Trill Burgers Prepares Opening at Rice University

Professor Bun B is back on campus: Trill Burgers coming to Rice University

Award-winning smashed burger concept joins Rice Memorial Center for fall and spring semesters, debuting Aug. 17 during O-Week

HOUSTON (July 30, 2026) – Trill Burgers, the award-winning smashed burger concept from legendary rapper and entrepreneur Bernard Freeman (Bun B), is coming to Rice University. Beginning Aug. 17 for new student orientation (O-Week), Trill Burgers will serve at the Rice Memorial Center throughout the fall and spring semesters, bringing its beef and vegan burgers to the Rice campus.

The move is a homecoming for Bun B, who served as a distinguished lecturer at Rice in 2011, 2013 and 2015, co-teaching Religion and Hip-Hop Culture with Anthony Pinn, the Agnes Cullen Arnold Distinguished Professor of the Humanities. The restaurant joins Houston-based Local Foods and Dandelion Cafe on the Rice campus.

“This is truly full circle for me,” Trill Burgers co-founder Bun B said. “To bring this brand to Rice University where I once taught is a major moment for Trill Burgers and for myself.”

This partnership further strengthens Bun B’s ties to Rice and creates opportunities for future educational engagement, collaboration and connection with students, said Beth Leaver, assistant vice president of housing, dining and hospitality.

“We are excited to build upon this long-standing relationship while giving the Rice community an authentic taste of Houston,” Leaver said. “Trill Burgers brings a distinctive and celebrated part of Houston’s culinary culture to the Rice campus. I am often asked about adding a great burger option, and this partnership fills an important gap in our dining portfolio.”

Trill Burgers’ Rice menu features the acclaimed OG Trill Burger — named “Best Burger in America” by Good Morning America in 2022 — with two smashed all-beef patties, pickles, caramelized onions, Trill Sauce and American cheese on a Martin’s potato roll. Also on the menu: the Vegan OG Burger with plant-based smashed patties, vegan sauce and vegan cheese; Triple OG Burger; Vegan Triple OG Burger; single-patty Lil G beef and vegan burgers; and Trill’s seasoned fries. Items can be ordered a la carte or as a combo, and Trill Burgers will be accepting campus dining dollars (Tetra) for students.

The Rice location caps a busy year for the homegrown brand. Trill Burgers operates three brick-and-mortar restaurants in Houston (3607 S. Shepherd Dr.), Spring (6810 Louetta Rd.) and Missouri City (20220 Fort Bend Pkwy Suite 140), with a fourth location opening soon in Houston (7616 Westheimer Rd.). Trill Burgers also returns to Reliant Stadium this fall for a fourth consecutive season serving at Houston Texans games.

Trill Burgers’ initial hours of operation at Rice will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. The restaurant is open to students, faculty and the general public with information on guest parking throughout the campus available at parking.rice.edu.

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ABOUT TRILL BURGERS

Established in Houston in 2021, Trill Burgers is led by co-founders Bun B, Andy Nguyen and Nick Scurfield with executive chefs Mike Pham and Fernando Valladares. It earned the title of best burger in America from “Good Morning America” in 2022 and won a coveted Gold Buckle Foodie Award for Best Classic Fair Food at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in 2023. With three locations open in Houston (3607 S. Shepherd Dr.), Spring (6810 Louetta Rd.) and Missouri City (20220 Fort Bend Pkwy Suite 140) — and a fourth coming soon at 7616 Westheimer Rd. — Trill Burgers continues to expand in the largest city in Texas. Trill Burgers is a proud partner of the Houston Texans, serving at Reliant Stadium for Texans games, concerts and events; and an Official Show Sponsor of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, where it serves inside Reliant Stadium and at Trill Town, a 9,000-square-foot immersive outdoor space. Trill Burgers has been a favorite of numerous celebrities and entertainers, attracting rave reviews from the likes of Drake, Mike Tyson, Ludacris, Slim Thug, Andre Johnson, JJ Watt, Shaquille O’Neal, Ken Griffey Jr., Tyler the Creator, That Mexican OT, Cardi B, DJ Khaled and Travis Scott. For more information, visit www.trill-burgers.com or @trillburgers on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and X.

ABOUT RICE UNIVERSITY

Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering and computing, humanities and arts, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy and Kinder Institute for Urban Research. Internationally, the university maintains the Rice Global Paris Center, a hub for innovative collaboration, research and inspired teaching located in the heart of Paris, and Rice Global India in Bengaluru, India. With 4,793 undergraduates and 4,185 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked in the top 10 for best quality of life by the Princeton Review.