Sydney’s fave greasy burger joint, Mary’s, has mysteriously closed up shop after nine years, leaving nothing more than a weird note on their door. WTF?
Yes, it appears as if Sydney is living up to its reputation as a place where arts, culture, and good food go to die, with the cult-favourite closing their doors for good.
The news was announced in true Mary’s fashion — with a note on brown butcher’s paper haphazardly plastered on their door.
The note reads:
“CLOSED 4 EVA!!
2014-2023. R.I.P Mary’s CBD.
THANK YOU TO EVERY ONE OF YOU.
LOVE FROM THE CBD TEAM & MARY’S.
SEE YOU DOWN THE ROAD.”
While it’s sad news for any Suit that wants to tuck into a little burger while enjoying the nature (read: ibises) of Hyde Park, there are still plenty of other ops if you’re craving a shroom burger from Mary’s.
The restaurant, which once belonged exclusively to Newtown, now has locations in Circular Quay, the Entertainment Quarter, and hell, even God’s Country, AKA Castle Hill (an interesting choice given Mary’s penchant for Satanism).
The Mary’s team has also shared a quick line about the closure on their site, hinting that they might just be moving to a bigger location. Thanks to all our customers!” it reads. “We’re relocating to a bigger space, more news to follow!”
In a statement given to Pedestrian.TV, Jake Smyth told us more about the closure.
“We have relocated our production kitchen, which was upstairs at Castlereagh Street, due to outgrowing that site. We are so grateful to the local folk who supported us for the past nine years, and look forward to continuing to serve the CBD at Circular Quay. Excited to announce our new location in the coming weeks!”
But while some have mourned the closure, other people have been more critical of Mary’s, citing some of their problematic history.
“I get a weird vibe from Marys,” one person wrote on Reddit. Their whole ‘punk’ aesthetic whilst charging $20+ for a burger, expensive drinks and underpaying staff. It’s all just BS branding.”
Others called out their historically poor treatment of employees, cited in a 2020 piece from The Sydney Morning Herald, as well as their alleged history of wage theft.
“Good riddance, Mary’s group had a history of wage theft and bullying employees,” one commenter wrote.
The blokes behind Mary’s, Jake Smyth and Kenny Graham, have made headlines previously when they called young hospitality workers “whiny fucking cunts”, amongst a bunch of other Boomer nonsense.
Later, they backpedalled on their comments in an email sent out to all of their staff.
Other Redditors took the opportunity to share their favourite go-to burger joints, including Burgerhead in Western Sydney, ROBS in Rozelle, and Mister Gee in North Strathfield.
“Mr Gee’s burger truck, Bar Luca.. even the chippy inn [Poseidon’s Catch] on Burns Bay Road in Lane Cove have better burgers. Glad this place has gone!”
