Max's Restaurant

Max's Restaurant, sometimes known asMax's of Manilaor simplyMax's(locally[ˈmaksɪs]), is aPhilippine-based multinational restaurant chain which serves fried chicken and otherFilipino dishes. It is owned and operated by theMax's Group.
Max's Restaurant was first established in 1945,shortly afterWorld War II, by Maximo Gimenez, aStanford-educated teacher. Gimenez befriended the American occupation troops stationed inQuezon City, who regularly paid visits to Maximo's home for drinks; the troops later insisted that they pay for the food and beverages being served, prompting Maximo 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.
Gimenez decided to open a café which initially consisted of 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 managed the kitchen and created a chicken recipe which proved to be popular to theG.I.sstationed in the city and later to the public who have heard of Ruby's recipe.
Max's Restaurant later expanded inMetro Manila,Luzon,Cebuand 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, 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 ofCalifornia,Hawaii,New Jersey,Nevada,New York,Illinois,TexasandWashington. It has five locations in Canada inToronto,Ontario,Vancouver,British Columbia,Edmonton,Alberta,Winnipeg,Manitoba, andCalgary,Alberta. In 2016, Max's opened inSalmiya,Kuwait; a new location was opened inWoodside, New Yorkin May 2022.
The restaurant's signature dish is itsfried chicken. Max's Chicken also offers traditionalFilipinodishes such askare-kare,sinigang,lumpia,lechon,pancit, andsilog.
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 "Sarapto 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 byPiolo Pascual, their endorser from 2002 to 2011. The series showed the two characters as children, then as adults accidentally meeting at Max's. Thedenouementof the story is when the celebrity recognizes the employee from their childhood. This commercial became so popular that it launched the showbiz career ofIsabel 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 anthologyMaalaala Mo Kaya.Some of their other celebrity endorsers wereGary Valenciano(1996–1999) andCoco Martin(2012–2014).