We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Diego Bullara. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Diego below.

Diego, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Being a business owner can be really hard sometimes. It’s rewarding, but most business owners we’ve spoken sometimes think about what it would have been like to have had a regular job instead. Have you ever wondered that yourself? Maybe you can talk to us about a time when you felt this way?

As an owner of Sharks Burger, I take pride in the work that we do. As with any business, some days are harder than others but the decision to go all in, every day is what keeps Sharks Burger strong. There has truly never been a day where I have thought to myself “I would rather go work for someone else or be somewhere else.” In all honesty, being able to have family support the business, has allowed us to create something special. Each day the Sharks Burger team is proud knowing that we feed the community great meals while allowing our team members to provide for their families. Promoting from within has allowed us to open our second store during the pandemic and will allow us future growth as we continue to develop our team. With this being said, I find myself much happier as a business owner and even happier that it is Sharks Burger. We know the plan God has for Sharks Burger is not done yet and we plan to continue to grow and expand across Texas.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

2. My name is Dino Bullara. I am originally from California, made my way to Texas in 1979 and never looked back. I served in the Navy, but eventually set my roots in here over 6 years ago through my faith and my family. In Leander, you can find me around town inside of Sharks Burger which has grown to 2 locations and won small business of the year in 2021! We serve fresh, made to order burgers and chicken.

Being involved in the community is something we take pride in and really value. Along with being a small business owner of Sharks Burger, I am a small business advocate who enjoys seeing other businesses grow and succeed to see their full potential. I am an ambassador for the Leander Chamber as well as Leander Chamber chair and serve as a committee member for the city of Leander Economic Development team. Additionally, I am a board member with the Leander Foundation and a founding member of Leander Leaders. Leander Leaders is a small, philanthropic group of about 20 small-business owners that give back to the community and support one another.

I take pride in participating with these organizations because one of our core beliefs within Sharks Burger is to continually give back to the community. We feel that giving back to the community, one of our 5 core pillars, is what allowed us to achieve the success we have to date. Some of these things include surviving the Covid-19 pandemic and our recent economic slowdown, which we know affected all small businesses negatively. Within each of these volunteer positions, I am giving my sincere support. Small things like this are what I think allows customers to connect with us and want to continue to support us. Other things that set Sharks Burger apart is our approach to being in the kitchen; we cook as though we are making it for ourselves. We train our team members to engage with customers as if they were inviting someone to come and enjoy a meal and eat in their homes. We treat our guests with respect and cater to their needs by providing them with great quality food. Although we know we make mistakes, we strive to make our guests’ experience something memorable. People coming into Sharks Burger for the first time should immediately feel like they are part of the family and always know that their input is greatly appreciated.

How’d you meet your business partner?

Sharks Burger is a family-oriented and family-owned business. I am grateful to say that my business partners are family members. We come from a large Italian family, and I get the pleasure to work alongside my nephew and brother each day. My brother, Pete, comes with strong business fundamental experience and allows us to maintain structure within our business. My nephew, Chris, has been in the restaurant industry for 20 years and brings us new ideas to allow Sharks Burger to be the best it can be. Working together, we have ultimate collaboration and strive each day to be better versions of ourselves.

How did you build your audience on social media?

We are still working on building our audience and hope to continue to increase our following on social media. Sharks Burger tries to engage with our audience online by creating videos, interactive posts and staying in front of the community. We continue to improve our menu by adding and creating food items that customers will enjoy. We have done a great job at utilizing social media to ask the public what they want and deliver results to them. We have added new chicken sandwiches, Vegan/Vegetarian options, and have been able to add weekly specials as permanent menu items. In addition to this, we have made online ordering, phone in ordering and curbside delivery, a key platform that distinguishes our restaurant. We create social media content that tailors to our guests and displays what we offer. Being able to be creative and utilize graphic designing programs is something that allows us to increasingly receive visibility on social media. I’ll end with saying, the best social media responses come from genuine, face to face interacting posts talking to our guests. Whether it’s asking for their support, fundraising opportunities, or menu improvement ideas, engaging with our guests, is the best social media content to offer.

Contact Info:

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

Image Credits
Ashley Davis