Max's Chicken: The House That Fried Chicken Built Turned 70 last October

Event hosts Paolo Abrera and Lexi Schulze Berenguer-Testa

Perfectly seasoned, satisfyingly crispy, and delightfully comforting are a few words that describe Max’s Restaurant's famous chicken, a dish that has remained a favorite among Filipinos for so long that it is an institution.  There is definitely something special about Max’s fried chicken that sets it apart from the others. It is, some might say, a palatable source of  Filipino pride. 

Not just anybody can cook chicken in the deeply authentic and Filipino way Max’s Restaurant does. Max’s fried chicken is a dish made with love through a recipe that has passed through careful hands across generations, and is suspected to comprise much more than secret seasonings and undiscovered cooking techniques. “Our goal is to ensure we replicate this Sarap-to-the-Bones chicken experience in each restaurant,” Director and Chief Marketing Officer of Max’s Group Inc., Jim Fuentebella shares.

Max’s Group Inc – Director / Max’s Restaurant – President & CEO Carolyn Trota – Salud and Max’s Group Inc – Director and Chief Marketing Officer Jim T. Fuentebella address the guests

It is this diligence and dedication to detail that some claim  “The House That Fried Chicken  Built” became what it is today.

Max’s Group Inc – Director Jimmy F. Trota, Max’s Group Inc – Director Cristina Trota-Garcia, Max’s Group Inc – Director / Max’s Restaurant – President & CEO Carolyn Trota – Salud, Max’s Group Inc – Director and Chief Marketing Officer Jim T. Fuentebella, Max’s Group Inc – Director & Chief Finance Officer Dave T. Fuentebella, and Max’s Group Inc – President & CEO Robert F. Trota

Typical of the Filipino hospitality, the restaurant's founder Maximo Gimenez frequently welcomed American soldiers into his home for hearty meals in 1945, after World War II. The soldiers enjoyed themselves so much and so often that they began to insist on paying, and eventually convinced Maximo to open a cafe. His niece Ruby was the secret ingredient to the cafe’s success, as it was her recipes that were used in cooking the fare that later became famous. And needless to say, it was the chicken that became a favorite among the GIs, despite how different it was from the fried chicken they were accustomed to eating in the United States. What Ruby had to offer was clearly something genuine. Now known as “Nanay Ruby,” her talents proved capable of cooking much more than chicken, as the favorites among her fare include the famous Max’s Restaurant Sinigang, the Kare Kare, Pancit Canton and Lumpiang Ubod to name a few, all key elements to their successful and long lasting menu. A hallmark of genuine Filipino culinary tradition, Max's Restaurant is a place of comfort that is every Filipino's home away from home. 

Today,  it is believed that the key to Max's Restaurant's longstanding success is that it was  built through the years with the pure intent to be a thoughtful host. “Max's is in our blood,” says Jim Fuentebella, when he speaks of the members of the board. “The personal connection we have with the brand is what drives us forward, and is what inspires us to cascade the guest-host relationship to all of our branches. Generosity and hospitality, which are virtues my lola lived, are messages we want to communicate on all levels.”

Time truly flies when the stomach is satisfied. This year, Max’s Restaurant is celebrating 70 years of delightful restaurant service that has managed to grow from a simple home cooking cafe to a successful international restaurant chain. A 70 year career in the competitive food industry is certainly something noteworthy and a definite cause for celebration. A milestone event that the restaurant hopes to share with its long time customers and friends, Max’s Restaurant celebrates this achievement in more ways than one, and thanks its supporters first.

Note: This is a Press Release.