If you remember hearing the words “Hamburger Mary’s” and “opening soon” back in April, you’re not alone. When we last checked in this spring, the decade-and-a-half vacancy of the former Patio Café (531 Castro St.) was only a head chef and a reactivated liquor license away from ending.

However, in case you forgot to flip your calendar last week, it’s now September—and if you haven’t ventured near the 500 block of Castro Street recently, 531 is still shuttered.

The trouble, says property owner Les Natali, is that he can't find managers for the restaurant. “About a dozen applicants” have applied for the two open managerial positions—roughly one applicant per month since we initially reported last August that Hamburger Mary’s was looking to make those hires.

The job posting first went up last August. | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline

“Most [applications] have been from people who live outside the city or whose job experience has been outside the Bay Area,” wrote Natali in an email. “We would prefer to hire applicants who live in San Francisco and whose experience has been in here.”

Once Natali and his team are able to make those hires, he told us that Hamburger Mary’s is “good to go" with permitting and licensing and "will be ready to open."



So, if you know anybody who has local experience as a restaurant or kitchen manager, for the love of Peaches Christ, tell them to send their resume to sfhamburgermarys@gmail.com so that this saga can end, and the Castro community can breathe fresh life into this once vibrant space.

Here are the official job postings:

General Manager: Must have minimum 3 years experience as restaurant manager in high-volume restaurant in San Francisco or Bay Area. Must have experience in hiring, training and supervising restaurant staff, front of house and back of house, be a team leader, and provide excellent guest service. Must be available to work nights and weekends. Hourly pay or salary commensurate with experience. Bonus based on performance and profitability. Working Chef/Kitchen Manager: Must have minimum 3 years experience as kitchen manager in a high-volume restaurant in San Francisco or Bay Area. Must have experience in opening a restaurant kitchen, training and supervising kitchen staff, create menu specials, perform inventory control, work well under stress, attention to detail, quality food preparation and plating. Must be available to work nights and weekends. Hourly pay or salary commensurate with experience. Bonus based on performance and profitability. Opportunity for advancement.

You can email resumes and contact information to sfhamburgermarys@gmail.com.