Getting even a halfway decent burger at a sports stadium can be hard enough. The idea of being able to buy the best burger in the city at an NFL game seems sort of preposterous.
But that will be an option at Houston Texans game this season.
For Bernie's Burger Bus is moving inside Reliant Stadium for all Texans home games. The beloved Houston food truck is getting its own booth on Reliant's 100 level, fulfilling something of a dream for its Texans-loving owner Justin Turner.
"To be inside the stadium is pretty awesome," Turner tells CultureMap.
Turner says Bernie's sells an average of 150 to 200 burgers in the Reliant Stadium parking lot. He expects to sell 800 to 1,200 inside the stadium every game.
Bernie's Burger Bus parked in the Blue Lot and served burgers and fries to Texans tailgaters in the past under a deal with the team (something that will continue this season even with the additional in-stadium booth). But being inside Reliant takes things to a whole different level.
Turner says Bernie's sells an average of 150 to 200 burgers in the Reliant Stadium parking lot. He expects to sell 800 to 1,200 inside the stadium every game.
Moving a popular food truck like Bernie's inside Reliant is part of the Texans drive to offer the best in-stadium experience in the NFL. Texans president Jamey Rootes is leading the charge and he seems as committed to good grub as the most dedicated foodie. Renowned Underbelly chef Chris Shepherd provides some of the food offerings on the Club Level.
The good news about Bernie's Burger Bus is that it will be on the first level, where you don't need a special ticket to access it. Which is how it should be.
When you convert old yellow school buses into burger buses, you're not exactly going for a snobby crowd. Turner's a chef of the people. He got his start working at a Wendy's. That typical age 16 job turned into an 18-year-plus passion.
"I've gone from flipping burgers . . . to flipping burgers," Turner deadpans.
And now he's in the $400-plus-million gleaming home of his city's NFL team, flipping arguably the best burgers in town.
The 34-year-old Turner first gained some notice as former Houston Rocket Shane Battier's personal chef. That gig has helped him land jobs cooking for Texans quarterback Matt Schaub and linebacker Brian Cushing at various functions. But his new NFL stadium experience figures to dramatically increase Bernie's already great word of mouth buzz.
The league's made improving stadium experiences a major priority in the face of the HD, giant screen, Red Zone Channel home viewing options out there and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell lauded the Texans' setup as the "best experience" he had at an NFL game in his last public visit to Houston.
Get Goodell a burger from Bernie's and he'll probably be forever sold.
Bernie's Burger Bus is moving inside Reliant Stadium for Houton Texans home games. Or at least its burgers are.
