If Dr. Eric Christensen, the managing partner of the one-year-old Hamburger Mary's restaurant, was concerned about the report in last week's Kansas City Star about his restaurant possibly having to move out of the big purple building at 101 Southwest Boulevard, he didn't seem remotely flustered yesterday.
Christensen was on hand to handle musical duties for the restaurant's fifth weekly "Sunday Drag Brunch" hosted by local performer -- and real live girl -- Jessica "Dirty Dorothy" Dressler.
Christensen says he received notice from the new owner of 101 Southwest Boulevard last week that another tenant had been found for the space -- which previously housed Smokin' Joe's Barbecue -- and that Hamburger Mary's had until February 28 to pack up its gay apparel and vacate the venue. The building's new owner, Christensen told Fat City, is the original owner. Christensen's former landlords lost the venue through foreclosure.
"I'm negotiating for an extension," Christensen says, "so that we have at least a little more time to find a new space. I'd really like to stay in this location, but that doesn't seem possible right now."
Christensen hopes to keep the restaurant in the Crossroads (he's looked at the old Daddy's location and that dazzling Moroccan-Spanish building that once housed the Casa Grande restaurant). He adds that several venues in the metro are trying to woo his restaurant -- there are a lot of empty restaurants desperate for a tenant right now.
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How do you spell Homophobic? That's what I think is working here, and as far as editing the show for small children...that's the parents job to not bring them to an adult location.
I agree with all the posts. This makes no sense and I will NOT be giving any money to the tenant. And I will make sure my friends boycott as well.
Why would you want a tenant this reliable, and one who has improved the space to vacate in less that a month. I smell a rat, a big rat!. All I can say is that whatever goes in this space will NOT be getting my business, and I will make it a point to make sure other don't either. It's not the location or the decoration that make the place; that's just the icing, the thing that makes the place is the people. Mary's owner(s) are amazing and have a very loyal following.
I guess I don't understand why you would ask a paying renter to vacate a space? Especially one that has had issues keeping tenants in the past?
Terribly sad situation. My partner and I frequent Marys often and have really come to love the people, employees and fun friendly atmosphere that is always present. This new building owner just doesn't know what he is thinking. Since money seems to be the only factor this new building owner cares about, the only message I can send to him is that I will not be spending a dime at whatever takes Marys place.
To Eric and all the wonderful people of who have made Hamburger Marys what it is, you have the full support of myself, my partner, our friends, and the entire community.
If a tenant has been as solid as Hamburger Mary's has been since turning that run-down building into something worth visiting over a year ago, what could this new building own possibly be thinking? He can't possibly think that the loyal Mary's customer base will keep going to that location after he boots them out. I'm quite sure whoever this guy is has not really thought through the total ramifications of his stupid decision. With so many other places in the crossroads now sitting empty, lots of luck to him in finding a tenant, much less one that will have the draw that Mary's has.
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