A drag show-themed hamburger restaurant is returning to Dallas on June 1 after a previous iteration failed to stay in business.
Hamburger Mary’s will open a location on Cedar Springs Road in Oak Lawn, timed to coincide with Pride Weekend, according to a press release obtained by The Dallas Express.
An Instagram post on the company’s account teased the opening on April 15: “Get READY Dallas! Mary’s moving in.”
Founded in 1972, the San Francisco chain has 13 locations around the country, including one in Houston that had been the subject of several Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission investigations in recent years.
The drag burger restaurant is a self-described “open-air bar and grille for open-minded people” that “offers a flamboyant dining experience, along with nightly entertainment from our ‘Dining with the Divas’ drag shows and charity ‘HamBingo Mary’s’ to MaryOke-Karaoke and trivia nights.”
“With humble beginnings as an eclectic late-night beer and burger joint, Hamburger Mary’s quickly established itself as a staple in the LGBT community,” the company explains, claiming that the “concept is distinctive because we are the only national restaurant brand with a strong history in the LGBT community.”
The website also advertises weekend drag shows and a kid’s menu “for Mary’s ‘Little Lambs.’” Neither the press release nor website clarifies whether minors will be allowed at the drag shows, however.
All ages drag shows have become a source of considerable tension locally with various groups of protesters and counter-protesters regularly squaring off outside of establishments that allow children to attend, as reported by The Dallas Express. Recently, several armed far-left protesters were arrested after turning violent outside of a drag show in Fort Worth.
Dallas franchisee Arthur Hood said in a press release that, “HV Entertainment and Hamburger Mary’s look forward to bringing this internationally loved franchise to the Dallas community and the Oak Lawn Neighborhood.”
“Since its inception, Hamburger Mary’s has served as a safe haven for both employees and customers alike in the LGBTQIA+ community, and that tradition will proudly continue at the Dallas location,” the press release continued.
Hood co-founded HV Entertainment, which “specializes in the development and redevelopment of existing bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues.”
His franchise will be the second attempt to establish a Hamburger Mary’s in the Big D. The former restaurant closed more than 10 years ago, according to Culture Map Dallas.
“In Dallas,” the press release noted, “various events and drag shows will take place nightly, coordinated and hosted by local drag legend Danny Lee Cabrera aka ‘Liquor Mini.’”
“Danny is an award-winning karaoke host in the Dallas area and also a veteran flight attendant and the lead queen for ‘Fly Queens,’ a group of airline Drag Queens that travel the world entertaining,” the release added. “He has hosted numerous events in the Dallas drag community for over a decade.”
The return of a Dallas Hamburger Mary’s comes as Texas lawmakers consider legislation that would prohibit drag shows from being knowingly held in the presence of children, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Senate Bill 12, authored by Sen. Bryan Hughes (R-Mineola), is currently before the House after the State Affairs Committee favorably reported a House substitute version on May 12. The Senate passed the bill by a 20-11 vote.
Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) initially supported the measure, although he later said he regretted his vote.
If SB 12 passes, it could affect how Hamburger Mary’s operates, opening the restaurant to certain legal liabilities.
Other franchise locations have also been at the center of ongoing debates regarding LGBT issues.
The Hamburger Mary’s location in Kansas City recently announced that it would boycott Bud Light after top executives at Anheuser-Busch began distancing themselves from a marketing fiasco involving a transgender activist that led to national boycotts, as reported by The Dallas Express.
“Anheuser-Busch’s recent decision to drop the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney campaign, to ‘put on leave’ those who created the campaign, and their CEO’s meaningless statement on the matter, indicates that as a corporation they are complicit to the wrongs being inflicted daily against trans people,” a statement from Hamburger Mary’s KC branch read.
“Anheuser-Busch is willing to bow to the pressure brought on by those who do not support the trans community and wish to erase LGBTQ+ rights and visibility,” the drag burger restaurant claimed, adding that it “cannot with good conscious continue to sell products by a company who has shown they truly do not believe in trans rights.”
“Therefore, until such a time that Anheuser-Busch can clearly demonstrate that they will not bow to the voices of hate wishing to erase LGBTQ+ existence, Hamburger Mary’s KC … will boycott all brands owned by the company,” the statement concluded.
