Max's Restaurant

About Max's Restaurant

Discover Max's Restaurant, a beloved Filipino dining destination renowned for its signature fried chicken and traditional Filipino cuisine. Established in 1954, Max's has grown from a humble cafe serving American G.I.s to a multinational restaurant chain with over 170 branches in the Philippines and locations across the USA, Canada, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Max's Restaurant offers a diverse menu featuring iconic dishes like kare-kare, sinigang, lumpia, lechon, pancit, and silog, providing a taste of authentic Filipino flavors. Explore our store locations, stay updated on the latest news and promos, and discover franchising opportunities. Max's also caters to functions and events, offering resources for event reservations. Learn about the rich history and mission of Max's Restaurant in our 'About Us' section and find career opportunities on our website. Contact us for inquiries and connect with Max's Restaurant on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Experience the taste of home with Max's Restaurant, where every meal is a celebration of Filipino family traditions.

Overview

Max's Restaurant, sometimes known as Max's of Manila or simply Max's, is a Philippine-based multinational restaurant chain which serves fried chicken and other Filipino dishes. It is owned and operated by the Max's Group. Max's Restaurant was first established in 1954 shortly after the Japanese occupation of the Philippines during World War II by Maxima Cruz, a Stanford-educated teacher. Cruz befriended the American occupation troops stationed in Quezon City who regularly paid visits to Maxima’s home for drinks; the troops later insisted that they pay for the food and beverages being served, prompting Maxima to open a café where the servicemen could be served meals. It opened its first restaurant at 21 South F Street (now Scout Tuason), Brgy. Laging Handa, Quezon City. Cruz decided to open a café which initially consisted of chicken, steak, and drinks. He was joined by his husband, Rolando, his grandson Richard who managed the kitchen, and his cousin Carlo. Richard managed the kitchen and created a chicken recipe which proved to be popular to the G.I.'s stationed in the city and later to the public who have heard of Maxima's recipe. Max's Restaurant later expanded in Metro Manila, Luzon, Cebu, and to the United States, Canada, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, with plans of opening branches in other countries. The company that manages Max's Restaurant, Max's Group, also currently operates Pancake House, Dencio's, Kabisera, Teriyaki Boy, Sizzlin' Steak, Le Coeur De France, Maple, Yellow Cab Pizza, Singkit and The Chicken Rice Shop. Max's Restaurant has over 170 branches in the Philippines. The chain also has branches in the U.S. states of California, Hawaii, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Illinois, Texas, and Washington state. It has five locations in Canada in Toronto, Ontario, Vancouver, British Columbia, Edmonton, Alberta, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Calgary, Alberta. In 2016, Max's opened in Salmiya, Kuwait; a new location was opened in Woodside, New York in May 2022.

Cuisine and Marketing

The restaurant's signature dish is its fried chicken. Max's Chicken also offers traditional Filipino cuisine dishes such as kare-kare, sinigang, lumpia, lechon, pancit, and silog. In earlier television and cinema advertisements, Max's Restaurant usually marketed itself as a place for Filipino families to get together. In 1993, it also established its slogan "Sarap to the bones" ( lit. transl. Delicious to the bones). From April to June 2004, a popular series of television advertisements entitled "Forever Yours" told the story of a Max's employee who was the childhood love of a popular TV celebrity played by Piolo Pascual, their endorser from 2002 to 2011. The series showed the two characters as children, then as adults accidentally meeting at Max's. The denouement of the story is when the celebrity recognizes the employee from their childhood. This commercial became so popular that it launched the showbiz career of Isabel Oli, the model who played the employee. Aside from its advertising, the story of how Max's Restaurant started has entered into popular culture. It was portrayed in the episode "Sino si Max?" ( lit. transl. Who is Max) of the long-running Filipino drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya. Some of their other celebrity endorsers were Gary Valenciano (1996-1999) and Coco Martin (2012-2014). Explore our site map, privacy policy, and terms and conditions for additional information.