LAS VEGAS — When Brandon Marshall was 13 and growing up in Las Vegas, he was riding in a car with his mother and the two passed a McDonald’s.

Marshall remembers an “overwhelming feeling” coming over him.

“It was just this gut feeling that, ‘You’re going to own a restaurant one day. You’re going to own a McDonald’s,’’’ Marshall said.

Marshall at the time was an aspiring football player who would go on to star at Cimarron-Memorial High School in Las Vegas and the University of Nevada before eventually joining the Denver Broncos for a solid 2013-18 stint as a linebacker. So he put those culinary thoughts aside to focus on football.

But not long after Marshall failed to make the Oakland Raiders roster in 2019 and retired, he began to think about what he wanted to do next in life.

“I thought maybe I should explore this,’’ Marshall said of getting into the restaurant business.

Marshall, 36, talked to former Broncos teammate and defensive back Kayvon Webster, who long has been in the food industry and owns two locations of Smith & Webster Restaurant Bar in South Florida. He reached out to former Broncos running back Juwan Thompson, his good friend and his teammate from 2014-16.

Thompson’s mother, Ramona Griggie, and stepfather, Willie Griggie, owned Hattie Marie’s restaurant in College Park, Ga., a suburb of Atlanta. It served Texas barbecue and Cajun food based on recipes from Thompson’s grandmother, Hattie Marie Griggie, who was a notable cook before she died in 2013 at 61 in her hometown of Port Arthur, Texas. The restaurant named for her opened a few years later.

In 2021, Marshall agreed to a franchise deal to open a Hattie Marie’s in Las Vegas. Construction began on the restaurant in 2023 in a new strip mall in the southern part of the city and the grand opening was Aug. 26, 2024.

“I wanted a place where people could come and get good food and good hospitality and watch sports and come and hear good music,’’ Marshall said. “That’s all I was trying to accomplish.”

While Marshall once had a vision of owning a McDonald’s, this is no fast-food restaurant.

The food is cooked to order. There is a good-sized dining room with a full bar and plenty of televisions on the walls.

Also on a wall is a giant photo of Marshall from his Broncos playing days and smaller photos of the former linebacker in action. There are signed jerseys on display of Thompson and other former teammates, including quarterback Peyton Manning, outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby and tight end Virgil Green.

On another wall is a replica Vince Lombardi Trophy behind glass from when the Broncos won Super Bowl 50 in the 2015 season. Above it, in neon, it is written “Winner’s Circle” and Manning’s No. 18 and Marshall’s No. 54 Broncos jerseys are on display.

“He has turned it up a notch,’’ said Thompson, who lives in College Park but has visited Marshall’s restaurant many times. “It’s a really good Vegas feel, a Vegas vibe. We started a little bit smaller (in College Park) and didn’t have a bar. It’s a different atmosphere. We call it Hattie Marie’s 2.0.”

Thompson said the original Hattie Marie’s has been temporarily closed since late last year as his mother and stepfather look for another location. He said there were two other locations franchised in the Atlanta area and one in Texas although they are currently closed.

But Marshall’s business is going strong, and he said he is making a profit.

“A lot of people came and checked it out because it was my restaurant,’’ Marshall, who is very popular in his native Las Vegas, said about when it first opened. “We had some growing pains with the food, with the consistency of the food. But it really became a hit at the end of January.”

It certainly was a hit over the weekend when Marshall said well over 50 people wearing Broncos gear showed up with Denver in town. The Broncos on Sunday defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 24-17 at Allegiant Stadium.

On Saturday night, 18 members of the “So. Cal Orange Crush” Broncos club from the Los Angeles area arrived to eat. Most were decked out in Broncos gear.

“We heard about it and we wanted to come support and pay homage and patronize one of our good leaders of all time,’’ said club president Keilyn Randle of Los Angeles.

Four tables were put together for the big group. There was a lot of eating.

“I ordered the two-meat combo with the pulled pork and the sausage and the cabbage and the potato salad,’’ club member Trey Daniels of Ontario, Calif., said of going for the dish with two meats and two sides for $24. “The pulled pork is not tough and not dry. It has a lot of flavor. The cabbage is well seasoned. The potato salad is good, not overly creamy.”

Daniels’ wife, Reya Daniels, ordered, among other things, the 10 smoked chicken wings and one small side for $20 and a crispy catfish plate and one side for $23. Among her sides were collard greens and candied yams.

“I’m being greedy,’’ said Reya Daniels, who had planned to have leftovers for lunch the next day. “I loved it. I’m really big on yams. I love the texture of these yams and the taste.”

Tyja Williams, a member of the club who lives in Las Vegas, eats regularly at Hattie Marie’s. She calls the food “amazing” and really likes the gumbo. She said it is like her “grandma’s cooking in New Orleans.”

Other items on the menu include a full slab of ribs for $42 and a half slab for $26 and a catfish sandwich and side for $17 and a pulled pork sandwich and side for $15. Other sides include macaroni and cheese and baked beans.

Among the drinks at the bar is the B-Marsh Special for $18. Created by bartenders at the restaurant and inspired by Marshall’s love for tequila, it is advertised as having “spicy watermelon-infused tequila, blueberry, agave, triple sec and lemon juice.”

“Shout out to my bartenders,’’ Marshall said. “It’s my own special drink, so a lot of people try it.”

For dessert, selections include banana pudding and banana pudding beignets for $8 apiece. They are made in the kitchen by Marshall’s mother.

“I usually make the banana pudding for the family during the holidays and things like that, and Brandon kept saying, ‘Mom, we need to put this in the restaurant,’’’ said Barbara Marshall, who retired in 2012 after working for a school board managing bus routes. “Then finally, I was like, ‘OK, let’s do it.’ So I go in there a couple of times a week (to make desserts).”

Marshall has a staff of about 35 at the restaurant. When needed, he will put on an apron in the kitchen.

“I go and make some catfish and make some salmon,’’ Marshall said. “I cut the ribs and make the gumbo. I work the (barbecue) pit. Whatever needs to be done. I’ve done it all.”

Barbara Marshall long has been regarded as a good cook and said she is “very proud” of her son’s success with Hattie Marie’s. She said her son began to dabble in the kitchen when he was young.

“He actually wanted to be a chef at one point,’’ she said. “But he was at a vocational school (the now-named Southeast Career Technical Center) and it was going to take up too much time that he wouldn’t have been able to do football, so he left the vocational school after his freshman year (for Cimarron-Memorial) to focus on football.”

That turned out to be a good decision. After starring at Nevada, Marshall was a fifth-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2012.

Marshall spent his rookie season with the Jaguars going up and down between the practice squad and the 53-man roster. On Sept. 2, 2013, he was signed to Denver’s practice squad and began to do well in workouts.

“Luke Richesson was the strength and conditioning coach and one day he came up to me and said, ‘Hey, man, you see (number) 18, he’s in there talking about you. He’s vouching for you,’’’ referring to Manning, the legendary quarterback who concluded his career with the Broncos from 2012-15. “It was validating what I already thought about myself and it changed my life. … I absolutely thank (Manning).’’

Helped by Manning’s recommendation, Marshall was promoted to the active roster Dec. 24, 2013. He ended up becoming a regular starter in 2014 and maintained that role through 2018. Marshall said his career highlight obviously was when the Broncos defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10 in Super Bowl 50, a game in which he had five tackles, including one for a loss.

Before the 2016 season, Marshall signed a four-year, $32 million contract extension with Denver. He played three seasons on it before the Broncos, with the linebacker having a bad knee, opted not to pick up his option year for 2019.

“I often reference my time in Denver as being the greatest times of my life,’’ Marshall said. “I was truly honored and blessed to be able to play for such a great organization. … The city of Denver is amazing. I love the people. I love the energy. I became a man in Denver.”

Marshall has interest in one day opening a Hattie Marie’s in Denver. But for now, he is continuing to build up the one in Las Vegas.

The restaurant is open seven days a week. Marshall is usually on site for six or seven days a week for a number of hours. He regularly greets customers and poses for photos and signs autographs.

Yes, the rival Raiders have been in town since moving from Oakland in 2020. But Marshall happily greets Raiders fans and a sign at the restaurant last weekend listed “Raider Nation Game Day Specials” on drinks.

Raiders players who have visited the restaurant include star defensive line Maxx Crosby, who last season brought the team’s entire defensive line in to eat.

On Saturday night, some Seattle fans showed in Seahawks gear. The Seahawks defeated the Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl XLVIII in the 2013 season, Marshall’s first with Denver.

“They were just patting me on the shoulder and saying, ‘Sorry about the memories,’’’ Marshall said.

In addition to Thompson, former Broncos players to have visited the restaurant include tight end Shannon Sharpe, safeties T.J. Ward and Duke Ihenacho and defensive tackle Malik Jackson. Other visitors have included former NBA star Lamar Odom, rap star Xzibit and Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown.

When Denver faces the Raiders next season, there figure again to be many Broncos fans at the restaurant. Randle already is thinking about a return visit by his club.

“We’re definitely going to come back next year,’’ he said.