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One of Santa Barbara’s most resilient and recognizable restaurants will soon close its doors.
After more than three decades, Max’s Restaurant and Cucina at 3514 State St. will greet its final customers next week.
“I will love them a lot,” said longtime owner Henrietta Forystek. “I will miss them. I was very happy to be here to serve them. This is a very wonderful place to be.”
Forystek began her career at Max’s as a hostess in 1985, a year after the restaurant opened. She rose to assistant manager, eventually general manager, and ultimately owner, buying the restaurant in 2002.
Max’s was named after a dog belonging to Linda Thompson, the original owner. Max was a golden retriever who regularly greeted customers when they walked through the door. An art portrait of the dog is framed in the entrance to the restaurant.
Over the years, Max’s has offered more than omelettes and Italian dinners. It has hosted comedy nights, musical events and wine tasting.
“We’ve tried to keep up with what’s going on,” she said.
Like many restaurants, hers has been hurt by the recent fires, smoke and mudslides. Max’s is far away from the downtown hustle-and-bustle, and has primarily served locals in its 34 years.
“We have been impacted a lot,” Forystek said. “When people leave town, Santa Barbara is empty.”
Forystek’s decision to close Max’s was in the works before the recent turmoil. She said she’s moving out of Santa Barbara to be closer to her family.
She’s in the process of selling the restaurant, but it will have a new name when it re-opens.
Forystek’s was born in Mexico and moved to Santa Barbara from New Mexico in 1985. She responded to a newspaper ad for a job as a hostess. After a brief interview, Forystek said, Thompson asked her, “Can you start working for me right now?”
Although she’s held various roles at the restaurant, she said she has always seen herself as an ambassador.
“I am a person who likes to take care of the customer,” she said. “I am here to serve you, to make sure you have a great time. I am here to make sure you have a wonderful experience.
Forystek said her restaurant’s last day is likely Tuesday, March 27, the last time she could enjoy her favorite Greek Scramble or pancakes for breakfast.
“I had a very good heart-to-heart relationship with my customers,” she said.
Vicenta’s Restaurant
The Los Agaves empire continues to expand. Carlos Luna, the founder of Los Agaves, plans to open a new Mexican restaurant, Vicenta’s in the Camino Real Shopping Center.
The Mexican restaurant and bar will replace the short-lived Pascucci at 6920 Marketplace Drive. Prior to Pascucci, which folded in January after less than two years, the restaurant was occupied by Holdren’s.
Vicenta’s will open “in the very near future,” according to Camino Real Shopping Center managers.
Sports Authority Replacement
A HomeGoods store will go into the space formerly occupied by The Sports Authority in the Camino Real Marketplace.
According to the company’s corporate Web site: “HomeGoods is where savvy shoppers of every style discover an ever changing selection of exciting top brands and home fashions from around the world, at prices generally 20-60 percent below department and specialty store regular prices, on comparable merchandise, every day.”
Dick’s Sporting Goods had signed a lease to go into the space in 2016, but the company pulled out because it decided that the 30,000-foot venue was too small.
“We have been very selective and patient in choosing new tenants for these two spaces, and we think the quality of these new tenants reflects on why the Camino Real Marketplace has such a dominant position in the market as well as creating the best shopping center experience for the Goleta/Santa Barbara community,” said Mark Linehan, managing owner of the Camino Real Marketplace.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
