cincishaman's Profile

One thing you cannot do is be a schizophrenic restaurant. While I understand that the name "Hamburger Mary's" is tied to an international chain and some of the menu and decor of the old place was propriatary, still the attitude of the atmosphere and the honesty in the food was what made this place one of the strongest restaurants downtown. Universal Grille has left Mary's loyal guests out in the cold. The staff are largely unattentive unless you look like a runway model and the food is desparately trying to be something it is not. Back to basics. There is nothing wrong with casual fare folks! When it is done well it is VERY praisworthy. The problem is when Mary decided to cross the tracks and move uptown, she forgot to bring everyone along with her. If you want an upscale bistro, don't ruin your business, open another location or failing that, thank the fates that you have a success and get over yourself. It may be too late for the late Mary. The truth is Univeral Grille is pretentious without having the ability to carry it off.