Image of Virgin Mary appears at Ybor diner

Her sacred image has appeared on a potato chip, a burnt tortilla, a grilled cheese sandwich and, most famously here, on the side of a bank building in Clearwater.

Now the Virgin Mary's likeness has popped up on a stainless steel wall inside Hamburger Mary's, an Ybor City restaurant with customers more likely to show up for gay karaoke nights and celebrity drag-queen shows than religious revelations.

"These two ladies in one of the booths saw the image during Sunday brunch," said day manager Melanie Todd, who goes by the name Melanie Minyon (pronounced like mignon) when performing in blue wigs and over-the-top sexy gowns at the restaurant's nighttime drag shows. "One of them was in tears she was so moved, and they were both carrying on and taking pictures.

"Now, we serve all-you-can-drink Bloody Marys for Sunday brunch," Todd said, "so I think it's safe to say there are lots of visions being seen around here then. Let's just call it a tequila afternoon."

Todd said she has scrubbed that sliver of silver many times, but never noticed the image before it was spotted Sunday.

There's been plenty of genuflecting going on in the restaurant since then, but it's mainly to catch the light in a way that reveals Mary's hooded visage. It's eerily similar to the much larger image that appeared on the Clearwater building in 1996.

Although it was later defaced by a teenager with a slingshot, the building still draws worshippers. It has been purchased by the Shepherds of Christ Ministries of Indiana, which has built two grottos at the site and sells souvenirs. Busloads of tourists from Miami and Orlando still stop there, said Annette Sirois, who is in charge of the building.

Attendance picks up at Christmas and at the Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe, she said.

No such torrent of the faithful swamped Hamburger Mary's on Monday, although customers — sober ones — were delighted when they saw the Blessed Virgin.

"I didn't come here for that reason, I just happened upon the mother of Christ today," said Ali Villella.

Waitresses were having lots of fun with the idea of the Virgin Mary in Hamburger Mary's, where the restaurant's namesake is a busty blond barmaid in high-high heels.

dkoehn@tampatrib.com

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