After an electrical fire ripped through popular Jacksonville restaurant Hamburger Mary’s Jax last month, the owners hope to rebuild the site at 3333 Beach Blvd.
Founder Gary Motes woke up to the news in mid-October that his restaurant had suffered a devastating fire that destroyed the majority of Hamburger Mary’s. Since then, ownership has been working to not only rebuild the restaurant’s interior but also to take care of its employees while they are left without jobs. On top of not having any injuries, the fire did not reach the large outdoor patio, and the business is hoping to operate in some limited capacity while they rebuild the inside of the restaurant.
“We don’t really know a timeline; the fire was pretty bad inside, and we are waiting on the fire marshal and insurance investigators to complete their investigation, which could take 6-8 months,” a representative from the company tells What Now Jacksonville regarding how long it will take for the restaurant to completely reopen. “We have 25 employees and entertainers who are without work.”
In the meantime, Hamburger Mary’s Jax is leaning on the community in several ways. In addition to ownership launching a GoFundMe and an online auction, several local businesses are reaching out to help the restaurant. Late last month, Cocktail St. Pete hosted a drag queen bingo charity event benefitting the restaurant’s employees, and earlier this month, Fred’s Cotten Landmark MMQ hosted the restaurant’s drag brunch, giving the entertainers a chance to work while the restaurant rebuilds, according to the restaurant’s Facebook. While Motes is already working on rebuilding Hamburger Mary’s, many of the interior decorations could never be replaced.
“There’s a lot of memories and things that can’t be replaced, but [I’m] glad that nobody got hurt and glad that we have the willpower and the love to rebuild this thing, and we will,” Motes tells the Florida Times-Union.
