T. Max Kniesche was a restaurateur in San Francisco during the twentieth century. Born in Germany in 1888, Kniesche spent some time at sea as an apprentice for a resort before eventually immigrating to the United States. He settled in San Francisco in 1907 and worked in German restaurants in the city for several years. In 1922, he bought Schroeder's Cafe and made the restaurant his family’s own. In this interview, Kniesche discusses his early years in Germany; his career at sea; his journey from New York to San Francisco; his experience of German restaurants in San Francisco; his purchase, operation, and development of Schroeder's Cafe; the impact of Prohibition; the problems German restaurants faced during the First and Second World Wars; and the participation of three Kniesche generations in the operation of Schroeder's Cafe.