Dave Fuentebella, Carolyne Trota-Salud, Robert Trota, Jim Fuentebella, Sharon Fuentebella, and Bill Rodgers at the Max’s Museeum.
For 80 years, Max’s has been more than a restaurant. It has been a Filipino tradition — a gathering place where families share stories, laughter, and meals that feel like home. Now entering its ninth decade, the beloved brand celebrates not only its storied past but also the new generation carrying its legacy forward.
From one home to a nation of memories
The Max’s story began in 1945, when Maximo Gimenez opened his home to American soldiers stationed in postwar Manila. Over time, those dinners evolved into a restaurant built on generosity, hospitality, and the comfort of home-cooked food — giving birth to what would become a household name and a timeless Filipino ritual: sarap to the bones.
Today, visitors can walk through the Max’s Museum, open until December 2025, where 80 years of stories are brought to life — from handwritten menus and family photographs to the scent of freshly fried chicken that has remained unchanged through generations.
“Max’s has always been about connection — that feeling of coming home,” said Jim Fuentabella, Vice President for Marketing of Max’s Group. “As we celebrate 80 years, it’s about passing that feeling forward — preserving what we’ve always loved while welcoming new ways to express it.”
Reimagining home for a new era
To mark its 80th year, Max’s transformed its original Scout Tuazon home into a living canvas — where music, art, and storytelling converged. The space was alive with creativity, curated by the next generation of Filipino artists who shared the same devotion to craft that defined Max’s early days.
Goods From Scratch designed a nostalgic “Birthday Cake Room,” reinterpreting Filipino flavors into edible art with the help of Max’s Corner Bakery. Studio Yakal recreated Maximo Gimenez’s old living room with mid-century charm, blending heirloom warmth with the eye of contemporary design. Nearby, Tarzeer Pictures, together with Judd Figuerres, Gio Panlilio, and Paul Jatayna, curated the Max’s Museum — an immersive archive of moments, recipes, and memories that made Max’s a cultural touchstone.
Outside, the Maximo Dining Hall brought back the joy of family-style dining, using vintage tableware and classic recipes that taste exactly as they did in the 1940s. The setup mirrored the simple dining rooms of old Manila homes — proof that even in a fast-changing world, some flavors never fade.
The music of memory
Jazz, once the soundtrack of postwar Manila, filled the air once more — a tribute to the days when Max’s first opened its doors. Fuentabella and the New York Cubao Project reunited for the event, their modern jazz-infused OPM blending nostalgia with new rhythm.
The brand’s 80th anniversary anthem, “The Doors Are Open,” encapsulated this theme perfectly — a soulful, modern piece echoing Max’s message through generations: that the warmth of home never closes its doors.
A legacy carried by many hands
For Max’s President Carlyn Trota-Salud, the milestone is both a tribute and a promise. “This celebration isn’t just about how far we’ve come — it’s about where we’re going,” she shared. “Max’s is a story written by every Filipino family that’s ever dined with us. It’s a legacy that the next generation now helps us preserve — through new flavors, creative collaborations, and the same spirit of hospitality that began 80 years ago.”
Looking forward, rooted in home
As the torch passes to a new wave of leaders, artists, and loyal customers, Max’s continues to prove that heritage isn’t about holding still — it’s about keeping warmth alive in changing times.
Through every plate of fried chicken, every family gathering, and every story retold across the table, the essence of Max’s remains the same: a taste of home — lovingly preserved for generations to come.