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Gay-friendly dining

MarketStEl

By MarketStEl
in Pennsylvania: Dining

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MarketStEl

MarketStEl

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Table Talk in the Inky says that Hamburger Mary's has closed, or as the sign in the window apparently reads: "Mary has left the building."

Found out about this when I was en route to the karaoke night at Dragonfly, the gay bar above HM's, last Thursday. Apparently, their last night was the Sunday prior.

I know the owners and also know several people who worked there, including the wonderful guy who ran their karaoke night (and does the same at Key West on Tuesdays and Woody's on alternate Mondays). I've heard a whole host of explanations/accounts/excuses for why what seemed to be a concept with potential here went under, but it seems to me that it boils down to this:

They didn't market it right from the start, and backed that up with not enough good staff.

One of the more pleasant fallouts of the success--yes, I said success--of the gay rights/gay acceptance movement since Stonewall is that we have now come to a point where a place does not need to be exclusively gay to be gay-friendly. The "metrosexual" phenomenon and the rise of the style that has been dubbed "gay vague" suggests that a sizable number of heterosexual males have lost their fears about being thought gay--and that is a good sign for places that wish to attract a gay clientele but not limit themselves to one.

Now, while Hamburger Mary's is supposed to have a gay sensibility and be gay-friendly, it need not be exclusively gay--and I'll wager that the restaurant's patrons came from all walks of life. The bar upstairs could have probably been pitched towards a mixed clientele and still attracted the gay patrons they wanted. Hell, if Woody's now draws straight chicks looking for a good time...

Edited to add: Mary will most definitely not return to that space. The owners also own the building that houses the restaurant and bar, and plan to lease the space out--not necessarily to another restaurant.

Edited by MarketStEl (log)

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

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Hell, if Woody's now draws straight chicks looking for a good time...

I've been known to darken Woody's doorstep from time to time. Great drinks, great dancing. A very dear friend of mine owns The Bike Stop and I certainly stop in there from time to time. Heck - I even worked there when they had the Quince Street Cafe next door, back in the day.

And yes. I was the token straight chick on the staff. But the leather queens loved me. I remember having a customer insist that my breasts couldn't be real when I was waitressing in a low cut French Maid's costume one Halloween. I told him it was good genes, not a good doctor. :biggrin:

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

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MarketStEl

MarketStEl

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I've been known to darken Woody's doorstep from time to time.  Great drinks, great dancing.

Decent food, too. The Woody Burger is one of the better burgers in town.

Sandy Smith, Exile on Oxford Circle, Philadelphia

"95% of success in life is showing up." --Woody Allen

My foodblogs: 1 | 2 | 3

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CoolPapaBell

CoolPapaBell

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hell, if Woody's now draws straight chicks looking for a good time...

I've been known to darken Woody's doorstep from time to time. Great drinks, great dancing. A very dear friend of mine owns The Bike Stop and I certainly stop in there from time to time. Heck - I even worked there when they had the Quince Street Cafe next door, back in the day.

And yes. I was the token straight chick on the staff. But the leather queens loved me. I remember having a customer insist that my breasts couldn't be real when I was waitressing in a low cut French Maid's costume one Halloween. I told him it was good genes, not a good doctor. :biggrin:

Talk about discrimination! As a flaming heterosexual I’ve tried that line twice. The first time I get a kick in the....and the second time I got a lawsuit.

Edited by CoolPapaBell (log)

Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore. It's always too crowded.

---Yogi Berra

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mizducky

mizducky

Posted
Posted
Hell, if Woody's now draws straight chicks looking for a good time...

I've been known to darken Woody's doorstep from time to time. Great drinks, great dancing. A very dear friend of mine owns The Bike Stop and I certainly stop in there from time to time. Heck - I even worked there when they had the Quince Street Cafe next door, back in the day.

And yes. I was the token straight chick on the staff. But the leather queens loved me. I remember having a customer insist that my breasts couldn't be real when I was waitressing in a low cut French Maid's costume one Halloween. I told him it was good genes, not a good doctor. :biggrin:

Talk about discrimination! As a flaming heterosexual I’ve tried that line twice. The first time I get a kick in the....and the second time I got a lawsuit.

Well, y'know, it does put a kinda different nuance on the line when it's motivated not by lust but by envy. :wink::biggrin:

Ellen Terris Brenner

Examiner.com: San Diego Budget Meals Examiner

eG Foodblogs: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4

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