It's not every day that famed chef Gordon Ramsay is able to visit an establishment that's been in business for over nine decades, but that's what happened when Kitchen Nightmares season 8 headed to Max's Bar & Grill in Long Branch, N.J. Third generation owner Jennifer Maybaum inherited the restaurant from her father in 2013 and was hoping that Gordon might be able to offer some guidance to help the iconic eatery make it to its centennial in 2028.
Here's the description of the season finale episode, which also includes Indian eatery Diwan:
"Gordon Ramsay heads to Max's Bar & Grill in Long Branch, New Jersey to mediate the restaurant's divorced owners through their frustrations with each other before their business crumbles. Then, Gordon steps in to help transform Diwan, an established Indian restaurant in Port Washington, New York, that is also running a Mexican restaurant out of the same kitchen in the all-new 'Max’s/Diwan' two-part season finale episode of Kitchen Nightmares."
Thus far, Ramsay's track record in season 8 has been very good. He's helped a number of restaurants including South Brooklyn Foundry, El Cantito, Love Bites Cafe, The Juicy Box, Da Mimmo, In the Drink, Bask 46 and Bel Aire Diner.
Happily, Max's Bar & Grill is still open and moving closer to that centennial.
According to a feature in Asbury Park Press, Maybaum applied to be featured on Kitchen Nightmares because she needed help creating new menu items to bring in more diners during the off-peak season. The show filmed in June 2023; when Ramsay arrived, he instantly took issue with the brick-walled decor and and menu. After ordering a variety of items, he noted that his two hot dogs could use some help. "When I think about hot dogs," he said, "they should be fat, juicy, delicious. This thing's blistered and wrinkled."
As of this writing, Max's is sitting on a four-star rating with 583 reviews on Google Reviews. Reviews range from five-star ratings noting tasty food and a great atmosphere to criticism of the new decor and menu items. It's worth noting that Max's original hot dog supplier stopped making the beef and pork version that had been served at Max's for decades; Maybaum has since found a company that uses the old recipe for the original footlong offered at the restaurant.
To celebrate the episode's premiere, Maybaum will introduce a new hot dog developed by Ramsay's team to the menu. The new hot dog will be available for a limited time before Max's Bar & Grill closes for the holidays and winter break.
Kitchen Nightmares season 8 airs Mondays at 8 pm ET/PT on Fox, with new episodes available to stream the following day on Hulu.
