In the past we have visited Max & Erma's locations in Columbus, Pittsburgh, Toledo, and other cities, and have always brought away fond memories. Which is why, when a franchise opened up in Findlay several years ago, we were fairly excited; finally we could enjoy Max & Erma's in our home town! However, while the majority of corporate-owned and franchised locations have a similar decor to Cheddar's or Applebee's, this franchise just doesn't feel like the other locations we have seen.
When going out to eat, there are several aspects of the dining experience which come together to shape your overall opinion. The time spent waiting to be seated, friendliness of the staff, available menu selection, speed of service, quality of the food, the ambiance of the restaurant itself, and overall cost are all important. When one or more of these things is lacking, it is hard to overcome-even when the others are stellar.
We mention this because, our recent lunch at Max & Erma's was a fairly enjoyable meal in general; there were just a few factors at play which took away from the overall experience.
We arrived during the standard lunch rush and, although the restaurant was not filled to the brim, it was busy and we were excited to be seated right away. Quickly visited by a friendly, attentive waitress, we ordered our drinks and took some time to decide on our order. In fact, we took so much time to decide that our waitress actually stopped back twice to check on us in a five minute period. Upon ordering our meal, I took a moment to survey my surroundings.
When opening a new restaurant, there are a number of things that need to be addressed; the decor is definitely at the top of that list. Often, if you are opening a franchise of a major chain restaurant, there will be a style guide that dictates what you can and can't use in said decor...it doesn't appear that Max & Erma's has that requirement at all. The design elements included stained glass, real antiques, imitation antiques, train memorabilia, a wall-sized large-format print, dozens of random photographs of people in various activities (with several different colors of frames), pastel colors, bold colors, at least six different styles of hanging lamps, and even a claw-foot bathtub. Eclectic doesn't even begin to describe it; it looks more like the owner opened a "Restaurant Design" catalog and couldn't decide on a theme, so they just picked them all. Don't get me wrong-each aspect of the decor was definitely cool, and would have made an attractive, hip restaurant...if there had been a main theme tying everything together. There are so many competing styles in the Findlay location that it is almost disconcerting to be there.
But, I digress-back to the meal.
Despite the fact that we were there at a busy time of day, our food arrived rather quickly. I had ordered the Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Panini, which features a delicious grilled chicken breast, smothered in mozzarella cheese with fresh basil and tender oven-roasted tomatoes. This healthier choice is accompanied not by a side of fries but by a Baby Greens Salad, lightly tossed in a delightful vinaigrette. The serving size is not overbearing, but it is still enough to satisfy. I also tried my companion's Soft Pretzel Sticks (which they ordered as a meal). Gigantic, fluffy, and delicious, they are served with a side of a zesty, warm queso dip and put any mall pretzel stand to shame.
Our waitress, although she obviously had other tables to attend to, refilled our drinks twice without us having to ask, and also checked back on us a third time before we asked for the bill and some "To-Go" boxes. Such delicious food and wonderful service would have been enough to forgive the design of the restaurant in my eyes. Maybe I was just being picky, as atmosphere isn't everything (and I do tend to be picky at times). However, there was one other glaring issue.
A lunch for three people, even at a sit-down restaurant, should run in the $25-$30 range, at most. We didn't order any alcoholic beverages (which always inflate the bill past your expectations), nor did we order more than one course. We actually ordered some of the less expensive fare, yet our bill came to nearly $40. That's pretty hard to swallow, for a lunch! But, when most of the sandwiches they offer cost $9 or more, I wasn't angry or surprised-just disappointed.
I think that, in all, the food at this Max & Erma's is top-notch. There were plenty of staff on, so we were seated quickly, waited on in a timely manner, and our food arrived lightning-fast. Our waitress even seemed to enjoy her job, which is refreshing to see in this day and age. However, the fact that looking around the restaurant nearly makes you dizzy trying to comprehend it all, coupled with the incredibly high menu prices, it doesn't seem like we will be going back to Max & Erma's for lunch again any time soon. Oddly enough, their dinner prices are pretty much on par with the majority of restaurants in town, so we will probably just stick to coming back for dinner...
....and not looking around while we eat.
Max & Erma's is located at 1107 Trenton Ave., in front of the new Wal-Mart plaza and between Bob Evans and Texas Roadhouse. You can reach them at 419-425-1701, and you can read their full menu at www.maxandermas.com.
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2 comments:
My boyfriend and I love the food there...it is in my opinion better than Cheddars or Applebees any day. Of course he pays so the price doesn't bother me at all ;)
I'm not much of a fan of chains like Max and Erma's, however they are one of the few Findlay restaurants with a patio so that get's extra points with my wife and I. I've had several things on the menu, but best of all are their burgers. Whether it's a plain naked, medium rare, or the tortilla burger, in my opinion it's currently the best burger place in town. Some places like Cheddars will only cook them the way they want, so they refuse that segment of my business, If my burger comes out cooked further than medium it goes back to be redone, period. The Outback used to have my "best burger" title until they shrunk them to completely hide inside the bun, what a shame! Max and Erma's offers two sizes for your budget and appetite.
While I give the burgers top billing, the fresh white chocolate / macadamia cookies and a glass cold milk for desert deserves mention as well. Oh... and don't forget about the Friday night sangria special!
8/10... maybe a 9 when the weather is good and the patio open!
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