Max's of Manila
Encyclopedia
Max's of Manila, popularly known as Max's Restaurant, is a Philippine
-based restaurant serving fried chicken and Filipino dishes.
, American troops stationed in Quezon City
became friends with Maximo Gimenez, a teacher who had graduated from Stanford University
. Some soldiers came to his nearby house for a drink or two, until they insisted that they pay for their drinks.
Gimenez decided to open a café which served chicken, steak, and drinks. He was joined by his wife Mercedes, sister-in-law Felipa Serrano Sanvictores, his niece Ruby who managed the kitchen, and her husband Claro. Ruby's fried chicken proved popular with G.I.s. and locals also began patronising the establishment.
Encouraged by her mother to expand the menu and serve more Filipino food, Ruby set up the Baclaran branch along Roxas Boulevard in Parañaque. They decided to name the restaurant
"Max's" after Maximo.
Max's Restaurant bills itself as "The house that fried chicken built". In 1998 it started franchising.
Max's Restaurant currently has over 120 branches in the Philippines. The chain also has branches in the U.S. states of California
, Hawaii
, and New Jersey
, and its first Canadian branch in Toronto
, ON. The Vancouver
, BC branch is slated to open in late 2011. More branches will open soon in Sydney
, Australia, and Dubai
, United Arab Emirates.
More recently, a popular series of television advertisements told the story of a Max's employee who was the childhood love of a popular TV celebrity, played by Piolo Pascual
. 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?" ("Who is Max?") of the long-running Filipino drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya
.
The restaurant's signature dish is its fried chicken. Aside from this, Max's Chicken also offers traditional Filipino dishes:
Some locations also sell Max's Caramel Bars.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
-based restaurant serving fried chicken and Filipino dishes.
History
In 1945, after World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, American troops stationed in Quezon City
Quezon City
Quezon City is the former capital and the most populous city in the Philippines. Located on the island of Luzon, Quezon City is one of the cities and municipalities that make up Metro Manila, the National Capital Region. The city was named after Manuel L...
became friends with Maximo Gimenez, a teacher who had graduated from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
. Some soldiers came to his nearby house for a drink or two, until they insisted that they pay for their drinks.
Gimenez decided to open a café which served chicken, steak, and drinks. He was joined by his wife Mercedes, sister-in-law Felipa Serrano Sanvictores, his niece Ruby who managed the kitchen, and her husband Claro. Ruby's fried chicken proved popular with G.I.s. and locals also began patronising the establishment.
Encouraged by her mother to expand the menu and serve more Filipino food, Ruby set up the Baclaran branch along Roxas Boulevard in Parañaque. They decided to name the restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
"Max's" after Maximo.
Max's Restaurant bills itself as "The house that fried chicken built". In 1998 it started franchising.
Locations
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and its first Canadian branch in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, ON. The Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, BC branch is slated to open in late 2011. More branches will open soon in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia, and Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, United Arab Emirates.
In Popular Culture
In earlier television and cinema advertisements, the restaurant usually marketed itself as a place for Filipino families to get together. It also established its slogan "Saráp to the bones!" ("Delicious to the bones!").More recently, a popular series of television advertisements told the story of a Max's employee who was the childhood love of a popular TV celebrity, played by Piolo Pascual
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Pascual is a Filipino film and television actor, musician, model, and producer.-Biography:...
. 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
Isabel Oli
Maria Olivia S. Daytia better known as Isabel Oli is a Filipina model and television and movie actress.-Background:...
, 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?" ("Who is Max?") of the long-running Filipino drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya
Maalaala Mo Kaya
Maalaala Mo Kaya is a Philippine drama anthology series broadcast on ABS-CBN every Saturday evening and being hosted by Charo Santos-Concio. Currently, it became the longest-running drama anthology on Philippine television and on Asia...
.
Products
- kare-kareKare-kareKare-kare is a Philippine stew. It is made from peanut sauce with a variety of vegetables, stewed oxtail, beef, and occasionally offal or tripe. Meat variants may include goat meat or chicken. It is often eaten with bagoong , sometimes spiced with chili, and sprinkled with calamansi juice...
- nilagang báka
- sinigangSinigangSinigang is a Filipino soup or stew characterized by its sour flavor most often associated with tamarind .- Ingredients :Sinigang is traditionally tamarind based. Other versions of the dish derive their sourness from ingredients such as guava, calamansi, bilimbi, or raw mango among others...
- crispy pataCrispy pataCrispy pata is a Filipino dish consisting of deep fried pig trotter or knuckles served with a soy-vinegar dip. It can be served as party fare or an everyday dish. Many restaurants serves boneless pata as a speciality....
- tapsilog
- lóngsilog
- litsón kawalîLechonLechón is a pork dish in several regions of the world, most specifically Spain and its former colonial possessions throughout the world. The word lechón originated from the Spanish term leche ; thus lechón refers to a suckling pig that is roasted...
.
Some locations also sell Max's Caramel Bars.