Max & Erma’s Beavercreek to close; new pub already in works

The Max & Erma’s restaurant chain’s corporate owner confirmed this afternoon that it will close its restaurant in front of the Mall at Fairfield Commons in Beavercreek effective Sunday — but will then convert the space to a different restaurant concept, MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub, this fall.

“We wanted to give the Beavercreek community a new exciting dining option,” James Blystone, vice president of franchising and communication for Montana-based Glacier Restaurant Group, told this news outlet. “This location worked fine for Max & Erma’s, but as we continue to expand the MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub, we look for opportunities that we feel are a great fit for this brand.

“We are confident the Beavercreek location and the community will embrace MacKenzie River’s scratch kitchen, extraordinary service and mountain ambience.”

RELATED: Springboro Max & Erma’s closes permanently (January 2016)

There are no plans at this time to convert the Max & Erma’s locations on Miller Lane in Butler Twp. or in Wilmington. “Max & Erma’s is an excellent complement to Glacier Restaurant Group’s existing collection of brands,” Blystone said.

Some of the 35 hourly employees of the Beavercreek Max & Erma’s will transfer to other Max & Erma’s locations, and the four managers of the existing restaurant will be retained, Blystone said.

And when the MacKenzie River concept opens this fall, it is expected to hire more than double its current workforce.

“We plan to employ approximately 80 to 90 people,” Blystone said.

Glacier Restaurant Group purchased the Max & Erma’s chain in January 2016.

Founded in Columbus in 1972, Max & Erma’s developed into one of the two pioneers of the casual dining segment along with TGI Friday’s. Over the years, chains such as O’Charley’s, Ruby Tuesday, Bennigan’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee’s and Chili’s crowded into the casual dining pool, sparking intense competition.

The chain once had a strong presence in the Dayton area. Its first Dayton-area location on Kingsridge Drive behind the Dayton Mall in Miami Twp. shut down in 2009, the same year Max & Erma’s filed for reorganization bankruptcy. Last year, the location in Springboro closed, and was replaced by an El Toro restaurant.

Blystone said the MacKenzie River Pizza Grill Pub “is all about fresh ingredients, scratch kitchens, creative cocktails, and a diverse beer section in our casual rustic Montana atmosphere that depicts the heart and soul of the Rocky Mountains.”

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