Mary Mahoney’s celebrating 60 years of business

BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) – Opening on May 7, 1964, one of Mary Mahoney’s first guests wrote in the guest book that “the only way this place can go is up”.

Mary Mahoney’s son Bob Mahoney says the door to this place only opened because another one closed.

“Mother had a little lounge down at the Tivoli Hotel and she had that for 11 years and she acquired quite to the following. She didn’t serve food. She just served alcohol. But the ownership changed and they kicked her out.” Bob Mahoney said. “Mother thought that was the worst thing in the world that ever happened to her, kicking her out of the lounge. But ultimately that kicked her into my homeless old house. So she went from cussing that guy out to praying for him.”

Since then, Mary Mahoney’s has been putting smiles on the faces of all of their customers.

Some familiar faces include Jimmy Buffett, Usher, and Denzel Washington.

His mother even served President Ronald Reagan on the White House Front Lawn.

“Mother passed away in ‘85. That was 39 years ago,” Mahoney explained. “Like I tell everybody, Mother got this place going good and paid for and all I have to do is keep from screwing it up.”

At a place like Mary Mahoney’s, everyone is family, including the employees.

“We have employees that have been here for for over 40 years you know and what I can teach them to do is how to wait tables but what I can’t teach them how to do is smile they have to bring the smile with them,” Mahoney said.

And if there’s anything Bob Mahoney wants people to know about Mary Mahoney’s, it’s that their main goal is to make sure people leave happy.

“If you make somebody happy, they can’t remember what they ate. All they know is they left happy,” Mahoney said. “And like I say, that’s what I do. I tell a lot of jokes just to keep that smile on their face so once you get people, smiling, you know that’s the best medicine for you is to smile.”

Mahoney says when it came to his mother, she never had new customers or old customers. She had new friends and old friends, and that’s what keeps the spirits at Mary Mahoney’s high.

Mary Mahoney’s was also just voted one of the 50 most beautiful restaurants in the United States by Open Table.

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