Business & Tech

Update: Max's Owner Says Rent Was Too High

Days before their surprising closure, Max's Diner was still taking reservations.

by JANE McINNIS

Cathy Montag had reservations for her parents' 37th wedding anniversary at Max's Diner on Dec. 26. She made the reservations over the phone three days in advance. But when she pulled up to the restaurant that Thursday, the restaurant was dark with a sign written with red crayon on the window.

"Max's has closed thank you for your patronage," it read.

Yes, Max's Diner in San Ramon has abruptly closed, but no one seemed to have much of a warning. The company, which has a face in the Bay Area with locations from Redwood City to San Francisco, showed no signs of closing.

Employees were still taking reservations days before the closure, so it's unclear if they were aware that the diner would be closing the day after Christmas.

Owner Matt Parhizkar said the rent was too high at $28,000 a month. He said the lease came up and they didn't renew.

The city allowed too many small restaurants with a 'lower overhead', which made it too difficult to compete, Parhizkar said.

"My husband and I met there 20 years ago. End of an era," said Danica Clark of San Ramon.

The restaurant was featured as the 'Most-Reviewed Restaurant on Yelp' in San Ramon earlier in May of 2013 on Patch.

Related: What Should Move in to Max's Place?


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