Hamburger Mary’s makes its glittery return to St. Louis this Saturday, January 20.
The drag queen-themed burger chain and bar will open in a 10,000-square-foot location downtown at 400 Washington Avenue. The space, formerly a catering and private event hall, boasts a 20-foot-long stage with a 16-by-22-foot LED screen and can accommodate about 300 for dinner and 500 for big shows.
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Co-owners and former Baltimoreans Michael Dutzer and Rob Mansman—also owners of the Miss Gay America and Mr. Gay America pageants—became involved with the Hamburger Mary’s franchise through St. Louisan David Pardue, who is also a regional promoter for the pageants and managing partner of the St. Louis location.
“Drag shows and drag pageantry have been a big part of our lives for awhile now,” Dutzer says. “Miss Gay America’s had a history here in St. Louis. They used to have the national pageant at the Millennium [Hotel] from time to time. We’re excited to be here, to be working with David. We’re all looking forward to being a part of the downtown experience.”
Hamburger Mary’s first opened in 1972 in the SoMa district of San Francisco. Although the original location is now shuttered, the franchise currently has 19 locations across the country, including Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, and Orlando. Since its debut, its motto has been an “open-air bar and grille for open-minded people.” (In St. Louis, it originally opened in 2012 in Midtown, but closed two years later after owner Mark Erney was charged with felony theft for stealing funds from fellow investors.)
Since the new location of Hamburger Mary’s St. Louis was already used as an event space, Dutzer says no major work was required. They already had a large kitchen and bar in place but, he adds, “we had to make it a Hamburger Mary’s, which is pink and sparkly.”
Pink lights were added and the stage was converted from a portable one to one that’s 16 by 20 feet with a 20-foot-long runway for drag shows. Along with standard tables, there are VIP glass tables with purple velvet chairs, as well as purple and gray velvet curtains.
“It’s coming up beautifully,” Dutzer says. “We have the classiness, but we added some of the campy, drag queen-themed decor too.” That means a pink pool table.
The menu will feature some of the chain’s staple entrées, which include Buffy The Burger Slayer, made with Swiss cheese and garlic aioli on a garlic-toasted bun; and Love Me Tenders, deep-fried chicken tenders with a variety of sauces.
Another franchise favorite that’ll be available at the St. Louis location: a 21-ounce drink served in a tall leg, wearing a heel and draped in a fishnet stocking. Dutzer adds that there will be room to create St. Louis specials, and he says to expect flatbread pizza and a selection of desserts.
The restaurant will open with a limited menu of sandwiches, burgers, and salads.
Dutzer says once the place “gets rolling,” there will be daily entertainment, from multiple seatings a night for drag shows, pageant preliminaries, “drag bingo,” MaryOke Karaoke, and possibly a one-woman brunch drag show in the future. The core cast of queens at the St. Louis location includes local performers Alexis Principle, Krista Versace, and Tiffany T. Hunter. Two performers, Sabrina White and Nina DiAngelo, have relocated to St. Louis from Baltimore and Minneapolis, respectively.
“Because we’re so involved in pageantry, we did select girls who we know are strong performers and who’ve been in the business for awhile,” Dutzer says.
He adds that there will also be guest performers throughout the week to keep shows fresh and exciting. The first guest taking the stage on opening night? Miss Gay America 2018 winner Deva Station.
“The staging is amazing,” Dutzer says. “We blocked the girls and did a lot of video production behind them, so we can really give a full-on entertainment experience.”
Hamburger Mary’s St. Louis will open Saturday, January 20 at 5 p.m. It’ll also be open Sunday but will be closed on Monday “to revamp” and prepare the kitchen staff. Daily hours will be Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m.–11 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m.–1 a.m.
