brenner shop industry food and beverage founded ra anana israel 1996 1996 founder max fichtman oded brenner headquarters ra anana israel number of locations 49 area served worldwide products chocolate bars number of employees 1 100 parent strauss group website maxbrenner.com max brenner is a worldwide chocolate restaurant and retail brand headquartered in new york united states . the company operates more than 50 locations internationally the majority 38 of which are in australia . 1 other locations include five in the united states one each in boston new york city philadelphia bethesda md and paramus nj as well as in israel japan singapore russia and china . 2 3 4 the company s mantra is that it is creating a new chocolate culture by inviting people to watch taste and smell its love story . 5 it specializes in decadent chocolate based desserts such as fondue crepes milkshakes waffles and hot chocolate many of which it serves in signature utensils . 6 max brenner operates as a subsidiary of the strauss group israel s second largest food and beverage company . 5 contents 1 history 2 chocolate menu 3 boycotts 4 awards and recognition 5 gallery 6 see also 7 references 8 external links history edit the firm was founded in 1996 in ra anana israel by max fichtman and oded brenner who combined their names . 7 the business began as a small shop selling handmade chocolates . 8 working as an apprentice in paris in 1994 brenner met chocolatier michel chaudun and convinced the maestro to take him on . 9 10 he spent the following six years learning the art of chocolate making in paris . upon his return to israel in 1996 he opened a small retail chocolate shop with a workshop in the back named handmade chocolate by max brenner 11 name derived from oded s last name and co founder max fichtman s first name in ra anana just outside tel aviv . by 1999 fichtman and brenner had opened ten chocolate shops . 12 a chance meeting with an israeli entrepreneur in 1999 sparked the idea of expanding his business and the first of the max brenner branded cafes opened in australia in sydney s hip suburb of paddington in 2000 . 9 this newly opened max brenner chocolate bar was to be the centre of max s new chocolate culture combining a chocolate bar and a chocolate shop . this allowed people to enjoy a holistic chocolate adventure experiencing their shopping in the bar section and shopping their experience in the shop section . 13 in 2001 the chain became part of the strauss group israel s second largest food and beverage company . 14 in the period from 2002 to 2005 max brenner opened locations in israel singapore and the philippines while continuing to open new locations in australia . in 2006 max brenner opened their first chocolate bar in the united states in new york city . in 2010 a new max brenner restaurant and chocolate store opened in the u.s. at caesars palace las vegas 15 followed by another store opening in boston and philadelphia during the next year offering both sweet and savory menu options . 16 in 2013 the company unveiled a new strategy under which it started to move away from full service restaurants and adopted a fast casual concept named a chocolate bar . the first of these opened in bethesda maryland in june 2013 17 with three more opening in tokyo japan 18 and moscow russia 19 via franchise agreements . the company opened its second us chocolate bar in paramus nj in april 2014 . 20 in australia max brenner now has 38 restaurants across queensland new south wales victoria and the australian capital territory . according to the founders of max brenner chocolate is not just about taste . it s a symbol of different aspects in our lives of romance of sensuality of decadence . these aspects actually create the new chocolate culture of max brenner . 21 max brenner chocolates are certified kosher by the nazareth rabbinate . 22 chocolate menu edit max brenner cappuccino max brenner restaurants offer a large selection of chocolate based dishes including chocolate waffles and crepes fondues ice creams hot chocolate drinks smoothies and chocolate martinis . 23 max brenner s chocolate pizza was featured in a february 2011 segment of food network s the best thing i ever ate . 24 the restaurant takes a whimsical approach to food with menus divided into sections such as for dipping for your hands and with knife and fork . 25 in february 2014 the max brenner store in bethesda introduced a pastry program with new items including a chocolate babka a chocolate chunk scone a banana whiskey torte and an assortment of cookies and brownies . the pastry program will be released globally . boycotts edit the strauss group states on their website that they provide care packages to soldiers in the idf s golani brigade 26 leading to activists targeting max brenner stores for boycotts boycott divestment and sanctions campaign . in 2011 pro palestinian activist group students for palestine organized a series of protests outside max brenner outlets in australia . the protest in melbourne led to 19 arrests . 27 28 the protests have drawn condemnation from then australian foreign minister and former prime minister kevin rudd who remarked i don t think in 21st century australia there is a place for the attempted boycott of a jewish business . 29 in september 2011 the australian competition and consumer commission said that the protesters had not broken federal competition law because the protests did not cause substantial loss or damage to the max brenner chocolate stores . 30 some pro palestinian organizations including australians for palestine have distanced themselves from the protests but have publicly defended the choice of max brenner as a boycott target . 31 32 33 in october 2011 izzat abdulhadi head of the general delegation of palestine to australia said that he is against the full scale bds campaign and in particular expressed his anger over the occasionally violent protests at the max brenner stores saying bds is a non violent process and i don t think it s the right of anybody to use bds as a violent action or to prevent people from buying from any place . 34 protest organizers consistently denied that the protests were violent and instead accused the police of acting with brutality . 35 julia gillard denounced the planned protest against the max brenner shop on the kensington campus of university of new south wales accusing the organizers of engaging in an ugly attempt to spread anti semitism and holocaust denial . 36 in a survey conducted by the university to ascertain which new stores students and faculty wanted on campus a max brenner chocolate shop was the second most popular choice . 37 max brenner australia spokespersons stated that the sole shareholders of the franchise operation in australia are a young australian couple who have no direct connection to the strauss group . the franchise employs over 1 100 australian residents across four states . 38 in may 2013 the australian national newspaper reported on a youtube video segment featuring an interview with palestine action group sydney spokesperson patrick harrison at a protest outside the parramatta max brenner store . harrison stated in the interview . . financially speaking there isn t really any connection between this max brenner store in particular and israel and that the retail outlet has become a cultural ambassador for israel 39 which the newspaper used to argue that protests were unjustified . . 40 in response the palestine action group pointed out earlier reports by the australian acknowledging that max brenner is a brand of the strauss group . 41 harrison responded by pointing out that max brenner s australian franchine operations are referenced in the strauss group s annual report and argued that the australian franchisees should hand back their licenses to strauss to signal their opposition to strauss s support for the israeli occupation . 42 over the last few years bds protested outside the clarendon st south melbourne store handing leaflets to people passing by . in october 2014 this store closed . awards and recognition edit in april 2014 max brenner won the 2014 webby awards in the food and drink category for the best website by both the public and the academy s panel of experts . 43 gallery edit max brenner store in parramatta new south wales max brenner chocolate bar in herzliya israel see also edit israeli cuisine krembo lindt & spr ngli lindt chocolate caf s list of restaurants in israel strauss company boycott divestment and sanctions references edit max brenner locations . retrieved 30 september 2014 . thorn bret april 7 2014 . max brenner moves toward fast casual format . nation s restaurant news . retrieved april 10 2014 . max brenner branches . retrieved february 19 2009 . broadway donna july 25 2013 . chocolate lovers now have a new local heaven . the sentiel . retrieved april 10 2014 . a b bruni frank may 2 2007 . you can almost eat the dishes . the new york times . retrieved may 2 2013 . ramanathan lavanya july 31 2013 . max brenner chocolate bar opens in bethesda serving all chocolate everything . the washington post . retrieved april 10 2014 . milking it chocolate pinnacle max brenner s new place takes the treat to a new tier a b life is sweet for chocolate master . the age . melbourne . the jewish chronicle max brenner brings israeli ingenuity to an international passion max brenner trinity completes construction of chocolate themed restaurant about us max brenner targeted chocolatier max brenner a man of peace max brenner to open large new las vegas store . yedioth ahronoth . retrieved 201 10 26 . check date values in access date help company overview of max brenner international inc. . bloomberg businessweek . bloomberg . 2013 . retrieved may 2 2013 . lavanya ramanathan april 24 2013 . max brenner chocolate bar brings all day dessert to bethesda . the washington post . retrieved may 2 2013 . max brenner chocolate bars ; eu gateway program . japan times . november 19 2013 . retrieved april 17 2014 . pacyniak bernie march 26 2014 . welcome to russia max brenner . candy industry . retrieved april 2 2014 . verdon joan april 11 2014 . chocolate themed dessert only restaurant opens at garden state plaza pdf . the record . retrieved may 9 2014 . life is sweet at max brenner chocolate by the bald man questions about kosher chocolate max brenner international inc. bloomberg business week food network lunch anyone max brenner go for the chocolate stay for the food friedman ron december 14 2010 . strauss reposts idf support commitment on website . jerusalem post . retrieved august 30 2011 . mcgregor ken august 22 2011 . boycott boiling point . adelaide advertiser . retrieved september 5 2011 . brull michael . the campaign against the max brenner protesters . the drum . australian broadcasting corporation . retrieved september 5 2011 . australian lawmakers support israeli business . jta . retrieved august 30 2011 . max brenner demonstrators did not break law aussie panel finds flitton daniel july 11 2011 . citizen rudd s sweet support for cafe . the age . melbourne . retrieved september 12 2011 . sabawi samah august 16 2011 . murdoch press and the fictional jewish chocolatier . the palestine chronicle . retrieved september 12 2011 . press council adjudication no 1513 . the australian . november 14 2011 . retrieved november 16 2011 . palestinian consul rejects bds violence http www.abc.net.au unleashed 2847334.html julia gillard denounces activists as anti israel protest turns anti semitic the ugly