evoke nostalgia and rekindle fond memories.
History
The restaurant traces its roots back to 1945, when founder Maximo Gimenez welcomed American soldiers stationed in Quezon City into his home to share meals. What began as a modest cafe eventually grew into a full-fledged restaurant, known for serving chicken and steak.
Several features of the Scout Tuazon branch are named after Maximo’s niece, Ruby Trota, who managed the kitchen and created the restaurant’s iconic fried chicken.
The mantra
A key ingredient in the restaurant’s legacy is its enduring value of generosity.
Carolyn Trota-Salud, Director of Max’s Group Inc., shared that “generosity” has been the guiding principle passed down from the restaurant’s founding generation to the present.
“The value of the first generation was generosity…That’s how she (Ruby) plated her food, and that’s how she celebrated the weddings and designed the reception. So, we move to the next generation and [we’re] passing this on,” she said.
According to Trota-Salud, the family wanted to make their food offerings affordable.
“Max’s never wanted to be too high-end,” she said.
80th anniversary
As part of its 80th anniversary celebration, the restaurant, known for its “Sarap to the Bones” signature fried chicken, offered patrons a half spring fried chicken for only P5 on October 18 at its Scout Tuazon branch. It drew a crowd of 2,884 customers.
Diners chose between plain rice or dinner rolls to pair with their chicken, along with a drink to complete the meal. However, the restaurant accepted only P5 coin payments for this offer, prohibiting other modes of payment.
Fuentebella explained that the family wanted to bring that experience from the founder’s era into the present day.
Aside from the special offer, the branch also features food stalls serving Max’s fried chicken, kamote fries, lumpia, sisig, small sandwiches, halo-halo, and beverages.
Patrons could also shop for anniversary merchandise at the General Store, inspired by traditional Filipino sari-sari stores and classic American general stores.
The food chain collaborated with Filipino creatives such as Goods From Scratch, which styled the Birthday Cake Room and Studio Yakal, which redesigned Gimenez’s living room using antique furniture.
The band New York Cubao Project added a nostalgic touch with their jazz performances, while the food chain released its anniversary song, “The Doors Are Open.”
Max’s Restaurant currently operates 160 branches nationwide and 28 outlets abroad.
