| As soon as it was ready, in May 2009, The Burger Bus went into action. The bus is parked at different locations within Santa Barbara four days a week from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and is available for events and private parties on Saturdays. Because of local ordinances, the bus has to be parked on private areas, e.g. private parking lots and they are located in different areas every day. Initially owners of the lots were a little wary of The Burger Bus but now they have lots of offers and have changed to more popular locations several times in the five months they have been trading. The Burger Bus also has an internet presence – a website full of information, a YouTube video, a page on Facebook, and daily entries on Twitter.
And business? The Burger Bus is doing well. Local newspapers took an early interest in this venture and this gave rise to some early welcome publicity. And so far, the couple has had no need to do any further advertising. They are meeting their business targets and already, within five months, are developing ideas about their future. In a year they would like to acquire a second bus so that they can duplicate their current operation in Goleta. Franchising might also be on the horizon - the couple has already been approached by people located in other parts of the United States who would be interested in setting up something similar.
For now, Cheryl and Michael are very enthusiastic about having their own business and working together and dealing with the unexpected day to day challenges that arise in any business. They continue to develop the menu from their own ideas and based on what they like, and use different recipes, seasonal jellies and different cheeses for variety. They are already getting to know their customers by name and are rapidly becoming a real Santa Barbara institution! |
