Post by red on Feb 27, 2008 16:11:21 GMT -8
www.sgvtribune.com/rds_search/ci_8380659
Change on the menu
Restaurant ready for new location, new name
Azusa restaurateur Max Arteaga and his wife Martha are adding some new ingredients to their recipe for success, including a prime site in the developing downtown area with a dash of relocation assistance from the city.
The remodeled interior of the two-story building at 635 N. Azusa Ave., former site of Smart City Grinds coffee house, will feature brand new amenities — from the kitchen appliances and seating, down to the dinnerware and decor.
"Everything will be new," Martha Arteaga said.
Along with its look, the restaurant's name will also change to Max's Mexican Cuisine from the more linguistically challenging Max's Rancho Los Magueyes Restaurant.
"I'd say 95 percent of our customers just call us Max's already," Max Arteaga said. "So it's not that different."
For six years, the eatery at 248 W. Foothill Blvd. has been a favorite dining spot for locals and visitors from as far away as San Bernardino County. On weekends, the line to get a table can stretch up to 30 people, Max Arteaga said.
The long lines made it clear the restaurant had outgrown its current site, he said, and was losing business over lengthy wait times.
A deal with the city to facilitate the move to a larger location proved to be the perfect equation for both the Arteagas and city officials, who have been working to redevelop and revitalize the downtown area.
"When Max came to the city and said he'd really like to open up the restaurant here, everyone from the Planning Department to city administrators to the entire City Council really got behind the idea," said Azusa spokesman Martin Quiroz.
The transition will allow the Arteagas to double the size of their restaurant and acquire much-needed parking spaces, Quiroz said, while the city stands to gain another popular dining option that squares with planners' vision of a vibrant, walkable downtown.
"Max and Martha are part of Azusa, so to move them to the general quarter in downtown is something we were all excited about," said Councilman Uriel Macias, who chairs the Downtown North Advisory Committee. "We wanted to expedite it and make sure we got them there, because they will be an anchor for that block along with Il Forno (Italian restaurant)."
For Max and Martha Arteaga, the new location, directly across from the future Azusa Village Center in the heart of the downtown core, was perfect, they said.
"I'm really happy about moving right there," Max Arteaga said. "I like downtown, and I think (the move) is good for Azusa. Everybody from the city has helped a lot."
If the remodel by Buena Vista Construction Co. continues as planned, the new site should be complete by April 20, with a soft opening scheduled for May 3 — just in time for Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Martha Arteaga said regular customers are excited about the move and the upgrades that will come with it.
And they still plan to greet incoming diners with one of Max Arteaga's signature sayings, including "Relax, you're at Max's."
The husband-and-wife team have a long history in the restaurant business, they said, which was responsible for bringing them together some 24 years ago.
After meeting at Ranchero Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Pasadena, the couple fell in love, got married and began to dream of opening up a restaurant of their own.
Over the next 18 years, the Arteagas worked in restaurants throughout the San Gabriel Valley and they began to develop a solid reputation — Max for his original drinks, and Martha for her homestyle cooking — and a following among customers.
Even during a two-year hiatus when Max Arteaga worked in paving, friends and former customers encouraged him to open his own place.
"They would stop by my house and say, 'When are you going to open a restaurant?'" he said.
Eventually, a family friend found the location on Foothill Boulevard and convinced him to take the plunge, he said.
"I thought, 'Why not?'" he said.
Now, as he watches his restaurant being expanded and improved just around the corner from its original site, Max Arteaga said he still remembers walking through the city of Azusa for the first time and liking it right away.
If his restaurant's long lines and good standing among locals are any indication, the feeling is mutual.
"Everybody in Azusa and the surrounding cities knows about Max's restaurant," Macias said. "They go there not only for the food, but also the atmosphere they provide. ... This is a great step for Azusa. Now we have Max's on board, and everything else will fall into place."
Change on the menu
Restaurant ready for new location, new name
Azusa restaurateur Max Arteaga and his wife Martha are adding some new ingredients to their recipe for success, including a prime site in the developing downtown area with a dash of relocation assistance from the city.
The remodeled interior of the two-story building at 635 N. Azusa Ave., former site of Smart City Grinds coffee house, will feature brand new amenities — from the kitchen appliances and seating, down to the dinnerware and decor.
"Everything will be new," Martha Arteaga said.
Along with its look, the restaurant's name will also change to Max's Mexican Cuisine from the more linguistically challenging Max's Rancho Los Magueyes Restaurant.
"I'd say 95 percent of our customers just call us Max's already," Max Arteaga said. "So it's not that different."
For six years, the eatery at 248 W. Foothill Blvd. has been a favorite dining spot for locals and visitors from as far away as San Bernardino County. On weekends, the line to get a table can stretch up to 30 people, Max Arteaga said.
The long lines made it clear the restaurant had outgrown its current site, he said, and was losing business over lengthy wait times.
A deal with the city to facilitate the move to a larger location proved to be the perfect equation for both the Arteagas and city officials, who have been working to redevelop and revitalize the downtown area.
"When Max came to the city and said he'd really like to open up the restaurant here, everyone from the Planning Department to city administrators to the entire City Council really got behind the idea," said Azusa spokesman Martin Quiroz.
The transition will allow the Arteagas to double the size of their restaurant and acquire much-needed parking spaces, Quiroz said, while the city stands to gain another popular dining option that squares with planners' vision of a vibrant, walkable downtown.
"Max and Martha are part of Azusa, so to move them to the general quarter in downtown is something we were all excited about," said Councilman Uriel Macias, who chairs the Downtown North Advisory Committee. "We wanted to expedite it and make sure we got them there, because they will be an anchor for that block along with Il Forno (Italian restaurant)."
For Max and Martha Arteaga, the new location, directly across from the future Azusa Village Center in the heart of the downtown core, was perfect, they said.
"I'm really happy about moving right there," Max Arteaga said. "I like downtown, and I think (the move) is good for Azusa. Everybody from the city has helped a lot."
If the remodel by Buena Vista Construction Co. continues as planned, the new site should be complete by April 20, with a soft opening scheduled for May 3 — just in time for Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Martha Arteaga said regular customers are excited about the move and the upgrades that will come with it.
And they still plan to greet incoming diners with one of Max Arteaga's signature sayings, including "Relax, you're at Max's."
The husband-and-wife team have a long history in the restaurant business, they said, which was responsible for bringing them together some 24 years ago.
After meeting at Ranchero Mexican Restaurant and Cantina in Pasadena, the couple fell in love, got married and began to dream of opening up a restaurant of their own.
Over the next 18 years, the Arteagas worked in restaurants throughout the San Gabriel Valley and they began to develop a solid reputation — Max for his original drinks, and Martha for her homestyle cooking — and a following among customers.
Even during a two-year hiatus when Max Arteaga worked in paving, friends and former customers encouraged him to open his own place.
"They would stop by my house and say, 'When are you going to open a restaurant?'" he said.
Eventually, a family friend found the location on Foothill Boulevard and convinced him to take the plunge, he said.
"I thought, 'Why not?'" he said.
Now, as he watches his restaurant being expanded and improved just around the corner from its original site, Max Arteaga said he still remembers walking through the city of Azusa for the first time and liking it right away.
If his restaurant's long lines and good standing among locals are any indication, the feeling is mutual.
"Everybody in Azusa and the surrounding cities knows about Max's restaurant," Macias said. "They go there not only for the food, but also the atmosphere they provide. ... This is a great step for Azusa. Now we have Max's on board, and everything else will fall into place."