Max & Erma's
Max & Erma's is an American casual-dining restaurant chain founded in Columbus, Ohio, known for its neighborhood-restaurant atmosphere, burgers, and distinctive sundae bar.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Max & Erma's is an American casual-dining restaurant brand headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. The chain traces its origins to 1972, when businessmen Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks purchased a local tavern in Columbus's German Village. The tavern had previously been operated by Max and Erma Visocnik since 1958. Barnum and Zacks retained the names of the former operators and developed the business into a themed restaurant concept rather than treating it simply as a conventional neighborhood bar or dining room. The original Max & Erma's concept combined familiar American food with highly recognizable interior features and a relaxed, informal setting. One of its signature elements was a converted bathtub used as a sundae bar, an unusual design choice that helped distinguish the brand from more standardized casual-dining competitors. The restaurants became associated with burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts, and other broadly accessible American menu items, with the atmosphere and visual personality serving as important parts of the customer experience. The company expanded substantially during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. At its peak in the mid-2000s, Max & Erma's operated approximately 110 restaurants across more than 12 states. This expansion placed the brand within the broader U.S. casual-dining sector, where regional chains competed through recognizable themes, full-service meals, bar offerings, and family-oriented hospitality. Despite its growth, the brand remained strongly linked to its Columbus origin and to the character of its original German Village restaurant. Ownership changed several times during a period of financial pressure. In April 2008, Pittsburgh-based equity investor G&R Acquisition Inc. purchased the company in a transaction valued at $10.2 million. Max & Erma's subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 26, 2009. In 2010, the chain was acquired by American Blue Ribbon Holdings, a restaurant company that also owned the Village Inn and Bakers Square brands. The bankruptcy and subsequent ownership transition reflected the challenges facing many full-service restaurant chains during the period, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed account of the restructuring terms or operating results. On January 25, 2016, Glacier Restaurant Group announced that it had purchased Max & Erma's from American Blue Ribbon Holdings. The transaction followed the closure of 19 locations described as underperforming, indicating a shift away from the chain's earlier national scale toward a smaller and more concentrated operating footprint. In July 2017, Glacier announced that the original German Village location would close on August 7 of that year, citing a lack of financial viability. The closure ended the operation of the site most closely associated with the brand's founding story, although the Max & Erma's name continued elsewhere. As of April 2024, the chain operated seven locations in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, a substantial reduction from its mid-2000s peak. Max & Erma's therefore remains an active but comparatively small regional casual-dining brand. Its identity continues to rest on American comfort food, full-service restaurant hospitality, a playful restaurant environment, and the historical connection to the Columbus tavern purchased by Barnum and Zacks. The available sources do not establish a broader international presence, a public listing, or a current corporate website.
History
Max & Erma's began in 1972 when Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks bought a tavern in Columbus's German Village. The premises had been operated since 1958 by Max and Erma Visocnik, whose names the new owners retained for the restaurant concept. Rather than preserving only the tavern format, Barnum and Zacks developed a full-service casual restaurant with a deliberately informal and theatrical identity. A converted bathtub used as a sundae bar became one of the concept's best-known design features and helped give the chain a distinctive point of recognition. The brand expanded from its Columbus base into a multi-state casual-dining chain. During the mid-2000s, it reached a peak of approximately 110 restaurants spread across more than 12 states. Its menu and format centered on broadly familiar American food, including burgers, sandwiches, salads, soups, desserts, and related restaurant and bar offerings. The chain competed in a sector where atmosphere, menu accessibility, and family-oriented full-service dining were central components of the value proposition. Max & Erma's entered a period of ownership change and financial difficulty in the late 2000s. G&R Acquisition Inc., a Pittsburgh-based equity investor, bought the company in April 2008 for a reported $10.2 million. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 26, 2009. In 2010, American Blue Ribbon Holdings acquired the business. That company also owned Village Inn and Bakers Square, placing Max & Erma's within a broader portfolio of U.S. restaurant brands. Glacier Restaurant Group acquired Max & Erma's from American Blue Ribbon Holdings in a transaction announced on January 25, 2016. The sale came after 19 restaurants had closed because they were characterized as underperforming. The change in ownership was accompanied by a much smaller operating footprint than the chain had maintained at its peak. In July 2017, Glacier announced the planned closure of the original German Village restaurant, effective August 7, because the site was not financially viable. The closure removed the location most directly connected to the brand's founding history. By April 2024, Max & Erma's operated seven restaurants in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The surviving locations represent a regional continuation of a once substantially larger chain. The brand's historical significance lies in its transformation of a Columbus tavern into a recognizable casual-dining concept, its unusual restaurant design, its expansion across the United States, and its later retrenchment through bankruptcy, ownership transfers, and location closures. Current publicly cited information supports describing Max & Erma's as active but limited in geographic scale.
- 2024
Seven-location regional footprint
[1]As of April 2024, the chain operated seven locations in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, compared with approximately 110 at its mid-2000s peak.
- 2017
Original German Village location closes
[1]The original Columbus restaurant closed on August 7, 2017, after Glacier cited insufficient financial viability.
- 2016
Glacier Restaurant Group acquires Max & Erma's
[1]Glacier Restaurant Group purchased the brand from American Blue Ribbon Holdings after 19 underperforming locations had closed.
- 2010
American Blue Ribbon Holdings acquires the chain
[1]American Blue Ribbon Holdings acquired Max & Erma's after the bankruptcy filing.
- 2009
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing
[1]Max & Erma's filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on October 26, 2009.
- 2008
G&R Acquisition becomes owner
[1]G&R Acquisition Inc. purchased Max & Erma's in a reported $10.2 million transaction.
- 1995
Max Visocnik dies
[1]Max Visocnik, the other namesake associated with the original tavern, died in 1995.
- 1977
Erma Visocnik dies
[1]Erma Visocnik, one of the namesakes of the brand, died five years after the restaurant concept was established.
- 1972
Max & Erma's is founded
[1]Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks purchased the local tavern and developed it into the Max & Erma's restaurant concept.
- 1958
Max and Erma Visocnik begin operating the German Village tavern
[1]The Columbus, Ohio, tavern that later became associated with Max & Erma's was operated by Max and Erma Visocnik beginning in 1958.
Products and positioning
A regional American casual-dining chain positioned around approachable comfort food, full-service hospitality, and a distinctive, playful restaurant atmosphere.
American casual dining
Burgers
Burgers are a central expression of Max & Erma's American casual-dining format. They fit the chain's emphasis on familiar, accessible comfort food served in a relaxed full-service restaurant environment. The available reference material identifies burgers as part of the brand's typical food offer but does not provide a complete historical menu or detailed product specifications.
American casual dining
American sandwiches and entrées
The chain's broader menu includes sandwiches and other American-style entrées intended for informal lunch and dinner occasions. These offerings support the brand's positioning as a full-service casual restaurant rather than a narrowly specialized concept. Specific recipes, menu names, and product launch dates are not established by the supplied sources.
American casual dining
Soups and salads
Soups and salads provide lighter or complementary choices within the Max & Erma's menu architecture. They broaden the appeal of the chain beyond burgers and heavier comfort-food entrées. The available material confirms these categories but does not document specific recipes, seasonal programs, or current menu availability by location.
Dessert experience · 1972
Sundae bar
The sundae bar is one of Max & Erma's most distinctive historical features. At the original concept, a converted bathtub served as the sundae bar, turning dessert service into part of the restaurant's visual identity and themed atmosphere. This feature helped separate the chain from more standardized casual-dining competitors, although the sources do not confirm its format at every current location.
Brand decisions
2017
Closure of the original German Village locationStrategyBackground
Glacier Restaurant Group determined that the original Columbus location was not financially viable.
Action taken
The company announced that the restaurant would close on August 7, 2017.
Aftermath
The closure ended the operation of the site where the Max & Erma's concept originated, while other locations remained in operation.
2016
Sale to Glacier Restaurant GroupM&ABackground
American Blue Ribbon Holdings sold the chain after 19 locations had been closed as underperforming.
Action taken
Glacier Restaurant Group purchased Max & Erma's on or before the announcement dated January 25, 2016.
Aftermath
The brand continued as a much smaller regional chain rather than returning to its former national footprint.
2009
Chapter 11 bankruptcy filingOtherBackground
Max & Erma's faced financial pressure after a major expansion period and a change in ownership.
Action taken
The company filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code on October 26, 2009.
Aftermath
American Blue Ribbon Holdings acquired the chain in 2010.
2008
Sale to G&R Acquisition Inc.M&ABackground
Max & Erma's was transferred to a Pittsburgh-based equity investor during a period when the chain was still operating at a large national scale.
Action taken
G&R Acquisition Inc. purchased the company in April 2008 for a reported $10.2 million.
Aftermath
The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection the following year.
reported acquisition price. $10.2 million transaction value (April 2008)
Recent events
- 2017
Original German Village restaurant announces closure[1]
Other
Glacier Restaurant Group announced that the original Max & Erma's location in Columbus's German Village would close on August 7, citing a lack of financial viability.
- 2016
Glacier Restaurant Group purchases Max & Erma's[1]
M&A · Other
Glacier Restaurant Group announced the purchase of Max & Erma's from American Blue Ribbon Holdings on January 25, 2016. The deal followed the closure of 19 locations described as underperforming.
- 2010
American Blue Ribbon Holdings acquires Max & Erma's[1]
M&A
American Blue Ribbon Holdings, the owner of the Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurant chains, acquired Max & Erma's after its Chapter 11 filing.
- 2009
Max & Erma's files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection[1]
Bankruptcy
The restaurant chain entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings on October 26, 2009, following a period of ownership and operating challenges.
- 2008
G&R Acquisition purchases Max & Erma's[1]
M&A
Pittsburgh-based equity investor G&R Acquisition Inc. acquired Max & Erma's in a transaction reported at $10.2 million.
Sources1 sources
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