Maxim's Cakes
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Maxim’s Cakes is a
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
-based bakery chain founded in 1972 under the Maxim’s Caterers group. As of 2023, it operates 148 outlets across the city, including 26 “Maxim’s Live Bakery” locations where baked goods are prepared on-site. Its presence is especially notable in MTR stations, where many branches cater to daily commuters.


History

In 1963, the Hilton and Mandarin Hotels opened in Central Hong Kong, each featuring Western-style nightclubs. Maxim’s Group, which had originally planned to open a high-end Western nightclub in the same area, found itself unable to compete in terms of décor, celebrity performers, and other aspects. As a result, the company decided to close the nightclub and shift its focus to opening cafés. In 1964, Maxim’s Bakery was launched in Tsim Sha Tsui.郑宏泰、高皓Zheng Hongtai, Gao Hao (2016), 《创业垂统——华人家族企业发展特质与思考》''Entrepreneurship and Succession: Characteristics and Reflections on the Development of Chinese Family Businesses'', p. 115. When Ocean Terminal was completed in 1966, the first Maxim’s
Café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargi ...
—Maxim’s Boulevard—opened there, also selling pastries, laying the foundation for what would become "Maxim’s Cakes." Following that, Maxim’s successively launched Maxim’s Bar, Maxim’s Coffee Corner, Maxim’s Fast Food, and Maxim’s Delicatessen. In 1982, the MTR (then known as the
Mass Transit Railway The Mass Transit Railway system, known locally by the initialism MTR, is a rapid transit system in Hong Kong and the territory's principal mode of Rail transport in Hong Kong, railway transportation. Operated by the MTR Corporation (MTRCL), ...
) issued a public tender for the operation of bakeries at stations along its line, but the industry showed little interest. Seizing the opportunity, Maxim’s became the sole bidder and leased shop spaces at multiple stations. By September of that year, Maxim’s Cakes had opened outlets at key MTR stations such as
Mong Kok Mong Kok (Chinese language, Chinese: 旺角), also spelled Mongkok, often abbreviated as MK, is an area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The Prince Edward, Hong Kong, Prince Edward subarea occupies the northern part of Mong Kok. As one of the major sho ...
, Prince Edward,
Wong Tai Sin Wong Tai Sin or Huang Daxian () is a Chinese Taoist deity popular in Jinhua, Zhejiang, and Hong Kong with the power of healing. The name, meaning the "Great Immortal Wong (Huang)", is the divine form of Huang Chuping or Wong Cho Ping (; c. 328 ...
,
Choi Hung Choi Hung Estate () is a public housing estate in Ngau Chi Wan, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It was built by the former Hong Kong Housing Authority () and is now managed by the current Hong Kong Housing Authority. It received a Silver Medal at the 1965 Ho ...
,
Kowloon Bay Kowloon Bay (Chinese: 九龍灣) is a bay within Victoria Harbour and a neighbourhood within Kowloon, Hong Kong. The bay is located at the east of the Kowloon Peninsula and north of Hong Kong Island. It is the eastern portion of Victor ...
, and
Kwun Tong Kwun Tong is an area in the Kwun Tong District of Hong Kong, situated at the eastern part of the Kowloon Peninsula, and its boundary stretches from Lion Rock in the north to Lei Yue Mun in the south, and from the winding paths of Kowloon P ...
, becoming a pioneer in this business model. By the end of 1985, Maxim’s operated 33 bakery outlets in MTR stations, along with 37 additional outlets outside the stations—totaling 70 across Hong Kong—making it the bakery chain with the most locations in the city at that time. Wu Chim Tak, one of Maxim’s founders, explained that they anticipated customers would prefer buying pastries conveniently at stations like Shau Kei Wan on their way home, instead of carrying them all the way from Central. This was seen as a major opportunity, and the station-based shops were therefore designed to focus primarily on takeaway service. Later, in 1988 and again in 2003, Maxim’s expanded into all stations along the Kowloon–Canton Railway (now the MTR
East Rail Line The East Rail line () is one of the ten lines that form MTR, the rapid transit, mass transit system in Hong Kong. The railway line starts at Lo Wu station, Lo Wu or Lok Ma Chau station, Lok Ma Chau, both of which are Border checkpoint, b ...
) and the Kowloon–Southern Railway (now the MTR
West Rail Line The West Rail line () was a commuter rail / rapid transit line that formed part of the Mass Transit Railway (MTR) system in Hong Kong until 27 June 2021. Coloured magenta on the MTR map, the line ran from Tuen Mun to Hung Hom, with a to ...
, excluding
Kam Sheung Road Station Kam Sheung Road () is an MTR station on the , located between Pat Heung and Kam Tin in Hong Kong. It is situated between Tsuen Wan West and Yuen Long stations. Kam Sheung Road was the location for the KCR West Rail's opening ceremony. Histor ...
). In 1993, Maxim’s opened bakeries in two prime locations: Huanshi Station in
Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...
and
North Sichuan Road North Sichuan Road () is a shopping street in Hongkou District, Shanghai, China. From the Suzhou Creek in the south, the road crosses North Suzhou Road, Haining Road, and Hengbang Road among others, and connects with Shanyin Road in the nort ...
in
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
. In early 1994, additional outlets were launched in the Hongmian District of Guangzhou and the
Xuhui District Xuhui District is a core urban district of Shanghai. It has a land area of and a population of 1,113,078 as of 2020. Xuhui District has 12 subdistricts and two townships. The Xuhui District is named after its namesake, the historic area of X ...
of Shanghai. By mid-1994, more bakeries were opened in
Foshan Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...
and on Tianshan North Road in Shanghai. Unfortunately, the company’s operations in the Chinese market suffered financial losses, ultimately leading to its withdrawal. Reflecting on the experience, Wu Chim Tak explained that although foreign investment was permitted to operate restaurants through joint ventures at the time, the general managers Maxim’s sent to oversee product quality and operations often struggled to coordinate with the Chinese counterparts responsible for human resources and government affairs. This lack of alignment led to operational difficulties. Additionally, the high-end consumer market in China was still in its infancy. At that time, most people could get full at a local restaurant for six or seven yuan, while a Maxim’s meal in Guangzhou cost fifteen yuan. Since the market was not yet ready, the company had no choice but to temporarily exit. In the 1990s, Maxim’s Cakes adopted a
rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...
motif as its new logo, replacing the previous design that shared the same branding as the rest of the group. In 2001, the logo was redesigned into a gender-neutral heart-shaped leaf by designer Alan Chan Yung-choon, a design that has remained in use to this day. In the 1990s, Maxim’s launched bakery brands such as “Honey Maid Bakery” and “Bread House,” but these were gradually phased out in the 2000s as the company reverted to the “Maxim’s Cakes” brand. In June 2005, under the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA), Maxim’s Cakes returned to Guangzhou, establishing a large-scale bakery facility and opening multiple retail outlets. In September 2008, coinciding with mooncake ambassador
Kelly Chen Kelly Chen Wai-lam (born Vivian Chen Wai-man on 13 September 1972) is a Hong Kong singer and actress. She has been referred to as a " Diva of Asia" (). Chen has great success in the East Asian entertainment industry with nearly 20 million rec ...
’s wedding in October, several branches offered special “Maxim’s Wedding Pastries.”


Other Brands


Maxim's Deluxe

Maxim's Deluxe is a
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
bakery A bakery is an establishment that produces and sells flour-based baked goods made in an oven such as bread, cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bagels, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also categorized as Coffeehouse, cafés, servi ...
and
pastry Pastry refers to a variety of Dough, doughs (often enriched with fat or eggs), as well as the sweet and savoury Baking, baked goods made from them. The dough may be accordingly called pastry dough for clarity. Sweetened pastries are often descr ...
chain under the Maxim’s Caterers brand, operating five outlets. The brand is also used for seasonal and festive products. The first store was established at
Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is an international airport on the island of Chek Lap Kok in western Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or Chek Lap Kok Airport, to distinguish it from its predec ...
, offering standard “Maxim’s Cakes” items along with additional options such as toasted bread and hot beverages. Other urban branches are largely indistinguishable from regular Maxim’s Cakes stores.


Controversies

On October 2, 2019, a customer purchased a pork floss seaweed mochi bun from a Maxim’s Cakes branch at Butterfly Plaza in
Tuen Mun Tuen Mun () or Castle Peak is an area near the mouth of Tuen Mun River and Castle Peak Bay in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It was one of the earliest settlements in what is now Hong Kong and can be dated to the Neolithic period. In the mo ...
. After storing it properly for two days, they discovered a 4-centimeter-long
gecko Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards ...
inside the bun. When the customer returned to the store to complain, staff offered an apology. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department later prosecuted Maxim’s, and the case was brought before the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Court in January 2021. The company pleaded guilty to one charge of selling food that did not meet the purchaser's expectations regarding quality. Magistrate Leung Nga-yan described the incident as “somewhat exaggerated” and emphasized that the company must ensure that “foreign insects or creatures don’t end up in the food.” Maxim’s was fined HKD 9,000. The prosecution also revealed that the company had 55 previous convictions for similar offenses, though none were related to this specific store.顧客咬一口驚見包內有原隻壁虎 美心被罰款9000元
Customer Bites into Bun and Finds Whole Gecko Inside — Maxim’s Fined HKD 9,000.
*on.cc Oriental Daily News*. pril 13, 2021 (original conten
archived
on April 13, 2021).


See also

*
Maxim's Caterers Maxim's Caterers Limited ( zh, t=美心食品有限公司, cy=Méihsām Sihkbán Yáuhhaahn Gūngsī) is a Hong Kong–based food, beverage and restaurant chain jointly owned by Dairy Farm International Holdings Limited and Hong Kong Caterers Lt ...
*
Hong Kong cuisine Hong Kong cuisine is mainly influenced by Cantonese cuisine, European cuisines (especially British cuisine) and non-Cantonese Chinese cuisines (especially Hakka, Teochew, Hokkien and Shanghainese), as well as Japanese, Korean and Southeast ...
*
List of bakeries This is a list of notable bakeries. A bakery is an Business, establishment that produces and sells flour-based food baking, baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, Pastry, pastries, and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee a ...


References

{{Reflist Bakeries of Hong Kong Companies established in 1972 1972 establishments in Hong Kong