Saturday: Maxi’s throws 20th anniversary bash
November 4, 2025 | By Lisa ScagliottiWaterbury institution Maxi’s Restaurant marks 20 years in business this month and owner Tom Bryant is throwing an all-day party on Saturday with a free breakfast buffet early in the day and live music until 9 p.m.
Maxi’s owner Tom Bryant and daughter Alyson take a break after a busy breakfast and lunch shift on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Maxi’s art near the restaurant entrance was painted by Bryant’s other daughter, Emily. Photo by Gordon Miller
The restaurant’s announcement invites the community for a free breakfast buffet starting at 11:30 a.m. Live music will run from afternoon into eventing with three bands, including the Sara Whitehair Band and The Grift.
Twenty years is a “big number,” Bryant told the Waterbury Select Board in September when he requested an event permit for the anniversary bash. “Thinking back about all the history and what it’s taken to get here – we’ve never really celebrated any sort of anniversary. So I decided to not only celebrate it, but celebrate it in a pretty big way.”
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Saturday details
On Saturday, the anniversary party venue will be the parking lot beside Maxi’s restaurant under a large heated tent.
Parking is available nearby in the parking lot it shares with the Post Office. Attendees are asked to keep spots open near the post office until it closes at noon. Additional parking at nearby Anderson Park by the Waterbury town pool is available as well as at Dac Rowe Park on North Main Street.
The festivities begin with a free breakfast buffet, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Donations will be accepted for the nonprofit For the Love of Dogs Vermont, an organization based in Waitsfield dedicated to caring for and finding foster and permanent homes for abandoned dogs.
The afternoon and evening will feature live music, 3-9 p.m., starting with the band Acid Wash. The Sara Whitehair Band plays next, starting around 4:15 p.m. The Grift with special guest Leon Compost on keys plays the evening set, 6-9 p.m.
The restaurant will be open, including the bar. Bryant also has a permit to sell beer outside.
Beloved market to beloved restaurant
The original Maxi, Maxfield R. Irish, 1926-2016. Obituary photo
Maxi’s restaurant’s name pays tribute to the market that operated for half a century in the building near the intersection of U.S. 2 and Vermont Route 100 – there was no traffic roundabout until 2014.
Opened in 1953, the I’Deal Market was started by Maxfield “Maxi” Irish and Walter “Bud” Deal. Its name was a playful nod to their last names. Irish soon became the sole proprietor, running the market with his wife Margery for 52 years. He was known far and wide as one of the area’s most skillful butchers and friendly storekeepers. The Irishes ran their business with a personal flair such as making milk deliveries in town. Irish passed away in 2016.
After the market closed, Tom and his wife Tracy picked the location to open what they started as a breakfast and lunch spot in November 2005. They renovated the interior, keeping the pressed-tin ceiling and chose the name Maxi’s to honor the spot’s history. A portrait of Irish today still hangs inside the restaurant.
Eventually Maxi’s added a dinner menu and hours, keeping all-day breakfast fare served alongside coffee in hefty coffee mugs that give Maxi’s a diner feel. Special touches give the eatery a cozy hometown atmosphere, such as local art on the walls, tables and a long bar with televisions above to choose from for seating, and a kids corner with coloring books, crayons and puzzles to keep little ones occupied until their food arrives.
Bryant said his tenure running a restaurant has had many ups and downs in 20 years. A big challenge was juggling the business and family when his first wife, Tracy, battled cancer as they were raising their young twin daughters. She passed away in 2016.
Summertime 2020 and diners enjoy their meals outdoors at Maxi’s temporary patio setup during the COVID-19 pandemic. File photo by Gordon Miller
Then in 2020-21, the COVID-19 pandemic was a true test for restaurants everywhere. Months-long closures of public indoor spaces forced restaurants to get creative to stay in business. Maxi’s made use of its parking lot space, creating an outside dining area with picnic tables and umbrellas where patrons were able to social-distance as they enjoyed their meals. As the pandemic eased, Maxi’s remained in operation – a testament to the dedication of Bryant and his staff. Today, the restaurant is operating seven days a week serving breakfast and lunch.
Now married to a teacher at Brookside Primary School, Bryant three years ago extended a fun invitation the school’s first graders: to visit for breakfast on the house as an end-of-school-year treat. Coordinated with his wife Amy Bryant, students and their teachers for the past three years have enjoyed the breakfast field trip of sorts.
Maxi's owner Tom Bryant serves up the First Grade Special at the breakfast counter. Photo by Gordon Miller
Over the course of several days in early June, the classes take turns walking to and from the restaurant for the aptly named First Grade Special breakfast that consists of a pancake, scrambled eggs, bacon, homefries, and juice or hot chocolate with whipped cream. The 6- and 7-year-olds wiggle on the cushioned stools as they dine at the bar. After taking some pictures, they trek back to school.
Bryant has been struck at what a hit the breakfast trip has become. “I was amazed at how much the kids loved it and how much it meant to them,” he said after one of the class visits last year.
Look for a big tent going up outside Maxi’s later in the week as Bryant and his staff gear up for Saturday’s celebration.
In his comments to the select board, Bryant reflected on reaching the 20-year milestone. “My employees who were 19 and 20 are 40 years old now,” he remarked. “There’s been a great long rollercoaster ride of stuff. Getting through COVID and other events was a challenge. Glad we made it this far.”