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Updates and Info about Rocky Point.
Speaker: Welcome to Rocky
Point by the Numbers.
I'm Steve Schwab here today with John
McBride, the owner of Max's Cafe.
I've known John for about 23 years
now and I'm really excited to sit down
and talk with him here at Max's Cafe.
We're actually in the restaurant
and Max's Cafe is an icon in Rocky
Point along with John and his family.
So John, so glad to have you here.
Welcome to the show.
Speaker 2: Well, thank you.
This is, this is going to be fun, I think.
I hope
Speaker: so.
I hope so.
So, John, I met you
when I first came here.
In fact, several of the events that
happened that led to me becoming
the owner of Casago and getting
started in ATVs , really was here
sitting at your bar, at your table.
I remember asking you, hey, I
have this Firebird I could sell.
Well, thank you Right, I remember that.
And I said, what should I do
with the money from that car?
And what did you say?
Speaker 2: Well, I've said the
one thing for sure is I advise you
not to go into the ATV business.
And I think about three months later,
you were, you opened up around the
corner and really did very, very well.
It was, it was
Speaker: funny, actually, you
know, I remember it so clearly.
I was sitting just right there at that.
I can see right where I was
sitting in that chair over there.
And you said.
Whatever you do, don't do ATVs and
don't get into vacation rentals.
And that's the very first thing I
did was go and did both of those.
It's actually a really funny story.
I know it's, it's, you know, but
Speaker 2: that goes to show
you how much I know, right?
Speaker: Well, whatever John tells you to
do in business, just go do the opposite.
There you go.
Speaker 2: That sounds perfect.
I don't do it for
Speaker: everybody.
Speaker 2: There you go.
Yeah.
Speaker: So,
Speaker 2: John, how long
have you been in Rossport?
I've been in Rossport.
So we've probably been here
for 28 years now, maybe 27.
But yeah, we got here
in like 97, I believe.
So it's in a long time.
I remember your boys being just
little tiny boys when I met you.
Yeah, they used to sit right here.
Well, we're doing this chat and, uh,
do their homework, you know, cause back
then it, we, the internet, you really
didn't go to school on the internet.
Like you do nowadays.
We actually used to get school in a box.
We'd get one box from a company.
I can't think of the name
and they would send this box.
And it was mainly for like
missionaries and people that
were in darkest, deepest Africa.
And every single thing was in that
box for one year of schooling.
Right down to the pencils, and they
would sit here and they would do that.
And that's basically
how they went to school.
I mean, I know it's changed a lot
now, but back then, that was it.
I
Speaker: remember that.
I also remember something
about this specific restaurant.
that one of your big draws
was you had internet.
Oh my god, yes.
Remember that?
Free internet was like a way that
you made money for years by letting
the people who came across the
border have a way to connect up.
Speaker 2: We had two big ol honkin
IBM sittin at the end of the bar
and we had a voiceover phone.
I mean, it was like, That was almost
like magic back then, and people
couldn't believe that I would let
them call the States for nothing.
And I think back then it used
to cost me a penny a minute.
Speaker: Yeah, yeah.
I remember the line that would be
over there at the end of the bar.
People waiting to call
home on the voiceover IP.
And that was back when
they charged long distance
Speaker 2: still.
Oh yeah, it was stupid expensive
to call from down here.
Not only expensive, but
almost really difficult.
Speaker: Yeah,
Speaker 2: we used to
have a sign on the door.
It says free phone.
Call home and tell your
family you're alive.
Yeah, I
Speaker: remember a
Speaker 2: little
Speaker: sarcastic, but a little
sarcasm, but it's really got people in
the door that sold a lot of breakfast.
That's for sure.
John, when was the first time you heard
about Rocky Point or discovered it?
Speaker 2: You know, we actually
were making glass jewelry for the
25 years before that, and we made
handcrafted dichroic glass beads.
It was kind of a specialty item, and
we would sell our stuff in the Tucson
Gender and Mineral Show, and somebody
from, that had a boutique down here,
just started talking about Rocky Point.
At that time, I kind of knew we needed
to do something a little different.
Mainly, you know, the high cost
of labor in California, the
Bay Area, where we're from.
And he was telling us how nice
Rocky Point was, and we should
come down and take a look.
And we didn't.
I didn't really know anything about
it until we drove down and saw it.
And I thought, my gosh, you
know, this would be a great
place for the kids to grow up.
You know, my wife is Mexican,
so she spoke the language, even
though we lived up in the States.
So, we came down, took a look,
and I said, let's give it a try.
Let's make beans down here.
And we did.
And it obviously worked out.
You're still here.
Right, but truthfully, we only
made beans down here for about
two years, maybe three years.
Because then we got kind of, I
always say sucked into the restaurant
business, but that never sounds good.
Yeah,
Speaker: probably
Speaker 2: the wrong
Speaker: words there.
Yeah.
The name Max's Cafe is your wife's name.
But there is a little confusion by
people who are new here about who's Max.
Speaker 2: Exactly.
Cause I mean, you know, it's more
of a guy's name than a girl's name.
Now she's, you know, Maxie or technically
Maxamena, but absolutely people come
in and for years have called me Max
until somebody sit next to him says,
You know, that's not Max, that's John.
Uh huh.
Speaker: It's like an ongoing joke.
It is, it is.
So, we should set a, we should set a
drinking game for anytime anybody calls
you Max, that everybody has to drink or
something or they have to buy a round.
Right,
Speaker 2: I usually break it up
by saying, Oh, just call me Mr.
Max.
Mr.
Max.
John, what made you decide to open Max's?
You know what?
I don't know.
We were making the glass beads
and my wife, Maxie, didn't really
have a whole lot to do because
that was really my business.
So she was working down at the Sunset
Cantina and we were actually doing
food for a timeshare thing down there
and she happened to see the little
spot at the end here was for sale.
We went down and we looked at
it and talked to the guy and We
bought that little unit because
in Fairfield, California, we had
kind of had like a small Starbucks
before Starbucks was everywhere.
So we started there selling
bagels and expresso.
We just went right back into what
we were doing in California and It
wasn't long before somebody came
in and goes, Oh my God, I've just
killed for two eggs over medium.
So the next thing I know, Max is pushing
in a little apartment size stove.
I mean, you know, it's totally different
down here than, and we're doing max
bagels, which we do to this day.
And that started it.
And then we, you know, went from there
and then we bought this larger space.
Speaker: I remember working
for Johnny Francis and we are
in a unit about halfway down.
Correct.
Yep.
There was a drama going on with the
landlord and we office out of my apartment
for about a week and then came in and
moved into where the real estate office is
Speaker 2: still today.
Right.
That's, that's right.
Some people, when they sell things,
they still think they own them.
Right.
And that was pretty much the situation.
And I said, no, we're, we're putting
in a real estate office there.
And he was just livid, but you know,
we obviously, And a real estate
office there for 20 some odd years.
So yeah, that's before
across ago got started.
Oh, yeah.
So it was over 23 years ago.
Yeah, that was I don't even think you were
across the street yet at the Pinnacottis.
Were you?
No, I think I was still over to
Speaker: Cindy's Mutual Medals.
That's right.
That's right.
You're right.
You're right about that.
So John, you guys are a family
of restaurateurs now, right?
And you have three different
restaurants in town.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker 2: When we came down and
we started Max's, Mary Snyder used
to come in and have our food and
they started building out at the
Sonoran Spa and she really liked it.
the food and us, I guess.
And she said, Hey, why don't
you come out to the Sonoran spa?
There's a couple of commercial
units that you could buy.
And she really wanted a breakfast place
to start with, but it morphed into
a full blown restaurant with liquor.
And that was kind of like the first
little push after that actually
really went well, even though we
were concerned, like anybody, you
know, we built it from scratch.
Then this guy next door.
comes over and he's like, you know, going
to be our competition at the Princesa.
And we're like, what?
And he said, but I'll tell you what,
if you want, you build the restaurant
next door and be your own competition.
So we did and I'd know that guy to this
day and his name was Steve But the point
was is that so we built that restaurant
at the Princesa and Brian Went over it.
He was 18 by then and Brian ran it for
10 years if not more and then every
member of the Family kind of just got
pulled into the business and our oldest
son was actually selling real estate.
Even later on, he ran Max's at
night and I ran it during the day.
So, yeah, we just all kind of got roped
into it inch by inch, but it worked out.
And so
Speaker: the third restaurant
is a sports bar called Brian's.
Every time I go out to Brian's,
it's always filled up and locals
and people from Wisconsin.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Tourists.
It's all filled up there.
He does a good job.
He's got a good mix of customers.
Yeah.
Yeah.
John, what are some of the ways
that Rocky Point has changed
Speaker 2: since you've been here?
You know, when we started here
at Max's, there was literally
nothing on Sandy Beach.
There was, I think, the Princess
that was built at that point.
But all those condos, that's when they
started building them from 2000 on.
And that's actually the major change.
thing that's happened here in Rocky
Point is just building out Sandy Beach.
You know, there's a lot of other
parts of town that are still Look
the same, you know, honestly, but
that's really the major change.
And, you know, the roads have
gotten in town and going out
there have gotten better.
A couple of golf courses have come in.
I'm not a big golfer, but you
know, that attracts people.
You know, the Mayan has one,
Laguna Shores and Las Palomas.
Speaker: Yeah.
Do you remember When people used
to drive around on the streets with
cars with no trunks or doors on them.
And it was because there was a
loophole in the Mexican motor
vehicle law that said it was a farm
vehicle that had no doors or trunks.
And they actually had a name for these
cars, I can't think of the name right
now, do you know what the name was?
Yeah, they
Speaker 2: were called Tarangas.
Tarangas.
And you know what, I didn't know that
that was the reasoning behind it.
I just thought, you know, the people
took the doors off or maybe, you
know, sold them off at a junkyard.
I had no idea that that was,
that that was the reason.
But yeah, Tarangas,
Speaker: and you don't see them anymore.
I'm actually sad because I felt
like that was a tradition of Rocky
Point, those Tarangas running around.
They're gone.
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
Do you remember the one that,
that the boys built and it
was, it was like a rollover.
It was actually a fairly new
car and it was a rollover.
They cut off the top and they put a
witch, you know, a Halloween witch
on it and we'd drive around pulling
the string and the witch and people
just thought that was so gorgeous.
Speaker: I do remember
it was a Toyota Corolla.
Was that what it was?
Yes, I can see it in my mind's eye.
So, I do remember that.
So, John, as we're winding
down the interview, what's
your favorite plate here at
Speaker 2: Max's Cafe?
You know, I would have to say,
well, there's two different things.
One, the most popular breakfast
item is not American food anymore,
which is actually chilaquiles,
which is a Mexican dish.
And for me, I would say my
favorite is the enchiladas.
I, for some reason, you know,
I just gravitate to those.
Speaker: Yeah, you make great
enchiladas, but you know, I
discovered chili kilis through you.
For real, yes, yes.
I've never even heard of them, man.
I remember asking you,
like, what are chili kilis?
What is this word?
You're like, chili kilis,
and like, sure enough,
Speaker 2: it's become a staple.
Yep.
Yeah.
No, it's, it's, you know, and we do a
good job because when we do the chili
kilos, they don't sit in steamer trays.
They're corn tortillas.
Then we take those, we'd
make our own corn tortillas.
And then, you know, we put them
in a saucepan, put on the red or
green sauce and the, the beef.
And so when they come out, they're
not soggy and that's what kills
Speaker: chili kilos.
Yeah.
They're always crunchy here.
And I didn't understand how important it
was, which it did until I went to a hotel.
But Chili Kili's in the little,
you know, the little steamers.
I'm like, what is this stuff?
This is terrible.
Where's John and Max?
You
Speaker 2: know, where are my peeps?
But you can see how, I mean, it's
not impossible to do it, but you
sure can't put it on a steamer table.
No,
Speaker: timing, timing is important.
Yes.
John, thanks so much for taking
the time coming on to the podcast.
It's always a pleasure.
You've been an icon of community
since I've been here for 23 years,
and I'm really grateful for your
friendship and grateful for all
you've done for the community.
It's a real pleasure.
Well, thank you.
Speaker 2: And you know, just at the
end, maybe if I could give a shout out
to my parole officer, he's Didn't think
I was going to make it, but we did.
Speaker: Mr.
Parole Officer, wherever you
are, thank you for leaving
John out of prison this week.
Thank you, Steve.
Speaker 2: Life in a beach town.