Philippines Guide

The story of Max’s Fried Chicken restaurant can be traced to a dream. One night, Maximo Gimenez had a dream. In the dream he was chasing a white chicken. Little did he know that chickens would be a tradition and a business he would later pass down to his children and grandchildren. Eventually he and his family would establish what is known today as Max’s Fried Chicken dubbed as “the house that fried chicken built”.

After World War II the Philippines was back to American control once again. Maximo Gimenez was a teacher who studied at Stanford. At this time, the Gimenez family, like most Filipino families in the post-war era of the Philippines, was under financial difficulty.

Here’s how Max’s Fried Chicken restaurant started. Maximo, known to friends as Max, made friends with the American occupation troops. The American servicemen in Quezon City would regularly visit Max’s home for a drink. Soon after, the soldiers insisted to pay for the drinks they got from Max’s home that prompted the man to open a cafe to serve food and drinks.

This was the humble beginning of Max’s Fried Chicken restaurant. Since the cafe opened up, the Gimenez family was united by the desire for service and inspired by the opportunity to earn a living to alleviate themselves from their financial crisis.

Max’s Fried Chicken started out as a little cafe, which was also the Gimenez family home. Tables and chairs were arranged and other furnishings necessary to add to the ambience.

The Max’s Fried Chicken specialty (the fried chicken of course), emerged from a request of one of the American servicemen to fry a whole chicken. Ruby, Max’s niece managed the kitchen and created the special recipe that made the Max’s Fried Chicken an instant hit.

No sooner did the Filipinos also catch on to the Max’s Fried Chicken craze. It began as news of tender, juicy, and crispy chicken was served at the Gimenez family home cafe. From here the Max’s Fried Chicken restaurant was born.

The family encountered a bit of trouble when the American forces left the Philippines and returned to the United States. Through a united effort and good service, the Gimenez family was able to keep Max’s Fried Chicken alive.

Max’s Fried Chicken restaurant became a place where fond memories are made. Today, Max’s Fried Chicken can be found all over Metro Manila, in the Northern Luzon Island of the Philippines, Cebu, and in California, USA.

Max’s Fried Chicken has well established itself as a household name in the Philippines. It can be said that Max’s Fried Chicken is a product of family unity, warm-hearted service, and good food.

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