John Paonessa (L) and Mike Rogier at Hamburger Mary’s in downtown Orlando (Photo by Caitlin Sause)

ORLANDO | Hamburger Mary’s Orlando, which closed its doors nearly two years ago but has remained a focal point of Florida’s “anti-drag” law, has announced its its new location.

The venue shared the news via social media March 12. The new location will be at Old Town Complex in Kissimmee at the former Shoney’s restaurant.

“We are so excited, but we have work to do before we get open, to turn a Shoney’s into a colorful and vibrant new Hamburger Mary’s location that we know you will love,” the post said. “We will continue to provide updates and we can’t wait to see your smiling faces walking through the door.”

The LGBTQ+ restaurant closed its downtown Orlando restaurant after 16 years due to decreased foot traffic. The location brought in nearly 2 million people since its opening in 2008, according to Paonessa, who stated they have “celebrated more birthdays, engagements, bachelorette parties, weddings and girls or guys night out than we could ever count.”

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