At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, June 7, the digital missive long anticipated by Houston’s most dedicated smashburger fiends arrived at last: “The day is finally here! Our soft opening is happening as we speak, and we are so excited to serve you Houston. Keep it Trill,” read the post from Trill Burgers’ Instagram account. By 10:30 a.m., five people were already standing in the summer heat, forming a neat line outside the first brick-and-mortar of rapper Bun B’s nationally celebrated burger pop-up.

They were all hoping to get their hands on one of the restaurant’s signature smashburgers, which feature beef patties, a super secret “Trill” sauce, pickles, caramelized onions, and American cheese, served on a potato roll. Named best burger in the country in 2022 by Good Morning America, Trill Burgers has captured the hearts (and stomachs) of both meat eaters and non-meat-eaters alike (yes, there’s a vegan version) through a series of pop-ups in Houston and across the nation, from the Coachella music festival to sports stadiums.

Located in Montrose at 3607 S Shepherd Dr, Trill Burgers’ new spot was the longtime home of a flagship James Coney Island location. The previously red-white-and-blue building is now painted a cheery canary yellow with black accents, and rows of windows that were once plastered with hot dog specials now sport large yellow text reading “Houston Made” and “Trill.” The 3,236-square-foot, 125-seat space will house the concept for six months while the team searches for a more permanent home in the Houston area. One thing that is likely to be permanent during the outpost’s half-year life span? The lines.

By 11 a.m., the time Trill Burgers was officially set to open its doors, a line of more than 30 people snaked around the side of the building and into the parking lot, many of them on their phones, livestreaming the experience. At the very front stood Angel Ceja, a high school geography and government teacher, who was about to run some errands when he happened upon the Instagram post and hightailed his way over—an easy feat considering he lives five minutes away. Ceja had joined the line at 10:10 a.m., but left to grab a drink from a nearby Starbucks and do some work. Bun B himself promised Ceja that he would hold his prized place in line for him, and sure enough, when he returned at 10:56 a.m., the hometown hero ushered him right to the front.

“How does it feel that Bun B saved your spot?” teased Angela Vidal, a local real estate agent who had rushed over at 10:20 a.m., just after Ceja, and had now been demoted to the second person in line.  “It’s pretty awesome,” Ceja said with a laugh. “Thank you, Bun B!”

Ceja had tried Trill Burgers three times previously, but knew he couldn’t miss the opening of the brick-and-mortar. “Trill Burgers are the best smashburgers I’ve ever had,” he said. “The taste is great, and the onions and the sauce give an extra kick to it.”

William Scurlock, a local photographer, was driving by the building when he noticed the line and decided to drop everything to join it. “Burgers are my favorite food. If it’s what they say it is, it should be the best burger around,” he said.

Local phlebotomist Nikita Lazare had just finished an overnight shift at Texas Children’s and was taking a nap when her husband woke her to announce that Trill Burgers was finally opening. “I threw some clothes on and drove right over,” she said. “I’ve been trying to get this burger since the Rodeo. We stood in line, but they were shut down by the time we finally made it to the front of the line.”

Many Houstonians have a similar story to Lazare’s. It’s been extremely difficult for people to get their hands on Trill’s incredibly popular burgers, due to limited supply and the long lines that always form at the pop-ups. With the brick-and-mortar, the Trill team is aiming for this to change.

“This is the Houston summer. We don’t want people standing in line in the sun any longer than they have to,” said Bun B, who has spent the morning greeting customers and snapping photos with fans. “This was a big problem for us during the pop-ups. Our goal is to get this process as streamlined as possible so we can get people out of the sun, get them fed, and send them home with their bellies full of Trill Burgers and fries.”

It’s been an emotional morning for Bun B, as he watched the culmination of years of hard work play out. “Three minutes ago, I had tears coming down my eyes,” he said. “This was just an idea. [My partners] brought me the burger, and I had to really consider being a part of the business because I understand all of the commitment it takes to really get a new business off the ground. We’ve gone through a lot of hardships. A lot of things have happened behind the scenes with this company. Nevertheless, we persevered, and here we are in an actual brick-and-mortar location. For a guy who gets paid to use words, I don’t have very many right now.”

By 11:30 a.m., there was a steady line both inside and outside the building. The restaurant reverberated with the sound of hip-hop, the chatter of happy diners, and the steady stream of order numbers being shouted out from behind the counter. Juxtaposing the frenetic scene, Ceja was sitting contentedly at a table by himself, a half-eaten OG burger, fries, and a drink in front of him.

“I love this burger so much. It’s definitely one of the best burgers I’ve ever had,” he mused between bites. “It was well worth the wait.”