Max Hospitality, one of Greater Hartford’s most prominent restaurant groups, said Tuesday it has added 11 key managers as equity partners.
The goal of expanding its partnership team is to reward the contributions of the managers while prowling growth and innovation, the organization said.
“Since our founding, it’s been our approach to management to make operators vested in their restaurants,” said Scott Smith, Max Hospitality president and CEO. “With a lot of our founding members getting older, we realized this was important for the stability of our operation in the future. We wanted to make sure we secured the stability of the organization for the future.”
The addition of new partners comes more than two years after Max Hospitality underwent a leadership change, when founder and CEO Rich Rosenthal retired and sold his shares in the company.
Smith and Steve Abrams, vice president, took over Max’s top leadership posts.
The 11 new partners bring both experience and expertise in hospitality management and culinary innovation, Smith said. They serve in both front- and back-of-the-house roles.
They include:
- Shawn Jones, general manager, Max’s Oyster Bar
- Chelsea Lozier, general manager, Savoy Craft Beer and Pizzeria
- Elisabeth Guarino, general manager, Max Fish
- Megan Smallidge, general manager, Max’s Trumbull Kitchen
- Matthew Burrill, executive chef, Max’s Oyster Bar
- Christopher Sheehan, executive chef, Max Downtown
- Brendan Sullivan, general manager, Max Downtown
- James Stone, general manager, Max Burger, Longmeadow, Massaschusetts
- Robert Peterson, chef/general manager, Max A Mia
- Jill Aniskoff Waller, human resources director, Max Restaurant Group, and
- Steve Michalewicz, executive chef, Max Catering and Events.
Expanding the partnership team comes as Max Hospitality prepares to open its newly renovated Bar Max at the Goodwin Hotel in downtown Hartford and Max’s Swing Lounge, a new indoor golf entertainment venue at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.
In May, Max Hospitality also announced that after 34 years in its original location, Max A Mia would move in early 2025 to a new location at 380 West Main St. in Avon.