Undercover Boss (2010) s07e09 Episode Script
Hamburger Mary's
MALE ANNOUNCER: Tonight, for the first time in "Undercover Boss" history, identical twins go undercover in their own company.
You're gonna look ridiculous.
We're gonna look the same, hopefully.
Good luck.
ANNOUNCER: Ashley and Brandon Wright, co-owners of Hamburger Mary's, a one-of-a-kind dining experience I'm Tristen.
ANNOUNCER: Will meet the people who keep their company rising to the top.
Welcome to Hamburger Mary's.
ANNOUNCER: Along the way Ooh ooh uhh! One boss will let it all hang out.
WOMAN: There you go.
Oh! Oh! She loses it.
ANNOUNCER: And what will happen when they meet an employee who only has one thing on her mind? Money, money, money.
That's my money.
I don't give a [.]
about his money.
The [.]
is wrong with you? (gasps) I got to get out of here.
Byron.
Byron.
ANNOUNCER: Find out next on "Undercover Boss.
" ANNOUNCER: Founded in San Francisco in 1972, Hamburger Mary's is the original drag show burger joint.
With more than 550 employees in 14 locations, this groundbreaking company has been serving up equality for more than 40 years.
Focused on creating a fun dining experience where everyone is welcome are identical twin brothers.
I'm Ashley Wright.
And I'm his twin brother Brandon Wright.
And we're the co-owners of Hamburger Mary's International.
BRANDON: Hamburger Mary's is an open-air bar and grille for open-minded people.
You walk into any Hamburger Mary's and you've got gay, straight, black, white, grandparents.
We like to say that Hamburger Mary's is a flamboyant dining experience where you can eat, drink BOTH: and be Mary.
ASHLEY: And get big, juicy burgers with lots of fresh toppings.
We do like to give all of our items their own little clever name.
It's not a barbecue burger, it's the Barbra-Q Burger.
All pun intended.
(light music) We were born in a small town just outside of Atlanta, Georgia called Austell, so we had a typical Southern upbringing.
I don't think I wore shoes at all in the summer.
We grew up with our single mom.
You know, we weren't out in high school, but there were two guys who called us fag twins every time they saw us.
Like, every time.
You know, growing up, we definitely get the sense that being gay was wrong.
I mean, these days, everybody wants a gay friend, but back then it was kind of like we needed to keep that to ourselves.
We didn't actually come out till we were in college.
BRANDON: After college, I was an engineer for ten years.
I didn't really like being behind a desk.
ASHLEY: And we had always wanted to do something together.
I was managing a bar at the time.
And I spent lots of time at a bar.
So that kind of got us thinking about the hospitality industry.
It was actually a friend of Brandon's that had the idea to open a Hamburger Mary's franchise.
It just seemed like something that was totally up our alley.
BRANDON: Hamburger Mary's started in 1972 in San Francisco.
It was, like, a gay bar that was welcoming to everyone.
At the time, the latest things to come out were Atari's Pong, Liza Minnelli in Cabaret, and Hamburger Mary's.
Hamburger Mary's was cutting edge.
You know, it was like, this is the place that, "Hey, we're gay, and we don't care, and you should come here, and oh, you're straight?" BOTH: "We don't care.
" ASHLEY: From that one, others started popping up, and then they were all over California and Hawaii.
BRANDON: By 2005, there were 12 locations across the country.
ASHLEY: We opened our Hamburger Mary's in 2006 as a franchise.
We had opened up thinking we were going to be number 13, and by the time we actually opened BRANDON: There were only four left.
Shortly after we opened a Hamburger Mary's in Chicago, a lot of the other franchises were opting out of their agreements.
They thought, "Hey, I don't need to pay these royalties anymore.
"I don't need to be a Hamburger Mary's anymore.
I'm gonna change my name," that later then failed.
And then shortly after that, the then-owner of the franchise system put the name up for sale.
We still believed in the brand.
We knew that there was something about Mary that was gonna rise above.
And we bought the name in 2007.
BRANDON: Since we took over the brand, we've been able to grow from just four locations to there will be 15 by the end of the year, with 4 more on the way.
We have over 550 employees and have revenue of over $20 million.
We definitely see Hamburger Mary's in every major city in the U.
S.
and beyond, even.
Yeah.
We're about to blow up.
So let's get this ball started! What makes Mary's different than your average gourmet burger joint is that entertainment quality.
Drag is pretty important to Hamburger Mary's.
It's part of the culture of the LGBT community.
ASHLEY: The term drag actually started in Shakespeare's day.
If you were a man playing a woman's part, you were "dressed as girl" or DRAG.
Today, of course, drag is a little bit more flamboyant.
So we do have our own drag personas.
- I'm Apple Brown Betty.
- BRANDON: And I'm Cherry Pie.
What goes great with apple brown betties? Cherry pie.
Cherry pie's a tart though.
Yeah, some say.
WOMAN: So we actually why don't we start with you, and Brandon, you can go shave.
This is what we're gonna shave out.
- Got it.
- Yeah, it'll grow back in three weeks.
Famous last words.
(razor buzzes) Bye-bye, beard.
Oh, my God.
ASHLEY: That original Mary's in San Francisco, it was a really neat, special place.
Everybody was welcome and it was fun, and so I feel like now is a good time for us to go under cover to make sure that the culture still exists throughout all of our locations.
- Hi.
- BRANDON: Hi.
Look at me.
I look like my brother now.
Yeah, you do.
Ashley and I will have the same disguise, the same name, the same cover story.
We'll be disguised as Byron, a preppy guy from Atlanta trying to win money to start a dream business.
Oh, my God.
Mary's is no longer a gay restaurant, isn't in a back alley.
It is mainstream.
This is not a good look for me.
Now is the time for us to go undercover so we can take Mary to the next level and realize the dream of putting her in every major city.
(upbeat music) BRANDON: My brother and I are in Jacksonville, Florida today following a server.
I think that I should probably do this job.
But just know that I'll be watching.
The servers are the face of Hamburger Mary's.
- Wish me luck.
- Good luck.
(background chatter) BRANDON: We have policies and procedures in place to make sure that all of our servers are taking the best care of our customers.
My brother and I have spent a lot of effort and energy over the last eight years re-building this brand, and we just want to make sure that those policies and procedures are followed at each of our locations all across the country.
WOMAN: Hi.
- I'm Byron.
- I'm Tristen.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm a server here at Hamburger Mary's.
I'm going to be teaching you how to serve.
We have children coming in here.
We have adults coming in here.
We have you name it coming in this place.
Okay? Your job is to keep them happy.
Keep their drinks filled.
You got to have fun.
She is making a really good first impression on me.
- All right? - I can do fun.
- You can do fun? - I can do fun.
- I don't know if I can do serving though.
- All right, we'll see.
If you're going to be a server, you're going to look like one, baby.
Let's go.
I see bow ties and I immediately think Dr.
Who or Pee-wee Herman.
Whoo! You get a T-shirt, an apron, a book, and some pens.
- I'll change.
- All right.
He's a little prissy, but he seems nice enough, so I'm going to give him a chance.
I'm back.
You look great.
It really fits you.
She said you were prissy.
(laughs) This'll drop mustards where they need to be.
Even though there's paper towels right here, they're gonna ask for it still because they're dumb.
Customers are not always right, especially here at Hamburger Mary's.
(gasps) - Uh-oh.
- You grab these cups right here.
You need to grab some forks and you need to grab some straws.
- Put them in there.
- How many? A handful of them.
You might be right and you might be wrong.
And I guess if they need more they can ask for more, right? Sometimes they don't.
Like, I had a customer last night.
He said, "I waited for silverware the entire night and did not get it, and now my fish and chips are cold.
" First of all, you don't need a damn fork to eat fish and chips.
The [.]
is wrong with you? Tristen has a mouth like a sailor.
You got a angry customer waving their hand around at you in the middle of a show.
You ain't got time to do that [.]
.
Every other word out is "beep!" I ended up having to take the fish and chips off.
That really pisses me off.
That lowers my ticket price.
If my check is lower, my grat's lower, and that angers me.
Tristen's not putting the customers first.
I'm a little concerned that she's putting herself first.
Listen up, Byron.
I'm a single mom.
I have two kids at home, okay? I can't lose money.
I try to raise my ticket price as high as possible.
If anybody asks you, if you suggest anything, like drink-wise, always suggest our most expensive mixed drinks, the Bossy Bottom and the Total Top.
You're always trying to make your check higher.
That's money, money, money.
That's what we're doing.
Money, money, money.
Eesh.
They ask for water, I'm gonna ask them if they want bottled water, 'cause I don't really like giving you tap water.
BRANDON: I like that she really was eager to upsell, but customers come first.
Money, money, money, money.
We'll see how it is interacting with customers, though.
(dance music) TRISTEN: All right.
Looks like we got a table.
- Let's go.
- How y'all doing? We're excellent.
Do you know what you want to drink? I'm gonna get a water for now.
- A water? - I'll know by the time Just regular tap water or you want Perrier or - Tap's fine.
- Tap's fine? TRISTEN: Upsell.
Upsell, upsell, upsell, upsell, and I've said that to him a hundred times tonight.
You started out with tap water.
That's that's your mistake.
Okay, so should start out with the other one.
You it's the power of suggestion, really.
It's not saying we don't have tap water.
They just assume, and that works out for us.
Don't do it again.
ASHLEY: Oh, my God.
Customer first.
She kind of is a little terrifying.
You know, we explain these policies to people, and I think we just sort of assume that they get it.
Oh, we need another water.
Somebody else wanted a water.
That's another $3 off of my check.
We are trying to raise our checks.
Dollar here, dollar there it adds up, and it's bothering me that he's not getting everything that I told him to.
Can you grab those waters, please? Those those waters that are costing you $3? $6, because there's two of them here.
Two of them.
I'm gonna do a shot of whiskey.
Actually, two shots of whiskey.
You are partying tonight if you're doing that! (low chatter) And did you get a drink? (woman, indistinct) That is a drink.
He is taking so long at that one table.
Oh, she looks pissed.
All right, let me see if I wrote this down right, 'cause I was a waiter in high school.
Okay.
He's gonna kill my tips.
Uh, you had the sliders with fries and a s was that a sweet tea or a non-sweet tea? Sweet tea.
Brandon, stop talking to the table.
Put the order in.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Mozzarella stick.
Traditional, marinara.
Okay.
(women applaud, cheer) Oh, my gosh.
She's so mad.
(hums) How you doing over here, Byron? Okay, the sweet tea had a Proud Mary.
Open bar.
Move a little faster.
Both hands, Bryon.
They wanted it well done.
Oh, there's a line behind him forming for that (laughs) - I still got another one.
- Dang! - Yeah, we got another one.
- Jump in.
- Jump in.
- Thank you.
Do not ever let anybody in front of you.
That's my money.
I don't give a [.]
about his money.
Ugh.
You all set? Don't mess it up, 'cause if you mess it up, you messing with my money.
This is really not how you train somebody.
How do I go back again? Oh, my God, and she left him.
(dramatic music) TRISTEN: Little bit quicker there, Bryon.
How do I go back again? Oh, my God, and she left him.
(sighs) [.]
You know, she could actually do something to solve this situation if she helped him.
Done.
Done, I think.
TRISTEN: Byron.
That section right there is a $300 to $400 section.
If I miss out on any money tonight, it's your fault.
(laughs) TRISTEN: It's not a threat.
That's a promise.
- It's gonna be a issue.
- Sweet tea is here.
This is kind of painful to watch.
Don't drop your drinks, 'cause if you mess it up, you're messing with my money.
You should tell her a team player helps each other out, and she's not doing that.
And you're new.
Do you know what you want to drink? I'll just have water for now.
Do you want sparkling water? You want bottled water? Just tap water? Okay.
She is literally holding it in.
I think she's about to try to punch him.
You got empty glasses on that table.
Did you ask her if she wanted another wine? Uh, well, when I bring out that woman's water.
Oh, her tap water, Byron? I offered her bottled water first.
Get the water, Byron.
I got to get out of here.
I have got to get out of here.
Yeah, good idea, Brandon.
Where are you going? Bryon.
Byron.
Byron.
Thank you, Byron.
Have you all had a chance to look at the menu? I'm sure you have.
You've been here - a long-ass time.
- (laughs) - Wow.
- Oh, my God.
You need a hug.
Oh, my God.
That was, like, a monster waitress there.
- Yeah.
- That was crazy.
And you should have seen her.
She's like, standing behind you, like - Fuming.
- That's a problem.
Yeah, but the question is, what do we do about it? I just don't know, but there there's no way that she can continue to behave in that manner, that's for sure.
(dramatic music) (upbeat music) After working with Tristen yesterday, I'm exhausted, so I will be in the RV while my brother Ashley is undercover in drag.
We do over 2,500 drag shows a year.
A lot of our diners are there to see a drag show while they're having dinner, so it's really, really important that we have the best quality show.
Today I have chosen to be Clara Voyance because I'm seeing what's going on, and they don't know who I am.
Hi.
But I'm sort of kind of clairvoyant, if that makes sense.
I'm actually going to be doing a drag performance which I don't do that often.
The quality of our drag performances is as important as the quality of our food, and you know, if the people do come and they have a great burger but the show kind of stunk, then they're going to leave with not a very good experience.
- Hi.
- Are you my coach today? WOMAN: How are you? ASHLEY: I'm good.
Oh, yay.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Jayla.
- I'm gonna be your coach today.
- Hi.
And that's why it's really important to make sure that they're doing the best show that they can.
What's your drag name? - Clara today.
- Clara.
Clara Voyance.
Ooh, so that means you got some things going on in your head.
- Oh yeah, watch out.
- I like it.
So what's going on today is we're going to do a routine together.
- Like choreography and stuff? - Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Oh, my God.
No, no, shake it off.
Shake it off.
First impression with Clara, her makeup is very campy.
She's wearing her personality, and I like that from her.
Here we go.
We're gonna go right over left, and we're gonna go one, step out, two together, three down.
Okay.
Can we do it again? Yeah.
So we're gonna go cross.
- One.
- Step out.
Hands like this together.
Ashley has never been a dancer.
Oh, ah, ah.
Yeah, so be sexy.
Really sassy.
- Bam bam.
- Oh, there we go.
Like this.
Okay.
Ha! That's not sassy sassy.
That's flip flop flop.
He is very un-ladylike.
JAYLA: Oh, wait a minute.
She was stepping on all kinds of things.
I think she was gonna trip over her own feet and just fall to her death.
Cross, cross, bam.
Now sassy.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
There you go.
So, and then we're going to make our way down the stairs.
I use the whole restaurant as my prop.
When you personalize yourself with your performance, they start to get a better feel, and you break that barrier between drag queen and entertainer, so you want to get to every table.
Even if they're not tipping you, still get to their table and still give them a show.
So, we're walking, we're having a good time.
I like that attitude.
Very non-Tristen.
(laughs) It's not all money, money, money.
Once we get here, my main thing to do is this here.
(striptease music) That's just me.
You don't have to do - You don't have to do the leg lifting.
- I can do this.
Yeah, you want to get all in their faces and stuff.
There you go.
Oh! She loses it.
Does that ever happen? (cackles, mutters) They came to see a man in a dress.
Here I am.
Girl, really? If she wants this business, she might want to tighten it up.
Literally.
So, now that we got the choreography down and we're feeling okay with it, I want to show you where we get ready, so grab your heels.
Let's go.
Before coming on this job, I kind of took for granted the job of the drag queen.
I haven't really thought about how hard it is to learn all of those things, the steps, the choreography, the presentation, but you have to make it look effortless because you're putting on a show for the guests.
Whoo, it's cold out there.
- All right.
- So this is our trailer.
It's really small.
It's like, really cramped.
There's like seven of us that get ready on the weekends.
- Seven at one time? - Yeah.
- Oh, wow, that's a lot.
- Everybody's going balls to the wall.
- Everybody's all over the place.
- Literally.
So we're going to find you a costume.
You want to have something fierce.
You want to have something that makes you you.
- Right? - Got it.
So let's find you something here.
You get ready for the show.
Can't wait to watch Ashley make a fool of himself on stage.
Welcome friends, freaks, fairies, drag fans, and hamburger lovers.
- Left, right.
- I bring to the stage Jayla and her contestant - Ooh.
- Oh, this is it! Clara Voyance.
(upbeat music) (applause) Jayla looks great.
And then there's Clara.
Ooh la la la Ooh la la Ooh la la la Let's get the music up ASHLEY: Come on! Let's get the music up Feel feel the bling bling Feel flesh, feel fresh Look at her.
She is just working.
(cheers and applause) - Thank you.
- You're welcome.
(cheering continues) - Whoo! - Did you all love that? ASHLEY: Oh! That was amazing.
- Oh, my God.
That was so much fun.
- Yes.
Oh.
When I leave off the stage, I just feel like I've parted the Red Sea.
Like, I just feel so good about it.
How often do you perform here? This is my only job for right now, and it gets tough because it's like, the money isn't how it used to be anymore.
Sometimes you're walking out with $100.
Sometimes you're walking out with $12.
But I don't care about the money.
I care about touching a heart or two, and like I say, I have story to tell, and I have, like, I've been through so much, because I don't know if I shared this with you earlier or not, but I was born Kenny.
I'm actually going through a legal name change right now.
ASHLEY: Wow.
JAYLA: It's really expensive.
- That's like, $500 in itself.
- Really? - Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
But it's really important to get my name changed and get my sex changed and all that kind of stuff, because it's just like, at the end of the day, you got to be strong.
I'm not a fetish.
I'm not an experiment.
I'm not sick in the head.
I'm not any of that.
It's just, no longer am I gonna hide who I am, so right now I'm happy.
I'm just living life.
You know, I grew up gay.
It was also just sort of, like, not accepted - and I felt like, you know - Right.
My family doesn't accept me, so do you have a relationship with your parents now? Let's see I'm trying not to cry.
I'm sorry.
The last time I talked to them was maybe two years ago, and they're they pretty much, like, completely shunned me.
They took me off their insurance.
They took me off of everything, so I had no ties with them.
But I don't hate my parents.
I love my parents.
I love everybody in my family, because if you hold onto a grudge or something angry, you're going to be angry for the rest of your life.
I've never regretted anything that I've done, and everything that I've done it made me a stronger person.
Here I am today, like, smiling and happy to tell my story.
That's awesome.
- (laughs) - Thanks.
Now let's take this makeup off.
I feel like Jayla is the kind of performer that we want to have more of.
She's just such an inspiring person.
If we could clone her and have her at every Mary's, it would be fantastic 'cause I feel like she could really teach everyone what Hamburger Mary's stands for.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up Show me what you got.
ANNOUNCER: One boss finds himself underwater.
So, like, one.
No, no, no, no.
No! No! ANNOUNCER: And later, Tristen's fate will be decided.
Seeing what we've seen, you wouldn't be working for us.
(sobs) (upbeat music) ASHLEY: Today, we are in Long Beach, California, to work with a bar manager.
Welcome to Hamburger Mary's! - So Brandon - Wish me luck.
Good luck.
I think I'm gonna need it for this one.
Here in Long Beach, they have a high percentage of their sales coming from the bar, and that's because they pretty much turn into Club Mary's at night.
- Hey, how you doing? - Good, I'm looking for Melissa.
Melissa is right here.
And if that's a concept or an idea that we're going to take to other locations, we really need to see what they're doing here to make sure they have it right so we can emulate that at future locations.
You won't have to go far.
- Hi, are you Melissa? - Hey.
I am.
- How's it going? - I'm Bryon, how are you? I'm good, how are you doing? - Wonderful.
- Good.
So I'm the bar manager, and basically I bartend, make sure everything's running good hospitality-wise, all the customers are happy.
So you want to jump in and try to learn that? - Sure.
- Let's do it.
I mean, I know how to - drink a cocktail.
- That's right.
I don't know if I know how to make one.
I'm gonna show you how to make a Sex on the Beach and a margarita.
So sweet and sour, cranberry, a little bit of OJ.
With the margarita, we're going to do some triple sec, some tequila, some lime juice, some sweet and sour.
You're moving very, very fast.
- You got to be fast.
- (laughs) All right, that's what it's going to look like, but I want you to jump in here and show me what you got, all right? Let's see the Sex on the Beach first.
So you have your vodka and then you're going to have your peach schnapps.
- What am I counting to? - Uh, to two.
So like, one two? No, no, no.
Nope.
That's it.
Perfect.
Byron, uh, I said two seconds, man.
Two seconds went into five, and now the glass is literally half-full of liquor.
This is going to be your sweet and sour, so go ahead and push the sweet and sour button.
So you seem to know what you're doing.
- How long have you been here? - MELISSA: I've been here for eight years.
Awesome.
And then you're going to fill it with orange juice.
Perfect, looks great.
So we're going to make some shots.
We have a shot boy we have to take care of.
As bar manager, do you also do the schedule and everything, too, for Um, not anymore, actually.
I used to do the schedule.
I stepped down recently this year because there was just kind of a lot on my plate.
Were you still bartending while you were doing that? - That too, yeah.
- Oh, wow.
Kind of sucked, you know? So I kind of just wanted to make time for all the things that I wanted to do.
So far I like her energy.
You know, having that confidence and comfort in a bartender is key.
So it's probably going to get slammed, so in the event that it does, I'll just start yelling out some stuff whenever they come up - and order it, okay? - Okay.
Sounds good I'm going to get this guy right here.
(dance music) A large Coke? Okay.
You guys okay over here? Sex on the Beach, perfect.
Thank you.
Melissa she was amazing when I was with her.
Vodka cranberry.
- That's good.
- I mean, she seems to have complete control of that bar.
MELISSA: And then you're going to put a lime in it and then a straw.
That was good, man.
Good job.
All right, so we're going to go take a little time out.
Oh, wow.
That was busy, busy.
MELISSA: Let's get you a little breather.
(guitar chords) How you doing? I'm tired.
That was pretty crazy, right? It just keeps getting fuller and fuller? It really does.
And I thought you picked up I thought you picked it up really, really well.
What advice would you give to to someone that's opening a business or thinking of having a bar component? I think you need to really get to know your staff.
You know, I've been with Mary's for eight years, and I feel like definitely, uh, underappreciated by the ownership.
Really? Remember, I was telling you about the position.
- Operations Manager? - I wasn't getting compensated for it, and I kept getting more duties and a higher workload.
You know, I had one raise in seven years.
I gave it a lo seven years is a very long time to be very patient, and uh, once it kind of hit that mark, I was like, "I got to take care of myself.
" Obviously this isn't going in the direction or the path that I wanted it to go to.
I stay for the love of what this represents, you know? For what it represents for the community, like, all the, you know, gay, lesbian, transgender anybody, you know, I'm just, I keep giving my time and I keep giving my effort in hopes that maybe it'll be recognized someday.
Well, I can only hope to have employees like you.
Aw, thank you.
- Thank you.
- I appreciate it.
- Give me a hug.
- I get a hug, right? Absolutely.
(upbeat music) ASHLEY: Today I'm in rainy Kansas City and I'm about to go inside to meet one of our servers.
Dinner service at Hamburger Mary's can be very hectic and fast-paced.
Servers have to juggle a lot of tasks at once, so a server really has to stay on top of all of the needs of the customer.
All right, I'm off.
Good luck.
ASHLEY: Brandon worked with Tristen in Jacksonville and it was very disappointing.
It's not at all what I want to see in a server.
I'm here to see Kenny.
So I'm hoping that today in Kansas City I have a much better experience.
- Who's Kenny? - Hi, I'm Kenny.
Are you Kenny? Hi, I'm Byron.
- Nice to meet you, Byron.
- Nice to meet you.
Yeah.
Um, I'm a server here.
Three things you need to know.
You need to make sure that the guest is having fun.
Two, you need to stay on your toes.
Always be ready for anything.
And three, make sure that the food is good when it comes out to the table and everything, okay? - I'm gonna do my best.
- All right.
I hope so, because we're going to get into this, okay? But first, right now, I need you to change.
I have a shirt for you.
- All right.
- All right? Byron's he is pretty clean cut.
I feel like he needs to maybe loosen up his bowtie and like, maybe unbutton a couple of buttons up on top.
Oh, you're all ready.
Awesome, you look great.
When you first go up, you say, "Hi, my name" You say your name.
See if they want an appetizer first.
I like to, uh, suggest the mac and cheese bites.
They're so good.
Let's go try it, okay? If you feel like you need my help, don't hesitate to ask, okay? Welcome to Hamburger Mary's.
How are y'all tonight? - Doing well.
- Awesome.
Well, my name is Bryon.
It's his first day.
I know what I'm doing.
You want to get started with a drink? I think I'll just do your Boulevard Wheat.
Boulevard Wheat? Nice local beer.
All right.
That shouldn't be a problem.
All right.
I'll be back with your drinks.
BRANDON: Situation like this, where they have a time commitment to go to, we want to make sure that they get in, get their food, and out in time.
I'm Byron.
I'm in training.
- You need a drink.
- Vodka soda.
Vodka soda.
Vodka soda.
Vodka soda double.
Enjoy, guys.
BRANDON: I think there's still drinks from a previous order waiting at the bar.
There's one razzle.
I'll be back with the dazzle.
Did you guys get your drinks that you ordered? Byron, you should be a little bit more attentive to each table.
Um, you just have to be aware of what you're doing.
- Want me to help you carry them? - Oh, my goodness.
- It's so, like, fast-paced.
- Yep.
BRANDON: I don't know what's more entertaining, seeing him in a wig dancing on stage, or seeing him be a mediocre server.
(laughs) ASHLEY: All right, so we're good.
I was getting in a zone I think.
KENNY: Yeah? Okay, so what we're going to do, we're going to wipe these tables off and these chairs and we're going to stack them over here against this wall right here, okay? - Sure.
- I have a question for you.
You wouldn't happen to like guys, would you? - I, you know, I do.
- Yay! Okay.
- Yay! But I'm taken.
- Yeah, that's awesome.
How about you? I'm actually single.
I actually moved from Texas to where I'm at now, and it was a really tough time for me.
I got kicked out of my parents' house.
My stepmom found out I was gay.
After that happened, getting kicked out, I just I just closed that door in my life and moved on, so we don't really talk anymore.
I moved here with one bag of clothes and 40 bucks, and I walked into Hamburger Mary's.
I had a really good friend that worked there, and I got a job the day after I got there, so, and ever since I started working there I've just I can't get enough of it.
I love it so much, so What do you want in life? I want a family.
Like, I want to be able to start a family.
Like, I want to get married.
I want to be able to have kids, and I want to have a car.
I don't have a car yet.
Honestly, everything that I want in a job, I get in a job.
I can be myself, I don't have to worry about being judged by people.
It's a safe place.
It's a safe haven for me, and it's home.
That's my home, and that's my family, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm just really thankful that he came (voice breaks) that he came to Mary's because I'm proud that all the things that we think and we say that Hamburger Mary's stands for is true.
You know? And you see it and this guy who has a new family and that's us.
Well, that's what I love about Mary's.
- Everybody's welcome.
- Yeah.
(warm music) Uh, this was this was an interesting week.
I mean, it definitely had some highs and lows.
A lot's changed since we took over Hamburger Mary's.
Being gay is you know, I would like to think a lot more accepted than it used to be.
But there's still people being turned out of their homes because they're different.
So the idea of what Hamburger Mary's represents is just as relevant today as it's always been.
Also, I realize that we have more work to do.
- I mean, - Absolutely.
we're not just a company with mottos.
Well, here's to Mary's.
Here's to Mary's.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, the employees react when the bosses reveal their true identity.
Do either of us look familiar? Wait, I'm confused.
Have we met before? ANNOUNCER: And, Tristen's fate will be decided.
Can we just fire me and let me go? (intense music) Ow.
That's not very fun.
This experience has been an incredible journey.
This past week has felt like a crash course in what it's really like to work here.
(light music) - Hi.
- How are you? Good.
You know that we saw you earlier.
Earlier today? No, earlier this week.
Really? Do either of us look familiar? Wait, I'm confused.
Have we met before? We have.
- Are you Byron? - Yes.
Oh, my God.
(laughter) I'm Ashley.
That's my brother Brandon.
And we are the co-owners of Hamburger Mary's International.
Really? I'm a little confused right now.
You're actually on a show called Undercover Boss.
Are you serious? Yes.
Tristen, what are you feeling right now? I'm absolutely terrified.
Do you have a reason to be terrified? I think I'm really sassy and I don't know if I'm in trouble or not.
Well, there's sassy and then there's, you know, rude.
There's a line, and you just continued to cross it almost every time.
You're always trying to make your check higher.
Money, money, money.
That's what we're doing.
They ask for water, I'm gonna ask them if they want bottled water 'cause I don't really like giving you tap water.
I mean, upsell, upsell, upsell.
That's your life as a server.
It's one thing to suggestively upsell.
It's another thing to force it down the customer's throat.
Seeing what we've seen, you wouldn't be working for us, but, you know, it's not our decision.
You don't work for us.
We need to, uh, include the franchise owners in on this discussion.
- Hey, Brittany.
- Hey.
- Hey, Gary.
- Hey, how are you? - Good.
- Hey, Tristen.
Hey.
So you've heard what's been going on.
Yeah.
This is really hard because they come to me about this today.
I was, like, flabbergasted.
I mean, you you really told them not to fill a free water up? TRISTEN: No, I did not.
That would have never have come out of my mouth if there were not cameras on me.
Here's the thing that that makes me not want to believe that.
This wasn't a staged situation.
You had actual tables.
You had real people sitting there.
It sounds to me like you're trying to have an excuse right now and blame the TV show for being yourself.
I know that I do upsell the waters, but I'm not rude to my customers.
But yet you've been on probation a couple of times.
I mean, take some responsibility for your behavior.
No, I do.
I completely take responsibility.
Because you haven't taken any responsibility for your behavior and for your actions the whole time you were there with Byron.
(dramatic music) Can we just fire me and let me go? That decision is up to Gary.
Like, can we fix this? TRISTEN: Yeah, we can, Gary.
That was not me.
You know it, Gary.
(sobs) - You have to do what you - Mary's is my family.
BRANDON: We're here to support you, Gary, in whatever you decide.
The only thing I can offer you right now is for you to be re-trained as a host and a food runner.
Either that or we've got to part ways.
- Is that the decision? - BRITTANY: Is that your decision? That's my decision.
I can't put you on the floor right now.
You can go if you want.
I'm sure you want to go.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm relieved that I'm not completely gone off the Mary's team.
I mean, I'm just going to jump right in and be the best whatever position they put me in, so I'm going to be back on my server position soon, and, um, I'll be fine.
Jayla, when I first met you, when I first walked in, you made me feel so at ease.
It was tough.
Be sexy.
Oh, wait a minute.
(laughs) Oh! She loses it.
Does that ever happen? You, as a coach, were like, you know what? If you mess up, it's okay.
You know, you were very encouraging.
And that's when I say that, it's just not only for performing.
It's with life.
When you mess up, just carry on.
You did bring up some points, specifically with some of the conditions in the trailer.
Yeah.
And so because of you, we're going to make sure that the trailer gets fixed up.
Yay.
We were also very impressed with your actual performance.
- Thank you.
- As well.
We'd love to fly you out to Los Angeles again and perform on stage at our premier drag shows in West Hollywood and Long Beach.
You'll be performing alongside - some, you know, big-name people.
- Oh, my God.
That's amazing.
Like, this is everything I worked for, like I'm sorry.
You know, you also, uh, touched us when we were talking a little bit about, you know, getting your name changed legally, medical costs, you know, associated with your transition.
We know it's tough and we want to give you $10,000 just to help with everything.
What I want to do with all that money? (warm music) Like, y'all don't understand, like Y'all are, like, my angels from Hamburger Mary's.
I'm forever grateful for this.
With my life, I have to believe in positivity, and positivity comes right back in the universe, tenfold.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Jayla is here, and she's not going anywhere.
Melissa, I was impressed by your command of that bar, and it was really really great to see that.
A large Jameson and Coke? - Got it.
- Good.
You guys okay over here? Thank you.
I know that there's been some history.
We want you to know that we appreciate you.
Thank you.
And uh, we want to give you a trip.
Anywhere you want to go.
- Thank you.
- All expenses paid.
- Wow.
- You plus one.
Plus one.
Thank you.
That's not all, though.
I mean, we do appreciate all of the hard work that you have put in so we'd like to give you $2,000.
- Thank you.
- Just as a thank you for being you and the hard and the work that you've done.
Thank you.
Um, sorry, I'm just getting emotional.
Thank you very much.
Have some fun with it.
- Can we hug? - Yes, absolutely.
- Thanks, you guys.
- Thank you.
MELISSA: Dude, I'm blown away.
Like, completely blown away.
It's nice to, like, be appreciated and like, have somebody, like, not even really work with you that long and just say, like, I got you, so it means a lot to me.
Yeah.
Two simple words.
People should use them more.
Kenny, working with you was a real delight for me.
I really loved your energy.
It's really impressive that you bought a one-way ticket.
Mm-hmm.
You had 40 bucks and a bag of clothes and that's it.
I got kicked out of my parents' house.
My stepmom found out I was gay.
I got a job at this Hamburger Mary's.
I can be myself and that's my family, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
The fact that after all of that, you, you know, wound up with Mary's (laughs softly) That's my home now, and I love it, and that means a lot to me actually That means a lot to me.
I just love it.
Like, I really genuinely do.
And I honestly could do it for the rest of my life if I have to.
You haven't been at Mary's for a long time.
No.
But we've decided to give you $5,000 just for you.
Are you serious? Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Sorry.
You embody everything that we are looking for in a server, and it's touching that you would drive 45 minutes or take a bus just to work at Hamburger Mary's and we don't want you to ever have to worry about how you're going to get to work again.
So we want to buy you a car.
Are you serious? Oh, my God.
Are you serious? Am I allowed to hug you right now? I want to hug you so much.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm gonna fall over.
I got this fortune cookie today.
I'm gonna read it to you.
It says, "Good news is coming your way.
It'll be here any day.
" I feel like I don't deserve any of this.
Thank you guys so much.
I want to hug you again.
Of course.
KENNY: Everybody kept telling me that everything happens for a reason, and if you keep going, if you keep trying, everything will work out, and this is so great.
(sniffles)
You're gonna look ridiculous.
We're gonna look the same, hopefully.
Good luck.
ANNOUNCER: Ashley and Brandon Wright, co-owners of Hamburger Mary's, a one-of-a-kind dining experience I'm Tristen.
ANNOUNCER: Will meet the people who keep their company rising to the top.
Welcome to Hamburger Mary's.
ANNOUNCER: Along the way Ooh ooh uhh! One boss will let it all hang out.
WOMAN: There you go.
Oh! Oh! She loses it.
ANNOUNCER: And what will happen when they meet an employee who only has one thing on her mind? Money, money, money.
That's my money.
I don't give a [.]
about his money.
The [.]
is wrong with you? (gasps) I got to get out of here.
Byron.
Byron.
ANNOUNCER: Find out next on "Undercover Boss.
" ANNOUNCER: Founded in San Francisco in 1972, Hamburger Mary's is the original drag show burger joint.
With more than 550 employees in 14 locations, this groundbreaking company has been serving up equality for more than 40 years.
Focused on creating a fun dining experience where everyone is welcome are identical twin brothers.
I'm Ashley Wright.
And I'm his twin brother Brandon Wright.
And we're the co-owners of Hamburger Mary's International.
BRANDON: Hamburger Mary's is an open-air bar and grille for open-minded people.
You walk into any Hamburger Mary's and you've got gay, straight, black, white, grandparents.
We like to say that Hamburger Mary's is a flamboyant dining experience where you can eat, drink BOTH: and be Mary.
ASHLEY: And get big, juicy burgers with lots of fresh toppings.
We do like to give all of our items their own little clever name.
It's not a barbecue burger, it's the Barbra-Q Burger.
All pun intended.
(light music) We were born in a small town just outside of Atlanta, Georgia called Austell, so we had a typical Southern upbringing.
I don't think I wore shoes at all in the summer.
We grew up with our single mom.
You know, we weren't out in high school, but there were two guys who called us fag twins every time they saw us.
Like, every time.
You know, growing up, we definitely get the sense that being gay was wrong.
I mean, these days, everybody wants a gay friend, but back then it was kind of like we needed to keep that to ourselves.
We didn't actually come out till we were in college.
BRANDON: After college, I was an engineer for ten years.
I didn't really like being behind a desk.
ASHLEY: And we had always wanted to do something together.
I was managing a bar at the time.
And I spent lots of time at a bar.
So that kind of got us thinking about the hospitality industry.
It was actually a friend of Brandon's that had the idea to open a Hamburger Mary's franchise.
It just seemed like something that was totally up our alley.
BRANDON: Hamburger Mary's started in 1972 in San Francisco.
It was, like, a gay bar that was welcoming to everyone.
At the time, the latest things to come out were Atari's Pong, Liza Minnelli in Cabaret, and Hamburger Mary's.
Hamburger Mary's was cutting edge.
You know, it was like, this is the place that, "Hey, we're gay, and we don't care, and you should come here, and oh, you're straight?" BOTH: "We don't care.
" ASHLEY: From that one, others started popping up, and then they were all over California and Hawaii.
BRANDON: By 2005, there were 12 locations across the country.
ASHLEY: We opened our Hamburger Mary's in 2006 as a franchise.
We had opened up thinking we were going to be number 13, and by the time we actually opened BRANDON: There were only four left.
Shortly after we opened a Hamburger Mary's in Chicago, a lot of the other franchises were opting out of their agreements.
They thought, "Hey, I don't need to pay these royalties anymore.
"I don't need to be a Hamburger Mary's anymore.
I'm gonna change my name," that later then failed.
And then shortly after that, the then-owner of the franchise system put the name up for sale.
We still believed in the brand.
We knew that there was something about Mary that was gonna rise above.
And we bought the name in 2007.
BRANDON: Since we took over the brand, we've been able to grow from just four locations to there will be 15 by the end of the year, with 4 more on the way.
We have over 550 employees and have revenue of over $20 million.
We definitely see Hamburger Mary's in every major city in the U.
S.
and beyond, even.
Yeah.
We're about to blow up.
So let's get this ball started! What makes Mary's different than your average gourmet burger joint is that entertainment quality.
Drag is pretty important to Hamburger Mary's.
It's part of the culture of the LGBT community.
ASHLEY: The term drag actually started in Shakespeare's day.
If you were a man playing a woman's part, you were "dressed as girl" or DRAG.
Today, of course, drag is a little bit more flamboyant.
So we do have our own drag personas.
- I'm Apple Brown Betty.
- BRANDON: And I'm Cherry Pie.
What goes great with apple brown betties? Cherry pie.
Cherry pie's a tart though.
Yeah, some say.
WOMAN: So we actually why don't we start with you, and Brandon, you can go shave.
This is what we're gonna shave out.
- Got it.
- Yeah, it'll grow back in three weeks.
Famous last words.
(razor buzzes) Bye-bye, beard.
Oh, my God.
ASHLEY: That original Mary's in San Francisco, it was a really neat, special place.
Everybody was welcome and it was fun, and so I feel like now is a good time for us to go under cover to make sure that the culture still exists throughout all of our locations.
- Hi.
- BRANDON: Hi.
Look at me.
I look like my brother now.
Yeah, you do.
Ashley and I will have the same disguise, the same name, the same cover story.
We'll be disguised as Byron, a preppy guy from Atlanta trying to win money to start a dream business.
Oh, my God.
Mary's is no longer a gay restaurant, isn't in a back alley.
It is mainstream.
This is not a good look for me.
Now is the time for us to go undercover so we can take Mary to the next level and realize the dream of putting her in every major city.
(upbeat music) BRANDON: My brother and I are in Jacksonville, Florida today following a server.
I think that I should probably do this job.
But just know that I'll be watching.
The servers are the face of Hamburger Mary's.
- Wish me luck.
- Good luck.
(background chatter) BRANDON: We have policies and procedures in place to make sure that all of our servers are taking the best care of our customers.
My brother and I have spent a lot of effort and energy over the last eight years re-building this brand, and we just want to make sure that those policies and procedures are followed at each of our locations all across the country.
WOMAN: Hi.
- I'm Byron.
- I'm Tristen.
- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you.
I'm a server here at Hamburger Mary's.
I'm going to be teaching you how to serve.
We have children coming in here.
We have adults coming in here.
We have you name it coming in this place.
Okay? Your job is to keep them happy.
Keep their drinks filled.
You got to have fun.
She is making a really good first impression on me.
- All right? - I can do fun.
- You can do fun? - I can do fun.
- I don't know if I can do serving though.
- All right, we'll see.
If you're going to be a server, you're going to look like one, baby.
Let's go.
I see bow ties and I immediately think Dr.
Who or Pee-wee Herman.
Whoo! You get a T-shirt, an apron, a book, and some pens.
- I'll change.
- All right.
He's a little prissy, but he seems nice enough, so I'm going to give him a chance.
I'm back.
You look great.
It really fits you.
She said you were prissy.
(laughs) This'll drop mustards where they need to be.
Even though there's paper towels right here, they're gonna ask for it still because they're dumb.
Customers are not always right, especially here at Hamburger Mary's.
(gasps) - Uh-oh.
- You grab these cups right here.
You need to grab some forks and you need to grab some straws.
- Put them in there.
- How many? A handful of them.
You might be right and you might be wrong.
And I guess if they need more they can ask for more, right? Sometimes they don't.
Like, I had a customer last night.
He said, "I waited for silverware the entire night and did not get it, and now my fish and chips are cold.
" First of all, you don't need a damn fork to eat fish and chips.
The [.]
is wrong with you? Tristen has a mouth like a sailor.
You got a angry customer waving their hand around at you in the middle of a show.
You ain't got time to do that [.]
.
Every other word out is "beep!" I ended up having to take the fish and chips off.
That really pisses me off.
That lowers my ticket price.
If my check is lower, my grat's lower, and that angers me.
Tristen's not putting the customers first.
I'm a little concerned that she's putting herself first.
Listen up, Byron.
I'm a single mom.
I have two kids at home, okay? I can't lose money.
I try to raise my ticket price as high as possible.
If anybody asks you, if you suggest anything, like drink-wise, always suggest our most expensive mixed drinks, the Bossy Bottom and the Total Top.
You're always trying to make your check higher.
That's money, money, money.
That's what we're doing.
Money, money, money.
Eesh.
They ask for water, I'm gonna ask them if they want bottled water, 'cause I don't really like giving you tap water.
BRANDON: I like that she really was eager to upsell, but customers come first.
Money, money, money, money.
We'll see how it is interacting with customers, though.
(dance music) TRISTEN: All right.
Looks like we got a table.
- Let's go.
- How y'all doing? We're excellent.
Do you know what you want to drink? I'm gonna get a water for now.
- A water? - I'll know by the time Just regular tap water or you want Perrier or - Tap's fine.
- Tap's fine? TRISTEN: Upsell.
Upsell, upsell, upsell, upsell, and I've said that to him a hundred times tonight.
You started out with tap water.
That's that's your mistake.
Okay, so should start out with the other one.
You it's the power of suggestion, really.
It's not saying we don't have tap water.
They just assume, and that works out for us.
Don't do it again.
ASHLEY: Oh, my God.
Customer first.
She kind of is a little terrifying.
You know, we explain these policies to people, and I think we just sort of assume that they get it.
Oh, we need another water.
Somebody else wanted a water.
That's another $3 off of my check.
We are trying to raise our checks.
Dollar here, dollar there it adds up, and it's bothering me that he's not getting everything that I told him to.
Can you grab those waters, please? Those those waters that are costing you $3? $6, because there's two of them here.
Two of them.
I'm gonna do a shot of whiskey.
Actually, two shots of whiskey.
You are partying tonight if you're doing that! (low chatter) And did you get a drink? (woman, indistinct) That is a drink.
He is taking so long at that one table.
Oh, she looks pissed.
All right, let me see if I wrote this down right, 'cause I was a waiter in high school.
Okay.
He's gonna kill my tips.
Uh, you had the sliders with fries and a s was that a sweet tea or a non-sweet tea? Sweet tea.
Brandon, stop talking to the table.
Put the order in.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Mozzarella stick.
Traditional, marinara.
Okay.
(women applaud, cheer) Oh, my gosh.
She's so mad.
(hums) How you doing over here, Byron? Okay, the sweet tea had a Proud Mary.
Open bar.
Move a little faster.
Both hands, Bryon.
They wanted it well done.
Oh, there's a line behind him forming for that (laughs) - I still got another one.
- Dang! - Yeah, we got another one.
- Jump in.
- Jump in.
- Thank you.
Do not ever let anybody in front of you.
That's my money.
I don't give a [.]
about his money.
Ugh.
You all set? Don't mess it up, 'cause if you mess it up, you messing with my money.
This is really not how you train somebody.
How do I go back again? Oh, my God, and she left him.
(dramatic music) TRISTEN: Little bit quicker there, Bryon.
How do I go back again? Oh, my God, and she left him.
(sighs) [.]
You know, she could actually do something to solve this situation if she helped him.
Done.
Done, I think.
TRISTEN: Byron.
That section right there is a $300 to $400 section.
If I miss out on any money tonight, it's your fault.
(laughs) TRISTEN: It's not a threat.
That's a promise.
- It's gonna be a issue.
- Sweet tea is here.
This is kind of painful to watch.
Don't drop your drinks, 'cause if you mess it up, you're messing with my money.
You should tell her a team player helps each other out, and she's not doing that.
And you're new.
Do you know what you want to drink? I'll just have water for now.
Do you want sparkling water? You want bottled water? Just tap water? Okay.
She is literally holding it in.
I think she's about to try to punch him.
You got empty glasses on that table.
Did you ask her if she wanted another wine? Uh, well, when I bring out that woman's water.
Oh, her tap water, Byron? I offered her bottled water first.
Get the water, Byron.
I got to get out of here.
I have got to get out of here.
Yeah, good idea, Brandon.
Where are you going? Bryon.
Byron.
Byron.
Thank you, Byron.
Have you all had a chance to look at the menu? I'm sure you have.
You've been here - a long-ass time.
- (laughs) - Wow.
- Oh, my God.
You need a hug.
Oh, my God.
That was, like, a monster waitress there.
- Yeah.
- That was crazy.
And you should have seen her.
She's like, standing behind you, like - Fuming.
- That's a problem.
Yeah, but the question is, what do we do about it? I just don't know, but there there's no way that she can continue to behave in that manner, that's for sure.
(dramatic music) (upbeat music) After working with Tristen yesterday, I'm exhausted, so I will be in the RV while my brother Ashley is undercover in drag.
We do over 2,500 drag shows a year.
A lot of our diners are there to see a drag show while they're having dinner, so it's really, really important that we have the best quality show.
Today I have chosen to be Clara Voyance because I'm seeing what's going on, and they don't know who I am.
Hi.
But I'm sort of kind of clairvoyant, if that makes sense.
I'm actually going to be doing a drag performance which I don't do that often.
The quality of our drag performances is as important as the quality of our food, and you know, if the people do come and they have a great burger but the show kind of stunk, then they're going to leave with not a very good experience.
- Hi.
- Are you my coach today? WOMAN: How are you? ASHLEY: I'm good.
Oh, yay.
Nice to meet you.
I'm Jayla.
- I'm gonna be your coach today.
- Hi.
And that's why it's really important to make sure that they're doing the best show that they can.
What's your drag name? - Clara today.
- Clara.
Clara Voyance.
Ooh, so that means you got some things going on in your head.
- Oh yeah, watch out.
- I like it.
So what's going on today is we're going to do a routine together.
- Like choreography and stuff? - Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Oh, my God.
No, no, shake it off.
Shake it off.
First impression with Clara, her makeup is very campy.
She's wearing her personality, and I like that from her.
Here we go.
We're gonna go right over left, and we're gonna go one, step out, two together, three down.
Okay.
Can we do it again? Yeah.
So we're gonna go cross.
- One.
- Step out.
Hands like this together.
Ashley has never been a dancer.
Oh, ah, ah.
Yeah, so be sexy.
Really sassy.
- Bam bam.
- Oh, there we go.
Like this.
Okay.
Ha! That's not sassy sassy.
That's flip flop flop.
He is very un-ladylike.
JAYLA: Oh, wait a minute.
She was stepping on all kinds of things.
I think she was gonna trip over her own feet and just fall to her death.
Cross, cross, bam.
Now sassy.
One, two, three.
One, two, three.
There you go.
So, and then we're going to make our way down the stairs.
I use the whole restaurant as my prop.
When you personalize yourself with your performance, they start to get a better feel, and you break that barrier between drag queen and entertainer, so you want to get to every table.
Even if they're not tipping you, still get to their table and still give them a show.
So, we're walking, we're having a good time.
I like that attitude.
Very non-Tristen.
(laughs) It's not all money, money, money.
Once we get here, my main thing to do is this here.
(striptease music) That's just me.
You don't have to do - You don't have to do the leg lifting.
- I can do this.
Yeah, you want to get all in their faces and stuff.
There you go.
Oh! She loses it.
Does that ever happen? (cackles, mutters) They came to see a man in a dress.
Here I am.
Girl, really? If she wants this business, she might want to tighten it up.
Literally.
So, now that we got the choreography down and we're feeling okay with it, I want to show you where we get ready, so grab your heels.
Let's go.
Before coming on this job, I kind of took for granted the job of the drag queen.
I haven't really thought about how hard it is to learn all of those things, the steps, the choreography, the presentation, but you have to make it look effortless because you're putting on a show for the guests.
Whoo, it's cold out there.
- All right.
- So this is our trailer.
It's really small.
It's like, really cramped.
There's like seven of us that get ready on the weekends.
- Seven at one time? - Yeah.
- Oh, wow, that's a lot.
- Everybody's going balls to the wall.
- Everybody's all over the place.
- Literally.
So we're going to find you a costume.
You want to have something fierce.
You want to have something that makes you you.
- Right? - Got it.
So let's find you something here.
You get ready for the show.
Can't wait to watch Ashley make a fool of himself on stage.
Welcome friends, freaks, fairies, drag fans, and hamburger lovers.
- Left, right.
- I bring to the stage Jayla and her contestant - Ooh.
- Oh, this is it! Clara Voyance.
(upbeat music) (applause) Jayla looks great.
And then there's Clara.
Ooh la la la Ooh la la Ooh la la la Let's get the music up ASHLEY: Come on! Let's get the music up Feel feel the bling bling Feel flesh, feel fresh Look at her.
She is just working.
(cheers and applause) - Thank you.
- You're welcome.
(cheering continues) - Whoo! - Did you all love that? ASHLEY: Oh! That was amazing.
- Oh, my God.
That was so much fun.
- Yes.
Oh.
When I leave off the stage, I just feel like I've parted the Red Sea.
Like, I just feel so good about it.
How often do you perform here? This is my only job for right now, and it gets tough because it's like, the money isn't how it used to be anymore.
Sometimes you're walking out with $100.
Sometimes you're walking out with $12.
But I don't care about the money.
I care about touching a heart or two, and like I say, I have story to tell, and I have, like, I've been through so much, because I don't know if I shared this with you earlier or not, but I was born Kenny.
I'm actually going through a legal name change right now.
ASHLEY: Wow.
JAYLA: It's really expensive.
- That's like, $500 in itself.
- Really? - Oh, my God.
- Yeah.
But it's really important to get my name changed and get my sex changed and all that kind of stuff, because it's just like, at the end of the day, you got to be strong.
I'm not a fetish.
I'm not an experiment.
I'm not sick in the head.
I'm not any of that.
It's just, no longer am I gonna hide who I am, so right now I'm happy.
I'm just living life.
You know, I grew up gay.
It was also just sort of, like, not accepted - and I felt like, you know - Right.
My family doesn't accept me, so do you have a relationship with your parents now? Let's see I'm trying not to cry.
I'm sorry.
The last time I talked to them was maybe two years ago, and they're they pretty much, like, completely shunned me.
They took me off their insurance.
They took me off of everything, so I had no ties with them.
But I don't hate my parents.
I love my parents.
I love everybody in my family, because if you hold onto a grudge or something angry, you're going to be angry for the rest of your life.
I've never regretted anything that I've done, and everything that I've done it made me a stronger person.
Here I am today, like, smiling and happy to tell my story.
That's awesome.
- (laughs) - Thanks.
Now let's take this makeup off.
I feel like Jayla is the kind of performer that we want to have more of.
She's just such an inspiring person.
If we could clone her and have her at every Mary's, it would be fantastic 'cause I feel like she could really teach everyone what Hamburger Mary's stands for.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up Show me what you got.
ANNOUNCER: One boss finds himself underwater.
So, like, one.
No, no, no, no.
No! No! ANNOUNCER: And later, Tristen's fate will be decided.
Seeing what we've seen, you wouldn't be working for us.
(sobs) (upbeat music) ASHLEY: Today, we are in Long Beach, California, to work with a bar manager.
Welcome to Hamburger Mary's! - So Brandon - Wish me luck.
Good luck.
I think I'm gonna need it for this one.
Here in Long Beach, they have a high percentage of their sales coming from the bar, and that's because they pretty much turn into Club Mary's at night.
- Hey, how you doing? - Good, I'm looking for Melissa.
Melissa is right here.
And if that's a concept or an idea that we're going to take to other locations, we really need to see what they're doing here to make sure they have it right so we can emulate that at future locations.
You won't have to go far.
- Hi, are you Melissa? - Hey.
I am.
- How's it going? - I'm Bryon, how are you? I'm good, how are you doing? - Wonderful.
- Good.
So I'm the bar manager, and basically I bartend, make sure everything's running good hospitality-wise, all the customers are happy.
So you want to jump in and try to learn that? - Sure.
- Let's do it.
I mean, I know how to - drink a cocktail.
- That's right.
I don't know if I know how to make one.
I'm gonna show you how to make a Sex on the Beach and a margarita.
So sweet and sour, cranberry, a little bit of OJ.
With the margarita, we're going to do some triple sec, some tequila, some lime juice, some sweet and sour.
You're moving very, very fast.
- You got to be fast.
- (laughs) All right, that's what it's going to look like, but I want you to jump in here and show me what you got, all right? Let's see the Sex on the Beach first.
So you have your vodka and then you're going to have your peach schnapps.
- What am I counting to? - Uh, to two.
So like, one two? No, no, no.
Nope.
That's it.
Perfect.
Byron, uh, I said two seconds, man.
Two seconds went into five, and now the glass is literally half-full of liquor.
This is going to be your sweet and sour, so go ahead and push the sweet and sour button.
So you seem to know what you're doing.
- How long have you been here? - MELISSA: I've been here for eight years.
Awesome.
And then you're going to fill it with orange juice.
Perfect, looks great.
So we're going to make some shots.
We have a shot boy we have to take care of.
As bar manager, do you also do the schedule and everything, too, for Um, not anymore, actually.
I used to do the schedule.
I stepped down recently this year because there was just kind of a lot on my plate.
Were you still bartending while you were doing that? - That too, yeah.
- Oh, wow.
Kind of sucked, you know? So I kind of just wanted to make time for all the things that I wanted to do.
So far I like her energy.
You know, having that confidence and comfort in a bartender is key.
So it's probably going to get slammed, so in the event that it does, I'll just start yelling out some stuff whenever they come up - and order it, okay? - Okay.
Sounds good I'm going to get this guy right here.
(dance music) A large Coke? Okay.
You guys okay over here? Sex on the Beach, perfect.
Thank you.
Melissa she was amazing when I was with her.
Vodka cranberry.
- That's good.
- I mean, she seems to have complete control of that bar.
MELISSA: And then you're going to put a lime in it and then a straw.
That was good, man.
Good job.
All right, so we're going to go take a little time out.
Oh, wow.
That was busy, busy.
MELISSA: Let's get you a little breather.
(guitar chords) How you doing? I'm tired.
That was pretty crazy, right? It just keeps getting fuller and fuller? It really does.
And I thought you picked up I thought you picked it up really, really well.
What advice would you give to to someone that's opening a business or thinking of having a bar component? I think you need to really get to know your staff.
You know, I've been with Mary's for eight years, and I feel like definitely, uh, underappreciated by the ownership.
Really? Remember, I was telling you about the position.
- Operations Manager? - I wasn't getting compensated for it, and I kept getting more duties and a higher workload.
You know, I had one raise in seven years.
I gave it a lo seven years is a very long time to be very patient, and uh, once it kind of hit that mark, I was like, "I got to take care of myself.
" Obviously this isn't going in the direction or the path that I wanted it to go to.
I stay for the love of what this represents, you know? For what it represents for the community, like, all the, you know, gay, lesbian, transgender anybody, you know, I'm just, I keep giving my time and I keep giving my effort in hopes that maybe it'll be recognized someday.
Well, I can only hope to have employees like you.
Aw, thank you.
- Thank you.
- I appreciate it.
- Give me a hug.
- I get a hug, right? Absolutely.
(upbeat music) ASHLEY: Today I'm in rainy Kansas City and I'm about to go inside to meet one of our servers.
Dinner service at Hamburger Mary's can be very hectic and fast-paced.
Servers have to juggle a lot of tasks at once, so a server really has to stay on top of all of the needs of the customer.
All right, I'm off.
Good luck.
ASHLEY: Brandon worked with Tristen in Jacksonville and it was very disappointing.
It's not at all what I want to see in a server.
I'm here to see Kenny.
So I'm hoping that today in Kansas City I have a much better experience.
- Who's Kenny? - Hi, I'm Kenny.
Are you Kenny? Hi, I'm Byron.
- Nice to meet you, Byron.
- Nice to meet you.
Yeah.
Um, I'm a server here.
Three things you need to know.
You need to make sure that the guest is having fun.
Two, you need to stay on your toes.
Always be ready for anything.
And three, make sure that the food is good when it comes out to the table and everything, okay? - I'm gonna do my best.
- All right.
I hope so, because we're going to get into this, okay? But first, right now, I need you to change.
I have a shirt for you.
- All right.
- All right? Byron's he is pretty clean cut.
I feel like he needs to maybe loosen up his bowtie and like, maybe unbutton a couple of buttons up on top.
Oh, you're all ready.
Awesome, you look great.
When you first go up, you say, "Hi, my name" You say your name.
See if they want an appetizer first.
I like to, uh, suggest the mac and cheese bites.
They're so good.
Let's go try it, okay? If you feel like you need my help, don't hesitate to ask, okay? Welcome to Hamburger Mary's.
How are y'all tonight? - Doing well.
- Awesome.
Well, my name is Bryon.
It's his first day.
I know what I'm doing.
You want to get started with a drink? I think I'll just do your Boulevard Wheat.
Boulevard Wheat? Nice local beer.
All right.
That shouldn't be a problem.
All right.
I'll be back with your drinks.
BRANDON: Situation like this, where they have a time commitment to go to, we want to make sure that they get in, get their food, and out in time.
I'm Byron.
I'm in training.
- You need a drink.
- Vodka soda.
Vodka soda.
Vodka soda.
Vodka soda double.
Enjoy, guys.
BRANDON: I think there's still drinks from a previous order waiting at the bar.
There's one razzle.
I'll be back with the dazzle.
Did you guys get your drinks that you ordered? Byron, you should be a little bit more attentive to each table.
Um, you just have to be aware of what you're doing.
- Want me to help you carry them? - Oh, my goodness.
- It's so, like, fast-paced.
- Yep.
BRANDON: I don't know what's more entertaining, seeing him in a wig dancing on stage, or seeing him be a mediocre server.
(laughs) ASHLEY: All right, so we're good.
I was getting in a zone I think.
KENNY: Yeah? Okay, so what we're going to do, we're going to wipe these tables off and these chairs and we're going to stack them over here against this wall right here, okay? - Sure.
- I have a question for you.
You wouldn't happen to like guys, would you? - I, you know, I do.
- Yay! Okay.
- Yay! But I'm taken.
- Yeah, that's awesome.
How about you? I'm actually single.
I actually moved from Texas to where I'm at now, and it was a really tough time for me.
I got kicked out of my parents' house.
My stepmom found out I was gay.
After that happened, getting kicked out, I just I just closed that door in my life and moved on, so we don't really talk anymore.
I moved here with one bag of clothes and 40 bucks, and I walked into Hamburger Mary's.
I had a really good friend that worked there, and I got a job the day after I got there, so, and ever since I started working there I've just I can't get enough of it.
I love it so much, so What do you want in life? I want a family.
Like, I want to be able to start a family.
Like, I want to get married.
I want to be able to have kids, and I want to have a car.
I don't have a car yet.
Honestly, everything that I want in a job, I get in a job.
I can be myself, I don't have to worry about being judged by people.
It's a safe place.
It's a safe haven for me, and it's home.
That's my home, and that's my family, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm just really thankful that he came (voice breaks) that he came to Mary's because I'm proud that all the things that we think and we say that Hamburger Mary's stands for is true.
You know? And you see it and this guy who has a new family and that's us.
Well, that's what I love about Mary's.
- Everybody's welcome.
- Yeah.
(warm music) Uh, this was this was an interesting week.
I mean, it definitely had some highs and lows.
A lot's changed since we took over Hamburger Mary's.
Being gay is you know, I would like to think a lot more accepted than it used to be.
But there's still people being turned out of their homes because they're different.
So the idea of what Hamburger Mary's represents is just as relevant today as it's always been.
Also, I realize that we have more work to do.
- I mean, - Absolutely.
we're not just a company with mottos.
Well, here's to Mary's.
Here's to Mary's.
ANNOUNCER: Coming up, the employees react when the bosses reveal their true identity.
Do either of us look familiar? Wait, I'm confused.
Have we met before? ANNOUNCER: And, Tristen's fate will be decided.
Can we just fire me and let me go? (intense music) Ow.
That's not very fun.
This experience has been an incredible journey.
This past week has felt like a crash course in what it's really like to work here.
(light music) - Hi.
- How are you? Good.
You know that we saw you earlier.
Earlier today? No, earlier this week.
Really? Do either of us look familiar? Wait, I'm confused.
Have we met before? We have.
- Are you Byron? - Yes.
Oh, my God.
(laughter) I'm Ashley.
That's my brother Brandon.
And we are the co-owners of Hamburger Mary's International.
Really? I'm a little confused right now.
You're actually on a show called Undercover Boss.
Are you serious? Yes.
Tristen, what are you feeling right now? I'm absolutely terrified.
Do you have a reason to be terrified? I think I'm really sassy and I don't know if I'm in trouble or not.
Well, there's sassy and then there's, you know, rude.
There's a line, and you just continued to cross it almost every time.
You're always trying to make your check higher.
Money, money, money.
That's what we're doing.
They ask for water, I'm gonna ask them if they want bottled water 'cause I don't really like giving you tap water.
I mean, upsell, upsell, upsell.
That's your life as a server.
It's one thing to suggestively upsell.
It's another thing to force it down the customer's throat.
Seeing what we've seen, you wouldn't be working for us, but, you know, it's not our decision.
You don't work for us.
We need to, uh, include the franchise owners in on this discussion.
- Hey, Brittany.
- Hey.
- Hey, Gary.
- Hey, how are you? - Good.
- Hey, Tristen.
Hey.
So you've heard what's been going on.
Yeah.
This is really hard because they come to me about this today.
I was, like, flabbergasted.
I mean, you you really told them not to fill a free water up? TRISTEN: No, I did not.
That would have never have come out of my mouth if there were not cameras on me.
Here's the thing that that makes me not want to believe that.
This wasn't a staged situation.
You had actual tables.
You had real people sitting there.
It sounds to me like you're trying to have an excuse right now and blame the TV show for being yourself.
I know that I do upsell the waters, but I'm not rude to my customers.
But yet you've been on probation a couple of times.
I mean, take some responsibility for your behavior.
No, I do.
I completely take responsibility.
Because you haven't taken any responsibility for your behavior and for your actions the whole time you were there with Byron.
(dramatic music) Can we just fire me and let me go? That decision is up to Gary.
Like, can we fix this? TRISTEN: Yeah, we can, Gary.
That was not me.
You know it, Gary.
(sobs) - You have to do what you - Mary's is my family.
BRANDON: We're here to support you, Gary, in whatever you decide.
The only thing I can offer you right now is for you to be re-trained as a host and a food runner.
Either that or we've got to part ways.
- Is that the decision? - BRITTANY: Is that your decision? That's my decision.
I can't put you on the floor right now.
You can go if you want.
I'm sure you want to go.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm relieved that I'm not completely gone off the Mary's team.
I mean, I'm just going to jump right in and be the best whatever position they put me in, so I'm going to be back on my server position soon, and, um, I'll be fine.
Jayla, when I first met you, when I first walked in, you made me feel so at ease.
It was tough.
Be sexy.
Oh, wait a minute.
(laughs) Oh! She loses it.
Does that ever happen? You, as a coach, were like, you know what? If you mess up, it's okay.
You know, you were very encouraging.
And that's when I say that, it's just not only for performing.
It's with life.
When you mess up, just carry on.
You did bring up some points, specifically with some of the conditions in the trailer.
Yeah.
And so because of you, we're going to make sure that the trailer gets fixed up.
Yay.
We were also very impressed with your actual performance.
- Thank you.
- As well.
We'd love to fly you out to Los Angeles again and perform on stage at our premier drag shows in West Hollywood and Long Beach.
You'll be performing alongside - some, you know, big-name people.
- Oh, my God.
That's amazing.
Like, this is everything I worked for, like I'm sorry.
You know, you also, uh, touched us when we were talking a little bit about, you know, getting your name changed legally, medical costs, you know, associated with your transition.
We know it's tough and we want to give you $10,000 just to help with everything.
What I want to do with all that money? (warm music) Like, y'all don't understand, like Y'all are, like, my angels from Hamburger Mary's.
I'm forever grateful for this.
With my life, I have to believe in positivity, and positivity comes right back in the universe, tenfold.
- Thank you so much.
- Thank you.
Jayla is here, and she's not going anywhere.
Melissa, I was impressed by your command of that bar, and it was really really great to see that.
A large Jameson and Coke? - Got it.
- Good.
You guys okay over here? Thank you.
I know that there's been some history.
We want you to know that we appreciate you.
Thank you.
And uh, we want to give you a trip.
Anywhere you want to go.
- Thank you.
- All expenses paid.
- Wow.
- You plus one.
Plus one.
Thank you.
That's not all, though.
I mean, we do appreciate all of the hard work that you have put in so we'd like to give you $2,000.
- Thank you.
- Just as a thank you for being you and the hard and the work that you've done.
Thank you.
Um, sorry, I'm just getting emotional.
Thank you very much.
Have some fun with it.
- Can we hug? - Yes, absolutely.
- Thanks, you guys.
- Thank you.
MELISSA: Dude, I'm blown away.
Like, completely blown away.
It's nice to, like, be appreciated and like, have somebody, like, not even really work with you that long and just say, like, I got you, so it means a lot to me.
Yeah.
Two simple words.
People should use them more.
Kenny, working with you was a real delight for me.
I really loved your energy.
It's really impressive that you bought a one-way ticket.
Mm-hmm.
You had 40 bucks and a bag of clothes and that's it.
I got kicked out of my parents' house.
My stepmom found out I was gay.
I got a job at this Hamburger Mary's.
I can be myself and that's my family, and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
The fact that after all of that, you, you know, wound up with Mary's (laughs softly) That's my home now, and I love it, and that means a lot to me actually That means a lot to me.
I just love it.
Like, I really genuinely do.
And I honestly could do it for the rest of my life if I have to.
You haven't been at Mary's for a long time.
No.
But we've decided to give you $5,000 just for you.
Are you serious? Yeah.
Oh, my God.
Sorry.
You embody everything that we are looking for in a server, and it's touching that you would drive 45 minutes or take a bus just to work at Hamburger Mary's and we don't want you to ever have to worry about how you're going to get to work again.
So we want to buy you a car.
Are you serious? Oh, my God.
Are you serious? Am I allowed to hug you right now? I want to hug you so much.
Oh, my God.
Oh, my God.
I'm gonna fall over.
I got this fortune cookie today.
I'm gonna read it to you.
It says, "Good news is coming your way.
It'll be here any day.
" I feel like I don't deserve any of this.
Thank you guys so much.
I want to hug you again.
Of course.
KENNY: Everybody kept telling me that everything happens for a reason, and if you keep going, if you keep trying, everything will work out, and this is so great.
(sniffles)