Inspiring Conversations with Dino Bullara of Sharks Burger

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dino Bullara.

Hi Dino, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story begins like many others who started a business of their own as did I. It began with my brother, Pete, and our nephew, Chris, in a small gas station in the later part of 2017-August of 2017 to be exact. The name for Sharks Burger was inspired while watching Shark Week in 2016 and recognizing the strength, power and impact of a shark. We discussed the potential ideas of a restaurant, a pizza place and immediately ran to look for a space to rent. In our hunt we came across a gas station located in Leander, Texas where the store owner was looking for help in developing his store. We took this as an opportunity to begin our own restaurant, but tailored to make burgers. Starting in the gas station, we were able to get the ball rolling and formulate our ideas to create something that we could use as way to connect with our community. Of course, starting in a gas station has prevented some people to give us a try and allude to the assumption of “gas station food,” when in reality, it is quite the opposite. We have been able to create a restaurant attached to a gas station and give customers a reason to keep coming back! While we originally began in a gas station, we have been able to expand our business into another location and begin to grow our menu as well. We now have two locations, both being in Leander, but targeting different groups. We heavily participate in our community and are as involved as possible with the youth of Leander as well. Pete, Chris and myself believe in giving back to the community and helping out as much as we can!

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
Initially, we started off on a rough road by being in a gas station. Of course being in a gas station can be a deterrent for some customers which is a struggle we knew we would face. We quickly distinguished ourselves as a gourmet burger in a gas station and not “gas station food”. Through this, we were able to connect with our customers over the love of our food and grow our location to be a go-to place for a great burger and outstanding customer service. Unfortunately, COVID came and really set us back, as it did most small businesses. The lack of business mandated that we change all processes, procedures and implement a COVID compliant facility in weeks to create a new frontier. Other than that, I can honestly say that we have been fortunate enough to have a loyal staff who has helped us become successful and keep our customers returning.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Sharks Burger?
We are Sharks Burger and want our customers to keep “feeding the frenzy.” Sharks Burger is known for our burgers, quality and outstanding customer service. We also offer weekly specials to our customers unlike other restaurants which offer a monthly burger special, if you’re lucky. Our menu has options for double patty burgers -1/3 lbs., a kid’s menu and also our chicken, which is known as our Shark Bites. Our chicken is made from chicken tenderloins that are cut up and are becoming a more popular menu item. Overall, we are proud of the fact that we can make a nine patty burger if requested and always deliver a special product to the customers. Personally, I am proud of how involved our small business is with the surrounding schools. We are able to host weekly Spirit Nights for the schools where a portion of the proceeds are given back to the school. Similarly, we offer free kid’s meals to the “Leaders of the Week” who have been awarded within their school. It has been a joy to see the kids come in, be proud of their accomplishments and know that we get to contribute to that!

Any advice for finding a mentor or networking in general?
Mentorship has come mainly from our family. My parents provided mentorship for all six of their children at a very young age. Hard work, persistence, and execution to succeed have been heavily engrained in all of us as we grew up. My father came to the United States from Sicily, with 32 cents in his pocket and couldn’t speak English in 1956, but was always able to provide for each of us. With this being said, my parents consistently told us that having community involvement and a great work ethic would open a path to a great future. Not only have we partnered with the school districts around us, but we have grown a strong relationship with the Firefighters and Police of Leander. An exciting moment for us was having the opportunity to make the Fire Department their own burger, the Tiller, which is named after their flagship fire truck! Overall, we have been able to recognize the importance of being involved in our community and help give back in any way we can.

Contact Info:

• Email: sharksburger1@gmail.com
• Website: https://feedingthefrenzy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sharksburger/?hl=en
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sharksburger1/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe-SiDMXeImyd1ObeLiyJEw