ABOUT THE COVER
The Art of Drag By Ryan Albrechtson
It had been over a year since the last time I saw a drag show. As a proud member of the LGBT+ community and a lover of the supporting arts, I missed them dearly. Luckily, Hamburger Mary’s welcomed me in to fill that hole in my heart. “Hamburger Mary’s has been around since 1972, originally in San Francisco,” said Brandon Wright, who co-owns the Hamburger Mary’s franchise and several of its locations with his brother, Ashley. “In the late 90’s, it morphed into a franchise. My brother and I opened the Chicago location in 2006. A couple of years later the whole franchise was up for sale so we bought it.” The brothers then brought the “open air bar and grille for open minded people” to Milwaukee in 2011. Originally in Bay View, they moved to their current location 5 years later. 2021 marks the 10th anniversary of the franchise having a home here in Milwaukee. “I was tired of being a chemical engineer,” said Wright. “I figured if I could do that, I could run a drag bar.” Ryan sat down with Brandon Wright the co-owner of Hamburger Mary’s.
12 | artsscene
