On the sidelines of a Philippine Franchise Association (PFA) symposium-workshop late Monday, Max’s Franchising Inc president Robert F. Trota told reporters that the branch in Las Vegas, Nevada will be opened in the first week of September. The 515-square meter Las Vegas outlet is company-owned, and costs $1.2 million or roughly P52 million to put up, he said.
Max’s said its Las Vegas restaurant will be located at 1290 East Flamingo Road. Max’s Restaurant has eight other branches in the US—five in California (Glendale, Milpitas, Puente Hills, San Francisco and Vallejo); two in Hawaii (Dillingham and Waipahu); and one in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Trota said the latest US branch is also set to be the flagship training store in America.
Max’s Las Vegas restaurant aims to attract a wider customer base, Trota said, as “a lot of people go to Vegas.” According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority “nearly 40 million visitors” flock the city every year.
At present, 9 out of 10 customers of Max’s stores in the US are Filipinos, five percent have “Filipino-American influences” while the remaining five percent are “Americans who are adventurous” in their food choices, Trota said.
This customer profile is consistent with Max’s strategy of opening stores in areas with huge Filipino populations, Trota said, adding that, “We needed the Filipino community to help us bring Max’s to the mainstream.”
The company however would like to expand its clientele to non-Filipinos, who so far have taken to Max's signature fried chicken and adobo, he said.
Besides the Las Vegas store, Max’s will inaugurate a branch in Alberta, Canada by yearend, Trota said. The Alberta restaurant is a franchise with an investment of also $1.2 million for a 780-square meter site. Max’s has a branch each in the Canadian cities of Toronto and Vancouver.
Max's franchisees in the US and Canada are Filipinos, Trota said.
Two more restaurants in the Middle East are also in the works, hopefully for opening before the year ends, he said.
“We have chosen the sites in Qatar and Kuwait but we have not yet signed the lease,” he said. Max’s has three existing branches in the United Arab Emirates—one each in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah—all operated by Arab franchisees.
For its Asian expansion, Max’s Restaurant is eyeing the so-called “TIPS,” which besides the Philippines also include Thailand, Indonesia and Singapore. “We just have to find the right franchisees,” Trota said.
On the local front, six to eight new stores will be opened in the second half to add to the existing 135 nationwide. “The additional branches will be in the new malls,” Trota said.
More than half of Max’s stores in the country are company-owned. Investment for a Max’s Restaurant costs between P12 million and P18 million.
Despite the influx of other local as well as foreign-led restaurants also offering different types of chicken dishes, Trota said Max’s continues to expand its sales. “The pie is just growing bigger,” he said.
Max’s Restaurant was established in 1945 by Trota’s grandmother, whose signature fried chicken dish became popular with American GIs staying in the Philippines after the Second World War. It started franchising in 1998.
source: interaksyon.com
