What’s the secret for one’s success in business? Every company surely has a list, but for Max’s Group Inc., (MGI) success is done by mixing genuineness, delight and thoughtfulness – three ingredients which can only be achieved through years of hardwork and perseverance.
With its 600 stores all over its brands, the Company takes pride in the fact that, over the years, its brands have achieved the status of being some of the most iconic restaurant brands in the Philippines. Now, more than 35 of their stores are located across North America, the Middle East, and all over Southeast Asia.
The Good Start
As the country’s largest operator of casual dining restaurants, MGI has established a reputation for business excellence. How did the company began its promising journey?It all started when Maximo Gimenez, a Stanford-educated teacher, befriended the American GIs stationed in Quezon City who would regularly visit his home for a drink or two. As Maximo, or Max, as the GIs fondly called him, invited his new friends, the Filipino hospitality kicked in, and his niece, Ruby Trota, would prepare food for them to enjoy.
Eventually, the GIs insisted on paying for their drinks and this prompted Max to open a café where the troops could enjoy food and drinks. The café initially served chicken,steak and drinks. Ruby, who managed the kitchen, created a special recipe for fried chicken that became an instant favorite for the GIs. The Filipinos heard about the Sarap-to-the-Bones fried chicken and Max’s Restaurant was born. Since then, the Company started in the year 1945 with a single branch of Max’s Restaurant.
Over the years, Max’s Restaurant’s popularity grew and it became known as “The House That Fried Chicken Built.” Keeping the same passion burning, the Company opened the first Krispy Kreme and Jamba Juice stores in 2006 and 2011, respectively, as MGI was awarded the master franchise license of these two globally loved international food brands.
The Company punctuated its status as one of the major players in the local dining scene when it acquired the Pancake House Group in 2014. The move resulted in MGI expanding its portfolio of brands to a total of 14, as of this moment.
Milestones after milestones
As MGI continues to fulfill its vision of being the leading Filipino company with the most loved brands, it remains committed to its aspirations of becoming a major player in the global casual dining scene as it eyes to open the doors of about 1,000 stores by 2020, 200 of which are overseas. This year alone, the company plans on opening the doors of Max’s Restaurant, Pancake House, Yellow Cab Pizza Co., and Sizzlin’ Steak in the US, UAE, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
In addition, MGI has also ventured into the shared dining space arena with Burgos Eats and Eco Eats, showcasing the depth of its portfolio and the variety of dining experiences it can share for the local casual dining market.
Sharing the love
The popular song which goes by the lyrics When you give a little love, it all comes back to you, might be true. However, MGI, doesn’t wait to receive before giving out some love.
As a company that takes pride in its passion to delight its customers through genuine, quality food, thoughtful service, and delightful dining experiences, MGI has partnered with the local governments of Benguet, Leyte, and Nueva Ecija to support marginalized farmers through its Corporate Sustainability, Synergies and Relationships (CSSR) program. By directly engaging the small-scale farmers through federations as suppliers of the Company’s fruit and vegetable requirements, and equipping them with the most recent developments and technologies to help them become more competitive and able to come up with quality produce, the program aims to elevates standards in the local food industry and enhance the lives of people who operate in it.
With more than 70 years of experience in the restaurant industry and a variety of loved food brands in its portfolio, MGI has certainly strengthened its case as a strong contender in casual dining segment by serving the changing needs of its customers and enhance the concept of the restaurant dining space through a culture of consistency while still continuing to evolve and remain relevant.
In the recently held 25th Visayas Area Business Conference in Ormoc City, Mr. Robert F. Trota, Chairman of max’s Group, some of the company’s plan in bringing local foods to Max’s Restaurants. It was something that the chairman described as a way of the future partnership.
Indeed, the company’s profound dedication to its customers is what inspires it to continue building loved brands for the Filipinos and the rest of the world to enjoy.
