German Village staple Max & Erma’s closed their doors on August 7, 2017. It’s okay to cry, we’re sad too.
The Max & Erma’s we’ve all grown to love was founded in 1972 by Todd Barnum and Barry Zacks. They purchased a neighborhood tavern in German Village from Max and Erma Visocnik, who had run the tavern since the 1950s.
Max & Erma’s grew into a nationwide chain, but after the 2016 sale of the company to Glacier Restaurant Group (GRG), several locations around the country were closed.
The original location, at 739 S 3rd St, was the latest restaurant to announce its closure.
In a press release, GRG spokesman James Blystone spoke about the decision to close the store, as well as the fate of employees. “After a thorough review of available options, the building could no longer maintain the standards customers deserve,” said Blystone.
“All employees at the German Village Max & Erma’s have been offered positions at other locations,” Blystone stated.
At the time there was no word on what would go into the location once Max & Erma’s moved out, though the building had been bought by an entity called 739 German Village LLC.
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