By Stephen J. Gaither
Could rap legend Bun B be bringing his “Trill Burgers” Franchise to an HBCU near you?
One half of the legendary rap duo “UGK” was recently asked about his partnership with the University of Houston. He talked about that partnership as well as potential issues with a similar project at an HBCU.
“This is a very storied university. It’s a larger university,” he told HBCU Legends on SI. “They have a great booster system. A lot of HBCUs don’t have that kind of funding available, but it’s something that we would love to afford to any historically black college university in this country, not just those in close proximity. As we grow this brand, we are looking for newer ways to expand this company and connect with the community. And we are known as a cultural brand. So we have no problem bringing our culture into spaces where we don’t have to compromise it. And an HBCU, you would be the perfect platform for that.”
Co-founded by Houston rap legend Bun B (Bernard Freeman), restaurateur Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield, Trill Burgers was established in Houston in the summer of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Starting with pop-ups at local culinary events, it quickly gained notoriety for our mouthwatering smashburgers made with two all-beef smashed patties, caramelized onions, pickles and our patented Trill Sauce on a potato roll bun. Trill Burgers earned the title of best burger in America from “Good Morning America” in 2022 and has been a certified hit at music festivals across the United States including Coachella, Rolling Loud, Something in the Water and Rock the Bells.
Trill Burgers also won a coveted Gold Buckle Foodie Award for Best Classic Fair Food at the 2023 Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo. Led by its chef partners Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares, it served more than 41,000 burgers in 20 days at the 2023 Rodeo — a testament to the support from its hometown. It has been proud to support local charities including Chris Shepherd’s Southern Smoke Foundation and Second Servings of Houston, among others.
Houston is home to HBCU Texas Southern University.