Type Subsidiary Website www.maxandermas.com | Industry Restaurant Number of locations 51 | |
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Key people Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks (co-founders) Headquarters Columbus, Ohio, United States Founded 1972, Columbus, Ohio, United States Parent organization Glacier Restaurant Group, LLC Profiles | ||
Max & Erma's is a casual dining restaurant chain based in Columbus, Ohio. It operates throughout parts of the Eastern and Midwestern United States and was founded in 1972 by Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks. The two businessmen purchased a local tavern in Columbus's German Village which had been operated by Max and Erma Visocnik since 1958. They retained the Max & Erma's name and created the theme restaurant which featured a converted bathtub that served as a sundae bar. Max & Erma's was purchased by Pittsburgh-based equity investor G&R Acquisition Inc. in a $10.2 million deal in April 2008. The company declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 26, 2009. It was acquired by American Blue Ribbon Holdings, owners of the Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurant chains, in 2010.
On January 25, 2016, it was announced that Glacier Restaurant Group had purchased ownership of Max & Erma's from American Blue Ribbon Holdings. This sale occurred after the closing of 19 of the restaurant's locations that were described as underperforming.