Legendary Max's Famous Hot Dogs in Long Branch will re-open as Max's Bar & Grill on Saturday.
If Jennifer Maybaum has heard the question once, she’s heard it a hundred times in recent weeks: Will Max’s Famous Hot Dogs in Long Branch, about to reopen as Max’s Bar & Grill on Saturday after a yearlong renovation, still serve hot dogs?
Not to worry, folks, not to worry.
“I’ve had people tell me they put hot dogs in the coffin (of deceased friends and family members),” Maybaum said.
So that would be a “yes” to hot dogs staying on the menu at Max’s, for decades the Jersey Shore’s most iconic hot dog joint.
Max Altman started selling foot-long hot dogs in 1928 on the Long Branch boardwalk. (He had opened a small restaurant there in 1916.) His business partner, Milford “Mel” Maybaum bought the business in the 1940s.
After his death, his wife, Celia Maybaum, ran the business with Maybaum’s son, Bobby, for 30-plus years. Celia Maybaum – “Hot Dog Queen of the Jersey Shore” by official proclamation of the state of New Jersey, who once said she was known “the world over” – passed away in 2016.
But restaurants can run on tradition only so long, and Max’s was in urgent need of a makeover. It was imperative to attract a younger clientele, especially in light of the manic pace of new residential housing along Ocean Avenue, and to update Max’s longtime image as a hot dog joint. The renovation took a year and cost $1-million-plus.
“We are re-inventing ourselves here, we’re taking a big risk,” said Jennifer Maybaum, Celia Maybaum’s granddaughhter. “What worked for 90 years worked. This will ensure our continued growth.
“This place means everything to me,” she added. “Everything.”
Max’s Bar & Grill, unlike the old Max’s, will be open year-round. The look is what Maybaum calls “industrial traditional nostalgic,” with exposed ducts, stripped concrete floor, garage doors that swing open, and a seating capacity of 99. Maybaum would love to add a rooftop deck, with views of the ocean, at some point.
You’d never find computers in the old Max’s, but they’re here. There’s an expanded wine and beer list, with 11 wines, plus 12 beers on draft and 18-20 available in cans.
On a screen above the bar, you can even find out how much draft beer remains in any of the kegs. You know, so you can keep tabs on your favorite brew before it runs out. Technology was not one of the old Max’s strong suits.
Signs just inside the front door offer two choices: One, for “Classic Max’s,” points you in the direction of a 10-seat counter, with its front-row seat to the ancient grill, one of the few things from the old Max’s. Another sign, for “New Max’s,” aims you toward the bar/dining room.
The Schickhaus brand of hot dog remains, but there are now 11 hot dogs on the menu, including the Mrs. Max (stuffed with melted American cheese); the Spicy Jockey (with melted pepper Jack cheese and jalapenos) and the Surf and Turf (topped with lobster meat and drawn butter). The basic foot-long dog will cost $6.
There are healthy options – salads, homemade turkey burger ($11), a vegan Impossible burger ($12), grilled shrimp skewers ($23). A menu section titled “Handhelds” includes burgers, grilled cheese and Max’s “famous lobster roll” ($16), previously available on special occasions only.
And don’t forget executive chef Jake Moschberger’s homemade sausage bread, with hot and sweet sausage and “secret spices.”
“We tried it at the restaurant,” general manager Chadwick Alvis said. “It was one of the best things I’ve ever had.”
Which is saying something; Alvis was a managing partner at the Bonefish Grill and worked at Morton’s The Steakhouse for 14 years before joining Max’s as general manager.
Add daily specials and a fresh fish of the day, and you have a Max’s that old-timers will scarcely recognize.
One thing Max’s is not, Maybaum emphasized, is a sports bar. There are just two TVs, above the bar.
“I just don’t want to be the stopover to another bar, I want to be that bar,” she said.
For the time being, Max’s will open at 11 a.m. seven days week.
The old Max’s was known for the photos of celebrity customers – Frank Sinatra, Robert De Niro and Bruce Springsteen, among others – lining the walls. They will remain.
Asked if The Boss will show up at Max’s at some point, Maybaum replied, “I’d love to see him on Saturday. Bruce and Jon (Bon Jovi). Jon Stewart. Brian Williams.”
Peter Genovese may be reached at pgenovese@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PeteGenovese or via The Munchmobile @NJ_Munchmobile. Find the Munchmobile on Facebook and Instagram.
