The LGBTQ+-owned restaurant closed its doors at 110 W. Church St. nearly one year ago after almost two decades serving the community and hosting live entertainment.
Now, Hamburger Mary’s is gearing up to open a new Kissimmee location in the old Capone’s Dinner Theater space on Highway 192. The restaurant says the new spot offers a theater space, free on-site parking and even a hotel on site.
After opening in 2008, Hamburger Mary’s quickly minted its dinner-and-a-show ambience with events like drag brunch and drag charity bingo. The closure was attributed to a significant drop in evening walk-ins and fewer people working in the area, severely impacting the restaurant’s business, said owner John Paonessa.
In addition to its role as a community entertainment hub, Hamburger Mary’s has also maintained a leading role in the fight for drag rights in Florida. In 2022, the restaurant sued the state over a law that contained penalties for venues that host any type of “adult live performance” with children under 18 present. The law was widely interpreted as a way for the state to punish and restrict venues that host drag events. The lawsuit resulted in a block on the law statewide.
Most recently, the restaurant fought back against a push to question whether the case is moot following the downtown location’s closure.
An attorney for operators of the restaurant, Hamburger Mary’s, filed a brief last month at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals arguing the case is not moot. The brief said Hamburger Mary’s has continued to produce drag shows with other venues and plans to host shows when it reopens in Kissimmee.
“Once reopened, HM (Hamburger Mary’s) intends to operate the restaurant using the same drag-centric business model and age policies as its Orlando location,” attorney Melissa Stewart wrote in the brief. “Because the act (the 2023 law) charges Secretary Griffin with state-wide enforcement of the law, HM will face the same concrete risks of unconstitutional enforcement at its Kissimmee location as it did in Orlando.”
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This article appears in Feb 26 – Mar 4, 2025.