For Peter Shin, the new owner of both the Burger and Cheese Busz and Busz Sushi and Dim Sum, undertaking a previously owned business was a stroke of good luck.
The Burger and Cheese Busz, located on Norris Street, arrived at Temple in March 2011 when it was opened by Juno Park, the previous owner of Noshery Gourmet Café in the Avenue North complex. Busz Sushi and Dim Sum was introduced to Norris Street when Park took advantage of an empty street spot. Park decided to sell the two businesses through a broker, and Shin made the purchase at the end of December.
“I’m happy that I was able to stumble upon it,” Shin said. “I grew up in the food industry. My last business was a breakfast restaurant on Broad [Street] and Girard [Avenue].”
Although the truck is under new ownership, Shin said he realizes that the truck owes most of its success to its fresh menu items. He insisted nothing on the menu will be discontinued.
“There are going to be a few additions to the menu, but for the most part it will stay the same,” Shin said. “It’s perfectly fine, so not a lot needs to be changed.”
Change is coming in another form, though: a new, flashier design, Shin said. Brands Imaging, a Fishtown-based company, is known for dressing up some of the food trucks on Main Campus. The company’s first Temple-based client was Park. Shin said he’ll continue the tradition while putting his “own spin on things.”
“[Park] has been helping me design a truck that will correct all of the flaws in the two prior trucks that he’s created,” Shin said. “Brands Imaging will be doing the wrap, and the truck is going to be brand new. It’s time for a little makeover.”
As a former restaurant owner, Shin said he isn’t used to the small amount of space the truck offers. He said he was thankful for this semester’s onslaught of snow and rain.
“The first few weeks [of business were] slower due to the weather and I think it’s helped me adjust more easily,” Shin said. “It’s a challenge to build a food truck up while also learning a new business and operating it at the same time.”
Nearby trucks like the Creperie, Wingo Taco and Temple’s Best Authentic Mexican create tough competition, but Shin said he admires the camaraderie that is prevalent among the businesses and hopes to contribute to it.
“I’ve found that Nam [Kim] and the owners of the Creperie are very decent people who are just trying to make a living, like myself,” Shin said. “We will help each other when we need to, and all of the food options will benefit everyone.”
Alex Nazzaro, a senior graphic design major, said he has always been a fan of the Burger and Cheese Busz, calling the French fries and burgers “the best on campus.” He also said he enjoys the current truck wrap from a designer’s perspective, but is interested by the idea of a new one.
“It’s a tasteful, modern and consistent design from the menu to the truck itself, and I’m sure the new design will be great,” Nazzaro said. “I wasn’t aware that there was a new owner, but my advice for him is to keep pumping out the same great burgers.”
Shin said he has enjoyed his time as a truck owner so far.
“The atmosphere is the best part about the business because it’s always nice to see the younger generations getting into the food scene,” Shin said.
Ariane Pepsin can be reached at ariane.pepsin@temple.edu.
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