Max’s Loudon Square restaurant closing: What they will miss most isn’t on the buffet
They came for one last piece of fried chicken or fish, a last bowl of soup beans and cornbread.
Or just to say goodbye to the restaurant where they’d been dining day in and day out, sometimes twice a day, for nearly 50 years.
But for many who lined up outside Max’s Loudon Square Buffet in the off-and-on rain Friday, what they will miss most isn’t on the buffet.
“It’s Max himself,” said Jason Henson of restaurant owner Max Flannery, who began running the restaurant at 801 N. Broadway in 1974, making it one of Lexington’s oldest restaurants. Columbia Steak House claims the title of Lexington’s oldest restaurant, opening in 1948.
Flannery, who is recovering from a fall, worked at the restaurant daily for decades. Earlier this week, the Flannery family posted a sign on the door saying that the buffet would close permanently after serving on April 8.
“Thanks to our loyal customers and the city of Lexington we have had 48 great years. Thank you, Max,” the sign read.
Henson used to come every day with his father for lunch, coming over from work a few blocks away. “I love Max. His food’s great, and I’m going to miss him,” Henson said. “He’s a great guy.”
For Kenneth Maness, a retired Lexington firefighter who came with with family one last time, Flannery was what drew customers back. “That man took care of I can’t tell you the number of people,” Maness said. “It’s what Max stands for in my person opinion: People. I can’t tell you how big a heart he’s got.”
Milo Coleman, a Lexington native who has been coming to Max’s at least once a week for the last 20 years, said that it was his friendship with Flannery as much as the fried fish, cabbage and brown beans that brought him back.
“Max treated everybody fairly. I’ve seen him feed people when they didn’t have any money. He was truly a good guy,” Coleman said.
Lining up on the last day
At the restaurant on Friday, strangers gathered before it opened at 11 a.m., ready to commune over their love of home-style cooking and the man who served it for nearly 50 years. The restaurant hoped to be able to stay open until 7:30 p.m. but according to WKYT they ran out of food before 3 p.m.
Customers young and old celebrated a place where all could feel welcome and go home well-fed, 365 days a year.
Kathy Hailey of Lexington said that she would eat at Max’s on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day and loved the way the place made her feel at home. “We came here for every holiday,” she said. “It’s like being at home, it really is.”
Nathan Stacy, came with his 3-year-old daughter Taylor. They’d been there the day before, too. And overnight Nathan’s fiance had made him a t-shirt for the last day that featured the restaurant sign and said, “You were with us in the beginning” on the front and “Now we’re with you in the end” on the back.
Why Max’s Loudon Square Buffet closed
Hubert Max Flannery, son of owner Raymond Max Flannery who went by Max, said Thursday that his father isn’t able to continue and so the family decided to close the restaurant.
“It’s my dad’s entire life’s work, his passion, his hobby, his career. It’s everything to my dad,” Flannery said. “Unfortunately he’s not in a position to continue. He is what made the restaurant.”
The bigger story, Flannery said, is the community that built up around the place, known for its home-style buffet of fried chicken and fish, vegetables, salads, pinto beans, cornbread and banana pudding.
What made Max’s Loudon Square Buffet restaurant special
“It’s somewhat of a unique place,” Flannery said. “There was a time when that place was bustling with life, and life from all corners of Lexington. ... You could go in there and see a governor, a professional wrestler, homeless person, IBM employees, people from the Hope Center … every imaginable walk of life any day of the week. All welcome. That’s the genius of what my father built, it’s a community center. You might end up sitting at a table with a stranger and it not even feel awkward.”
Gary Clark of Lexington said that he has been coming regularly over the last 20 years, echoed that.
“As much as I love Max’s food, I love Max,” he said. “What he’s done for the community ... you come here and you meet people from all economic classes ... and the food, for home-style cooking, for my nickel, is the best anywhere around.”
This story was originally published April 8, 2022 at 2:25 PM.
