When news came that St. Louis would be home to a Hamburger Mary’s Bar and Grille, hundreds of Sauce readers expressed their approval of the hamburger chain that markets itself as gay-friendly. The Scoop recently met with Mark Erney, lead partner from the group of investors bringing the chain to 3037 Olive St., in Midtown, to discuss the Hamburger Mary’s concept and get a sneak peek at the space that will soon be transformed from a nightclub into a family restaurant and bar.
The Scoop’s initial question was what made Hamburger Mary’s GLBT friendly? Erney explained that the franchise was founded by a predominately gay ownership who offered “good food in a non-threatening atmosphere.” As the chain has grown, what continues to link all of the Hamburger Mary’s locations across the United States is “good food and that there is always something fun going on,” said Erney, citing a variety of entertainment such as bingo, karaoke and live music. (At the St. Louis location, a baby grand piano will be positioned near the entrance.) Erney stressed that the restaurant welcomes more than the GLBT community. “We want it to be a place that you can take your family, a stroller-to-walker place,” he summed.
Hamburger Mary’s was initially slated to open in June. However, as so often happens in the restaurant industry, the open date has been pushed back by at least three months. “If we open by Labor Day that would be a great thing,” said Erney.
In the meantime, take a look at our Facebook page to sneak a peek at the plans in the works for Hamburger Mary’s.
This article appears in June 2011.