Max and Erma’s

Ok dinning experience. Went there for lunch and had the ½ salad ½ sandwich. The salad was good enough but the chicken salad sandwich was bland. Our service was good. Pretty much what is expected in a chain restaurant. Love the mall though !

This was my 4^th trip to this ME location. The first three times were good. Good food good service. This time not so much hence the 3 rating.
First, the good stuff. DH had the Texas buger which he thought was delicious and done just the way he likes it.
We shared the BBQ Quesadilla with the Avocado Ranch dipping sauce. Delicious. The sauce was smooth and creamy with lots of avocado flavor. The quesadilla had lots of chicken and smoky BBQ flavor.
Now the not so good. The service was poor to medium. Our server did not write anything down so the size of my salad was wrong as were the drink orders. He also had a bit of an attitude, tossing napkins and the check at the table from about 4 feet away. He spent a great deal of the time walking around telling the manager? I am ready for it, what ever happens I am ready.
We were there at the end of lunch rush and there was a lot of noise from the kitchen, dishes being slammed together, boxes being dropped and at one point an entire tray of dishes was dropped so there was the sound of glass breaking and shouting.
I ordered the Third Street Salad. I ordered the large size and I got the small. The bread stick was hard as a rock. I liked the taste of the salad and the bacon and blue cheese mix was good. But when I see a photo of a salad on a menu with a thickly sliced ½ of a chicken breast on it, I expect to get ½ of a chicken breast on my salad. All I got were three small thinly sliced pieces laying across the top. About 4 bites of chicken if you take small bites.
Because this time was a real disappointment and the other times were 5 star I am averaging it for a 3. Maybe a different time of day or different server or different menu item would have been better?

They still have the same sandwich I enjoyed at the downtown location and that is a bonus in my book. Good ranch dressing. We came in close to closing and although we waited at the front for someone to notice us, the were accommodating and didn’t make us feel rushed, that is always a plus.

I give this place an extra star because the chicken tortilla soup was an unexpectedly good spicy dish. The cheese soup base was great! If only soup made this place the nuts!
My wife’s steak was tough. My daughter’s salmon okay but unremarkable. My Reuben sandwich was quite good because the sauce was superb, it outweighed the soggy toast on the bottom.
The sundae bar is okay but nothing to write home about and this location has lots of food competition. The service is indifferent so if you are here Max should be about 3^rd on your list of options. Bravo and McCormicks are options although McCormicks prices are daunting!

For a chain restaurant this place was pretty good! The service was amazing, my veggie burger was delicious with a touch of guac and salsa on top, with a vinaigrette salad on the side. And when I ordered a $ 3 dollar beer I was expecting something a lot smaller than a pitcher! So um, yeah take advantage of their drink specials!

The only reason this isn’t a one star review is because the food was fine. The service, on the other hand, was some of the worst I’ve ever experienced. Have you ever had a server who obviously didn’t want to serve you? No? Well, swing by this restaurant and you’ll find out what it’s like.
Our waiter’s resistance to serving us was probably based on the fact that we had a small child with us. Not a sleeping newborn, but an actual small child in a high chair loudly babbling and tossing things haphazardly at the floor. Children in restaurants is a fraught issue, however this is a crap-​on-​the-​walls burger joint in a mall in the suburbs. At least half of the other parties in the restaurant with us had children under five. They’ve got a dedicated kids menu and an ice cream sundae bar in a bath tub. If you can’t bring a small child to this type of restaurant at 3PM on a Saturday, where can you take a kid?
Besides ignoring us for long periods of time, our server copped an attitude with us and even had the nerve to ask my dining companion where she was from (answer: St Louis) because he had never seen a name likes hers on a credit card before. The only bright spot was a waiter named Homer who stepped in and served us while our own server was MIA. We had such a bad experience that we even filled out a comment card on our way out. With all the other dining options at the mall, it’s pretty certain that I’ll never eat here again.

First time here. Ok nothing extravagent or special. I guess I would go back again if I was really hungry and in the area, but I would not make a special trip.

Somedays you should just stay home.
After being snubbed at Brighton, I thought some lunch was in order. I didn’t want to go high end alone but wanted more than the food court so I settled on Max and Erma’s.
I ordered the Chicken Salad Sandwich with Fries $ 9.29. I asked the server to put it on Toasted Ciabatta. She was not writing this down and she seemed rushed to get away which always worries me.
Sandwich arrives on Cold Untoasted bread. There were two limp pieces of greenery and a small slather of chicken salad. Fries were lukewarm, limp, and pale. The server comes back after half was eaten and asks if everything is alright. I told her that the bread was cold and not toasted, and she told me that is cuz the chicken salad is cold.?? MY guess… she forgot to put toasted in the computer because she did not write it down! She then said Sorry, do you want me to take it back. I just shook my head and said «just answering your question».
She gave me no beverage refill and then short changed me on the bill.
I went home.

NOTE:
As a representative of the bigger half of the population, and when I say bigger I mean fat, the booths were made too small by «mistake,» as we were told.
Now I’m not big enough to be forced to sit at a table with no barriers. I always have fit in every booth I have EVER sat in. BUT in this case, no.
The booths are so tight that you have to be healthy (FORSOOTH) and slim.
It is ridiculously small. I hate tables, only because I’m a weirdo, but I digress.
Will not be back because of that. Even though the Tortilla soup is yummy.
This is the MIDWEST for goodness sakes. The home of grease and gravy! I doubt they will last in their current state.
I have had a lot of experience with these in Michigan and as in most transplant chains it does not compare. Not that the Michigan ones are really great either. hehe
There is ONE meal that I love here, or did.
Since my good friend introduced this to me at 23yrs old, I have gotten the same thing here… A Santa Fe Salad, as it comes with One soft bread stick (a long roll really,) and a cup/​bowl of Torta Soup. OH the soup!
M&E’s Website Description:
«Santa Fe. Salad…Marinated chicken, shredded Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, tomatoes & tortilla strips, served with our made-​from-​scratch ranch dressing.»
The Santa Fe Salad: I get it stripped down of it’s cheeses (sometimes) and of it’s tortilla chips to make it a bit more healthy and it is still really tasty. Grilled chicken is on it and it is always very good.
The Soft BreadStick: It is more like a long soft roll. Not as healthy but it USE to be very yummy as you dip it in honey mustard, which they switched brands and now that honey mustard is LOUSY. Ugh. Cold and gross breadstick, so unlike what I was use to a long time ago. So the ranch dressing is good but fattening.
M&E’s Website blurb:
«Tortilla SoupOur secret recipe chicken cheese soup with a spicy kick, topped with cheddar, Monterey Jack & freshly made tortilla strips»
The Tortilla Soup: If you come here you have to get this. It is simple the best thing on the menu. Some of this is nostalgia talking mind you, but this is a yummy *COUGHfatteningCOUGH* Love this soup. NOTE: In no way is this authentic. PAHLEASE do not post about how this is not authentic… who CARES it is good. :p (Feeling feisty today. ;) :D)
Of the MANY times I have gone to a Max & Erma’s there is one constant. grease.
EVERYTHING is greasy (with the exception of that salad but the tortilla’s strips are fried! sigh.)
I never liked anything else I have ever gotten here.
TLDR: The booths are small so if you have any girth at all you will be banned to the tables. The only thing of note is the Tortilla soup. Locale: In the Mall. Santa Fe Salad is good enough to eat. You could make do but don’t go out of your way.

I wasn’t super impressed with Max and Erma’s when I met some friends there for dinner tonight. Most of my disappointment revolves around our server. He was a nice guy, but not very good. I ordered a draft Bud Select, which was on the Happy Hour menu for $ 3. We also ordered the nachos on the Happy Hour menu and I ordered a bowl of french onion soup. When my beer came out, my glass was dirty. I have worked in food service, so I realize this stuff happens, so I politely showed our server. He brought it back with a quick apology. I took a drink and was 98% positive it was Bud Light, not Select. Our server seemed a little stressed and I like Bud Light, so I let it go. The food was brought out and was okay, but wasn’t anything special. I liked the soup (but not as much as Bread Co.‘s), but it was really salty. I dig salty foods, unfortunately, so I was okay with it. I had to leave early, so I took the check for the nachos, soup, and my beer. When he brought the check, he didn’t have Happy Hour prices. I showed him this, he apologized and went to fix it. When he brought it back, he only fixed the nacho price and not the beer price. It was only a quarter of a difference and I was in a hurry at that point, so I let it go. I paid with cash and said, «I’ll need change.» He said, «Thank you.» At that point, I looked at my friends and said, «He thought I said ‘Keep the change,’ didn’t he?» They agreed. I was about to leave and have my friends ask about my change, but he walked up right before I left and my friend said something about it. He got my change with much apologizes. I feel for the guy and I still left a decent tip because, like I said, I’ve been there, but I won’t be in a rush to go back.

Went there with my pals for lunch on a Friday. It is the old J. Buck’s located on the south end of West County Mall. Parking is always an adventure here. If you want covered parking, I say head straight for the 2^nd or 3^rd level on either the west or east side of the mall. Otherwise, try the south parking lot by JCPenny’s. Atmosphere was nice. Our server was named Coty. She did a good job. I ordered the Garbage Burger. It was suppose to be the MAX size, but I don’t know if it was. My bill didn’t reflect the MAX price, so I wonder. It was a good burger. There was a lot of things on it, too much for me to remember. I did knife and fork it. It was too big to eat the normal way. It was a good burger, not a great burger. I have had better burgers elsewhere. I will give this place another try and try something else on the menu.

I really enjoy Max ‘n Erma’s. The pretzels and chocolate chip cookies are really yummy. The food and service is consistant. The food is standard american fare and nothing stands out as a «must have», but everyone enjoyed their selections.
I’m glad they expanded to this mall and offers a bit of quitness from one’s shopping experiences as the ambience is darker.
An extra star for the free ice cream for the kiddos and the «Fixin’s Tub» is adorable!

Located in the old J. Buck’s location outside J.C. Penny’s inside the West County Mall, this new M&E location is spacious with uncluttered homey décor.
The menu says their burgers were voted best in the nation in 2011, so this being our first visit, we all decided to get burgers. I got the Burger combo, which was $ 8.99 for the basic Erma Cheeseburger with your choice of salad or tortilla soup, seasoned fries, and a cookie. The Erma burger is 6 oz on a delish brioche bun and is relative in size to a Gourmet Cheeseburger from Red Robin. The salad is a huge portion and I had to have it immediately wrapped up to go, because I knew if I ate it, I wouldn’t finish my burger. The seasoned fries were particularly good, too. And OMG, the cookie! It’s a basic-​sized chocolate chip cookie that is just AWESOME!
You can also get the Max size burger. I think that one is like 8 or 9 oz. Way too big for me, but my male friends were able to finish it. Some of them also got the Garbage Burger which boasts «everything but the kitchen sink» but claim they would probably get something different next time, because the Garbage Burger had way too much stuff on it — couldn’t really discern any flavor, all ran together.
Service was great and very helpful! Very accommodating! Would definitely go back! Check out the menu — there are several options for different tastes!
And don’t forget… get the cookie!

Awesome food
Great service

Newly opened in the West County Mall, near JCPenney. Obviously since it’s new, the interior is sparkly and clean. Nice bar area where a lot of mall employees hang out after their shift. Comfy booths. A tad bit dark for my tastes with the dark interior but not too bad.
Decent enough food. I had the Texas Ranger burger, which had chili, cheese, and fried pickles on top. I liked the toppings a lot more than the meat patty itself. Highly seasoned fries were a smidge oversalted. They do have two sizes of burgers, «Max» and «Erma». I chose the «Erma» (smaller) size and still thought it was a pretty darn big burger. My dining companion ordered the buffalo chicken sandwich with fries and enjoyed it. Looked good enough that I’ll probably try that next time.
Extremely friendly and efficient waitress but it wasn’t exactly crowded on a Wednesday night. Food came out very quickly as well since there were only 5 – 6 occupied tables. $ 12 for a burger and a drink so it wasn’t too bad for a sit down restaurant.
Overall, a nice alternative to the mall food court but I probably won’t head down there just to eat here.