It wouldn’t be summer at the Jersey Shore without a Bruce Springsteen sighting. And New Jersey’s favorite rock star has just been spotted for the first time this season.
The local legend returned to his birthplace of Long Branch on Tuesday to visit Max’s Bar and Grill for some of their revered hot dogs.
While this may have been the Springsteen first sighting of the summer, it was certainly not his first visit to Max’s Bar and Grill — he famously paid the hot dog joint a visit two summers ago.
“He’s been a true supporter of Max’s since I’ve been a kid, and we always look forward to seeing him,” third-generation owner Jennifer Maybaum told NJ.com. “He’s very simple, very polite, very down to earth and just really doesn’t want to be bothered, just wants to eat his hot dog and relax.”
This visit was especially “surreal” for Maybaum since she had just been telling customers all about the restaurant’s rich history of celebrity visits when Springsteen walked through the door.
“It’s kind of normal for us,” Maybaum said. “But at the same time, even when they come in, you still get starstruck. You can’t help it. I mean, they’re icons.”
The restaurant posted on Facebook that Bruce was at the restaurant and evenually posting the photo of The Boss with Maybaum.
“I finally got my pic!” the photo’s caption read. “Thank you Bruce! We love you. Enjoy your lunch.”
The caption references an inside joke with Maybaum and the restaurant’s staff because until now it seemed the musician and owner always missed each other.
“I’m always in and out of the restaurant, just working from home, or I’m with my kids, or I’m running errands,” Maybaum said. “I was just thrilled to have the opportunity to see him and chat with him briefly.”
Max’s Bar and Grill has been a Long Branch staple for 98 years, originally opening in 1928 as Max’s Famous Hot Dogs.