Hamburger Mary's, Brewing Company Coming to Oak Park

Hamburger Mary's, a 40-year-old international restaurant brand, is looking to open an Oak Park location with a focus on its in-house beer brewing, Hamburger Mary's owner Ashley Wright said Monday. 

Wright said while plans are still preliminary, he hopes to open the brewpub in Oak Park next year. He said Hamburger Mary's is conducting due diligence on a property in the village, but did not disclose the exact location. 

According to a news release from the Oak Park Development Corporation, Oak Park Brewing Company/Hamburger Mary's will open next summer, pending completion of its acquisition and rehab of an Oak Park building. 

Wright said Monday that the village is "keen" on getting a brewpub to open in Oak Park, acknowledging that Hamburger Mary's is not the only establishment that has been looking. The opening and announcement of the new location will largely depend on financing, he said. 

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Village staff members have been working in the past few weeks to prepare a new liquor license category to allow brewpubs to operate in Oak Park. Village Board members voted to approve the ordinance Monday night.

After receiving "several" inquiries from owners interested in opening in the area, Village Planner Craig Failor said last week that staff "wants to be proactive in setting the stage for entry if and when that occurs." 

According to a village agenda document, the new category will allow a restaurant-based business to manufacture beer, store it on the premises and sell it. 

The business will also be able to sell up to 1,000 barrels of beer per year to individuals and to distributors, according to the document. 

Hamburger Mary's met with the village's Liquor Control Review Board on Sept. 24. 

Wright, who opened the Andersonville restaurant as a franchisee before buying the franchise system in 2007, said the Oak Park location would incorporate the traditional Hamburger Mary's concept, but would focus more on the brewing aspect of the business. 

Hamburger Mary's started brewing its own beer in Andersonville in 2009, three years after opening in 2006. 

"We’ve participated in the Micro Brew review and know that the Oak Park area has an appetite for good food and there is a strong market here for good beer,” Wright said in a prepared statement.  “We’ve really appreciated all the help we’ve gotten from Sara Faust and the OPDC team. They’ve helped with counsel on everything—possible locations, financing, and navigating the details of opening a brew-pub restaurant like this in Oak Park.”

OPDC President Sara Faust said Oak Park Brewing Company and Hamburger Mary's will be "embraced" by the community.

With its "Commitment to green practices, charitable efforts, family-friendly environment, and involvement with the LGBT community," said Faust. It will be a substantial investment and the owners’ commitment to the community is commendable."

Hamburger Mary's opened its first location in San Francisco in 1972. An "eclectic late-night beer and burger joint," the restaurant quickly established itself as a staple in the gay and lesbian community, according to the company website. 

In 2007, Dale Warner in West Hollywood and twin brothers Ashley and Brandon Wright in Chicago bought the franchise system and have rebuilt it to include 12 locations across the U.S. and one in Berlin, Germany. 

The flagship Hamburger Mary’s in Andersonville, 5400 N. Clark St., features the traditional Mary’s dining room, Mary’s Rec Room sports bar and Mary’s Attic cabaret & nightclub, along with a large sidewalk patio.

Read more about Hamburger Mary's at www.hamburgermarys.com.