A little more than a year after the original Jacksonville location of Hamburger Mary’s was destroyed by fire, the national franchise plans to return in December to Murray Hill.
Jordyn Shepherd, 47, a former performer at the first location at 3333 Beach Blvd., is opening the second incarnation at the former El Jefe Tex-Mex restaurant at 947 Edgewood Ave. S.
Shepherd is aiming for an early December soft opening that may last through the first quarter of 2025. El Jefe closed in April.
The restaurant will have to wait for its full liquor license but can open serving beer and wine.
“Everyone is excited for me to be open and keep telling me I can be open by a certain date,” Shepherd said.
“I’m not going to rush it. You only get one chance on a restart and rebrand. I don’t want to mess it up.”
Shepherd also has plans for a beauty salon and retail space next door at 943 Edgewood Ave., specializing in bachelorette party novelties and performers’ fashion needs — eyelashes, makeup, clothing and wigs. It will be called Drag-On.
Shepherd will primarily book the performers while a general manager will handle the day-to-day operations. She plans to perform as Jordyn Sinclair.
She is also receiving help and advice from friends Joey Brown, owner of Tulua Bistro in Jacksonville Beach and Springfield, and Nick McCoy, a friend with restaurant management experience.
“Mary’s is basically a place where you can just go and you can just let loose and you can just be yourself,” Shepherd said.
“People don’t really know what they’re getting themselves into and so they don’t really know what to expect. I always tell people it’s always best to just not have any expectations at all so we don’t have to live up to anything and you won’t be disappointed.”
Hamburger Mary’s was established in 1972 in San Francisco.
Its website describes the restaurant saying: “People have come to associate Hamburger Mary’s with friendly service, a mouth-watering menu and an overall flamboyant dining experience.”
The Jacksonville location was destroyed by an electrical fire in October 2023.
The Orlando franchise, which has since closed, drew national attention in 2023 when it sued the Gov. Ron DeSantis administration to overturn a Florida law that banned children from attending live adult performances. The law was overturned on the federal level and the Supreme Court upheld that ruling.
Ten years ago, Hamburger Mary’ had 13 franchises, according to Entrepreneur.com. The locations in Germany and in Mexico closed in 2013 and 2022 respectively.
Currently, there are eight Hamburger Mary’s open, Ashley Wright of Hamburger Mary’s International said in an email.
Besides Jacksonville, they are looking to reopen in Orlando and Milwaukee. Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were more than 20 locations,
“It’s important for us to get Hamburger Mary’s re-opened because we used to have a Mary’s there. It did pretty well and had a lot of community support. But then sadly it burned down. There are definitely people who miss it and are excited to see its return,” Wright wrote.
“In today’s heated political climate, it’s even more important for us to expand and show all the party-poopers that there’s nothing inherently evil about drag. It’s a fun escape, and a great way to celebrate … whether it’s a bachelorette party, birthday or just a night out with friends.”
The former El Jefe space is being redesigned. Shepherd expects an initial investment of $150,000.
There will be a separate performers’ entrance and dressing room adjacent to the stage at the front of the restaurant.
The space already has a bar installed. It will be repainted and refurbished.
It is expected to have a capacity of about 100 and she’d like 20 employees.
Servers will be full- and part-time staff while the performers are independent contractors. Servers will not be in drag; they will wear black shorts or pants, a Hamburger Mary's T-shirt and an apron.
“I want people to be able to identify who is working there as staff. I want them dressed in uniforms so that the audience can focus on the drag queens who are in the show,” she said.
If servers are dressed in drag, they may be distracted by hair and makeup.
“I want 150% customer service. I prefer that the waiters work on waiting and the drag queens work on being drag queens,” she said.
Corporate offices require franchises to feature seven or eight burgers that are sold at every location including the signature Proud Mary burger, Shepherd said. It is stacked high with two large hamburger patties, melted cheese, tomato, lettuce, grilled onions and bacon.
In addition to the corporate menu, Shepherd wants her own signature burger that will wow customers.
“I’d like a burger that is about four times the size of the Proud Mary with skewers coming out with things like shrimp or whatever so that when they see it, they’ll want to take a picture and post it online.”
Hamburger Mary’s corporate offices knew of Shepherd from her performances at the former location and reached out to ask whether she wanted to open another one in Jacksonville, Shepherd said. She began looking in March and settled on the Murray Hill location at the end of the summer.
The location fits Shepherd’s needs. In addition to street parking, there is parking behind the building. It is already outfitted to be a restaurant.
“The location is another blessing.”