Attending the auction of the Bayanihan Collectors Club, I
stumbled upon some vintage postcards of Max's Fried Chicken Restaurant being
sold by an antique dealer. This brought back fond memories of my father
celebrating his birthdays by taking us to the Sct. Tuazon, QC branch for a
meal. I could easily devour a whole spring chicken and always requested for
extra bread. The crispy chicken skin was so irresistible that I would even
sneakily ask for my mother's share (sorry, mom!). In our family, everyone
favored dipping the chicken in either Jufran or Mafran banana ketchup, adding
to the already finger-licking taste. Eating at Max's was always a treat and a
special occasion, unless you're my dad and have to endure listening to us fight
over who gets the last piece of that crispy skin.
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| 1960s Max's old postal card. They have only two branches in Quezon City and Dewey Blvd. |
Max's Restaurant, an iconic Filipino dining institution, was established in 1945 after World War II. Maximo Gimenez, a Stanford-educated teacher, developed a friendship with American occupation troops stationed in Quezon City and would regularly host them for drinks at his nearby home. The troops eventually insisted on paying for their drinks, leading Maximo to open a cafe where they could enjoy food and drinks.
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| 1960s Max's old postal card menu. Imagine a whole chicken meal of 6.00 pesos only. |
Ruby, Maximo's niece and the cafe's kitchen manager, crafted
a unique recipe for chicken that quickly became a hit among the American
soldiers. The delicious taste of the tender, juicy, and crispy chicken soon
spread among Filipinos, leading to a surge in the popularity of the cafe and the
birth of Max's Restaurant.
Max's Restaurant has since become known as "the house that fried chicken built," renowned for its unique Filipino taste and prized as a cherished tradition among Filipinos. The second and third generations of the family have continued to uphold the standards set by Maximo and Ruby, ensuring that Max's Restaurant remains a proud Filipino institution.
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| 1960s Max's old postal card menu. Imagine a whole chicken meal of 5.00 pesos only. |
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| 1960s Max's old postal card |
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| 1960s Max's old postal card w/ menu. Source: eBay.com |
Source: http://www.maxschicken.com
Good day, Pinoy Kollektor!
ReplyDeleteI am Diana, an art and design student from Ateneo de Manila University. I'm currently doing a research on the Max's Fried Chicken Restaurant's brand history. Seeing your post blogpost about it, I was wondering if there's any way I can contact you for an interview. :)
Thank you and I hope you have a great day!
email me at lumang.gamit@yahoo.com
ReplyDelete!966 A friend and I traveled to Manila from Clark AFB to visit one of his soon to be kin by marriage. They invited us to eat at this resturant. I knew they did not earn a lot, so I ordered a breast and fries. The male invitee scolded me and told me to order at least two chickens. I respectfully refused, but I did order one whole chicken. Needless to say, I nearly starved on the way back to Clark. They must have gotten these "Chickens?" from the fresh boken egg shell. I have eaten quail that were larger than those were. I must add that those were the greatest and sweetest family one could ever wish to meet. They treated us like kings.
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