Ybor City Hamburger Mary's Closes Following Hepatitis A Scare

YBOR CITY, FL -- After nine years in business, the popular Ybor City restaurant, Hamburger Mary's, 1600 E. 7th Ave., is closing.

Tuesday night will be the restaurant's last night in business.

The announcement on the restaurant's Facebook page came as a surprise to patrons. The restaurant was well-known for hosting Drag Queen Bingo fundraisers for nonprofit groups throughout Hillsborough County.

However, two weeks ago, the restaurant was temporarily closed when an employee tested positive for hepatitis A (see related story). As a result, the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County offered free hepatitis A vaccines to anyone who dined at the restaurant during the period that the employee might have exposed patrons to the virus.

The DOH said 620 patrons received free hepatitis A shots. There were no reports of anyone else contracting the virus.

Nevertheless, owners Kurt King and Brian DeChane said the resulting media coverage hurt the business beyond their ability to recover.

"It is with great regret that Kurt King and Brian DeChane must announce that tonight will be the last day/night that Hamburger Mary’s Bar and Grill and Hamburger Mary’s Pub House in Ybor City will be open," read a statement on Facebook. "The latest challenge over the last couple of weeks has proven to be too much to overcome."

King and DeChane are inviting the community to come to the restaurant tonight to show their support for the staff members who will be unemployed tomorrow.

Among them is Tyler Scott Harr.

"I started working at Mary’s Pub House a little over two years ago and more recently have been bartending on the Balcony during the week," he said. "I have never worked for a more loving, accepting or family-oriented establishment than Mary’s. I have made so many connections, friends and confidantes in my time here. The Balcony has been a blessing for not only me, but so many others...We will stick together even after the doors are closed and the lights are out."

Image via Google Earth

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