People all over the nation and around the world now know Ginger Minj through her involvement in season seven of RuPaul’s Drag Race, but we here in Florida have known and 
loved her for years as a headlining performer at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando, almost always with fellow drag queen The Minx. Ginger Minj and The Minx host two shows at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando each week: Facebook Fridays, where the audience gets to pick what number the queens do next, and Broadway Brunch, a musical theatre extravaganza each Sunday afternoon.
Now, just on the heels of Hamburger Mary’s Orlando’s seventh anniversary, Ginger Minj, now one of the most sought-after drag queens in America, will be returning to her old stomping grounds on Friday, June 19. Seating is at 7:30 p.m. for the 8:30 p.m. show. To reserve your table, call (321) 319-0600.
I spoke with co-owner John Paonessa about Ginger Minj and how she and The Minx ended up at Hamburger Mary’s Orlando.
How proud are you of Ginger now that she’s made it to the final round on RuPaul’s Drag Race?
Mike and I could not be more proud of Ginger. Watching her on RuPaul’s Drag Race has been such a kick for us all. Obviously, we are biased, but we believe her talents shine far above the others on that show, and she really is the one to beat.
What impresses you the most about Ginger?
My favorite thing about Ginger is her quick wit, and comedy genius. But, also, she really is a super nice person, who is always a pleasure to work with, and a complete professional. We are very proud to have her as part of the Mary’s team.
Tell us how Ginger and The Minx started at Mary’s.
It really was kind of a fluke how Ginger and The Minx ended up working for us. They came to us wanting to possibly do a little show one night during the week…We had heard their names, but had never met. We had been trying to find something different to do for Sunday. So, sight unseen, we brought them on to perform at Sunday Brunch [in 2012].
They showed up with the whole brunch bunch dancers, with costumes, and we thought, “What the heck is all this?” To tell you that we were blown away by that day’s show would be a complete understatement. The dancing, the Broadway performances and the entire show knocked our socks off…[We] knew that we had struck entertainment gold.
Follow Ginger on Twitter @TheGingerMinj. Visit Hamburger Mary’s Orlando online by going to hamburgermarys.com/orlando.
