Hamburger Mary’s, the drag-show restaurant that shut down its downtown Orlando location in May 2024, is trading skyscrapers for souvenir shops and rebooting in Kissimmee’s Old Town. Owners say they will overhaul a former restaurant space at the front of the property, but for now, they are keeping any grand-opening date under wraps.
In a social media update to fans, the restaurant said it is moving into the Old Town complex and is “so excited,” while cautioning there is still “work to do” before the new venue is ready, according to ClickOrlando. The station reports the new spot is planned for the former Shoney’s near the front of Old Town, just off U.S. 192.
Which building is Hamburger Mary’s taking over?
The exact address has turned into a bit of a local guessing game. Earlier coverage tagged the site as the long-shuttered Capone’s Dinner & Show on Highway 192, a property with a built-in stage, free on-site parking, and an adjoining hotel that owners have been remodeling, per WFTV. That report suggested the match-up could give Hamburger Mary’s a larger theater footprint than it had downtown.
Legal spotlight
Hamburger Mary’s has also been a recurring character in Florida’s culture wars. The restaurant landed in the legal spotlight over the state’s 2023 “Protection of Children” law restricting certain live performances, after it sued the DeSantis administration. A federal appeals court later kept a block on the law in place, finding it likely overbroad, according to Spectrum News 13. That courtroom fight has helped turn the chain’s reopening plans into a flashpoint in the wider debate over drag in Florida.
Why Old Town?
Old Town promotes itself as a tourist-friendly entertainment strip along U.S. 192, touting regular events and plentiful parking as part of the draw, according to Old Town’s site. Owners have said the downtown Orlando closure was driven by a drop in evening walk-ins and shifting foot-traffic patterns, a challenge they hope to solve by moving into Old Town…