Max and Erma’s menu is fairly limited as far as soy-free fare, but they more than make up for it by their willingness to prepare custom dishes for our kids. Our waitress Gabrielle was more than willing to make regular trips back to the kitchen to check on ingredients for us.
They do fry in soybean oil (no surprise there), so that eliminates all of the fried food. Kudos to Max and Erma’s for actually considering that soybean oil is indeed made out of soybeans. Their allergen list actually lists out each form of soy that any (unfortunately most) of their food contains. In case they change things, here’s a snapshot of Max and Erma’s Allergen list (active link to their site below). All restaurants should be held to the standard that Max and Erma’s uses for this list.
A quick look at the kids menu pretty much gets narrowed down to the grilled chicken breast and the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. Fortunately they have a number of obvious, or easily adjusted side items: applesauce, fruit salad, steamed broccoli, fresh seasonal vegetables, sauteed baby green beans, freshly grilled asparagus.
Our kids were less enthusiastic about the grilled chicken (that’s the next most common food they get after hamburgers and hot dogs) but, boy, were they excited when the very helpful manager, Zack, mentioned shrimp. We were able to get shrimp skewer meal with one side for only one dollar more than the normal kids meal.
We’re here on a Wednesday, and that means free chocolate chip cookies — unless, of course, you’re allergic to soy, and then the cookies are off limits. Helpful manager Zack to the rescue again, he offered our kids a trip to the sundae bathtub bar. Needless to say our kids are ecstatic.
On the sundae bar, the ice cream, strawberry sauce and caramel sauce is soy free. Zack brought the Hershey’s chocolate sauce (normally just used for the milkshakes) from the kitchen. He managed to rustle up some chewy sweet tarts, as the sprinkles. Oreos, nuts, M&M, and Butterfinger pieces were obviously off limits.
If every Max and Erma’s is as accommodating as this one at Belden Village area in Canton, then rush to your nearest Max and Erma’s for soy-free dining!
Max and Erma’s
4320 Everhard Rd NW
Canton, OH 44718
(330) 494-9597
https://www.maxandermas.com/locations/333103
Source: https://www.maxandermas.com/files/nutrition_allergen_information.pdf
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that as a company we switched to a soy-based sauté oil for all of our vegetables. However, at least in our store in Belden Village, OH we have a secret stash of the canola/olive blend for anyone with a soy allergy. Just let us know and we will break out the soy-free oil for you!
Hi Zack,
Thanks for the “insider information”. We really do appreciate the help you provided when we ate at your restaurant. Sorry we missed you the last time we were in.