Food trucks have long served as a proving ground for would-be restaurateurs, but over the past several years, the phenomenon of pop-up dining events have become equally celebrated for creating low-risk opportunities to test more daring and diverse foods. Across the state, you can now find everything from virtual hot pot dinners and Rhode Island-style weiners to a super collaborative Cambodian supper club attracting the best star talent. But the centerpiece of so many of these roving concepts is the burger.
One of those meaty maestros bringing intermittent joy to diners is Houston’s Joseph Boudreaux of Boo’s Burgers, who left a career in tech to pursue his passion for cooking and hospitality starting in 2009. His mission: to showcase the kaleidoscopic cultural beauty of his hometown…on a bun. For instance, an early trompo burger capped with al pastor and Chihuahua cheese or a recent longaniza burger oozing banana ketchup to celebrate Filipino American History Month.
Texas Highways: When did you first introduce your pop-up?
JB: It was November 2009 at Around the Corner Bar, which was connected to Leeland House, where I worked as a busser and then as a server. I was working there to learn the hospitality world from the ground up. I also had my coffee shop [The Tipping Point] and was delivering coffee for a larger roaster in town. Straight hustling.
TH: Why burgers?
JB: I wanted to do burgers because it’s something I love and felt nostalgic about. And I felt the burger landscape, outside of a couple OG shops, was lacking. And people weren’t really out here in the community like I wanted them to be.
TH: How have things changed since the beginning?
JB: I made 30 that first night. I usually sell 100 now at pop-ups held once a week at bars and events around town.
TH: Celebrity chef Dawn Burrell stopped by in summer 2021 and posted an Instagram video saying your burger was her favorite in town. Did that have a big impact on your business?
JB: That’s actually what started it all. We’ve always been cool, but I’m forever grateful for her doing that. That was the catalyst.
TH: Do you think the multiculturalism of Houston has played a role in the diversity of the city’s pop-up dining scene?
JB: Houston’s dope. It’s in the South, but I think it’s different than any other city. I always say I’m like a Creole kid from Houston. I love the intersection of African, Mexican, and Vietnamese with Southern hospitality. That’s what makes it a great place, and that’s what makes me who I am.
