Rapper Bun B has opened his first Trill burger brick-and-mortar eatery with rave reviews and a pretty huge profit margin for a new restaurant.
After launching the brand in 2021, the Houston rapper has entered the burger space with ease. In addition to winning awards and selling out at festivals, Bun B’s Trill burgers, a unique take on the smash burger style patty, are striking a chord with fans.
These fans, now customers, helped his shop sell 53,146 burgers in the first 30 days of it being open.
According to the rapper-turned-burgerprenuer’s Instagram, Trill Burgers sold an average of 1,771 burgers each day in June. The fast-food burger joint also made history, “breaking Dr Pepper records for their most used soda fountain machine in the United States.”
The UGK front man is joined by restaurateur Andy Nguyen, chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares, and publicist Nick Scurfield in this venture, according to Texas Monthly.
The team’s lead-up to the opening of the restaurant was meteoric but was intentional every step of the way.
Initially, he and his partners were extremely strategic in the burger’s launch, focusing on the tastiness of the burger and letting fans get in on the “Trill burger” experience by producing sporadic pop-ups, and subsequently evolving into a prominent kiosk in Houston’s NRG Stadium.
The next phase was the brand putting out a food truck that became ultra-popular for the on-the-go burger love.
The fervor surrounding Trill Burgers skyrocketed after being crowned the coveted title of the Ultimate Burger Spot, as acclaimed by “Good Morning America” in 2022.
As a result of the national attention, enthusiasts frequently found themselves patiently queuing for astonishing five-plus hours wherever this truck materialized next, even extending to notable events like Coachella. Notably, it was at Coachella where renowned rapper Tyler, the Creator joyfully conveyed his gusto for the delectable burger, enthusiastically sharing his culinary experience on the popular platform TikTok.
Opening the Trill burger restaurant took just as much care as the early marketing of the delectable American favorite, according to Bun B.
“This was a calculated effort to create a dining experience,” Bun said. “There is so much that was put into this burger, in terms of how long do we smash it? What is the right sauce mixture? How many slices of pickles? Should the onions be thin-sliced? The thick-sliced, caramelized ones are wrong. All of these different things went into creating this burger, from the texture of the patty being crispy to the softness of the bun.”
While the food is great, having celebrity drive-bys that turned into endorsements by notables like Drake, J. Prince, and Mike Tyson didn’t hurt.
“I don’t like to use the term OG, this is my mentor — one of my mentors — one of my favorite people in the world,” Drake gushed, before saying it was “the best burger I’ve ever had, for real, my brother. Love you.”
Bun B’s message during the Champagne Papi’s visit was that his restaurant was about community and hospitality.
This was on demonstration when the rapper chose to dedicate one full day to a recently deceased rap pioneer near and dear to the Houston community, Big Pokey.
On June 27 — a date that gave its name to Big Pokey’s smash freestyle hit — Bun B offered an exclusive Big Pokey meal.
Bun B made the announcement on his Instagram and told fans if they order a Triple OG meal(beef or vegan) and pair it with the Big Pokey Exotic Pop Peach Soda, he would donate all profits to Pokey’s family.
The team only has the 3607 S Shepherd Dr. location for six months but hopes to stay longer. With numbers like the first month, it is hard to imagine a reason to move.
