Restaurant owner relishes Trump, goes buns out for customers
In Bellville, about an hour or so northwest of Houston, Trump Burger is your standard burger joint with the added twist of being a monument to former President Donald Trump.
The restaurant caught my eye after a former colleague snapped a photo of it while picking her son up from camp nearby. So I decided to go check it out. It’s hard to miss in person: Pro-Trump banners and American flags hang from the side of the patio deck. Front and center, atop the restaurant’s name, is an illustration of the 45th president.
The restaurant’s owner is Roland Beainy, a second-generation Lebanese American who loves Donald Trump.
“We have a lot of friends in Bellville. It’s a wonderful spot to have Trump-supported stuff, and it’s where I feel at home,” Beainy said.
Beainy was born in Boston and later moved to Lebanon when he was six to continue his studies there. He and his family returned to the U.S. in 2019.
A year later, Beainy opened Trump Burger.
“Being an immigrant from a place where everything is bad and you work for almost $200, you see somebody like him to support the country and get the economy doing better. Me being an entrepreneur, I appreciate what he did,” Beainy said.
In 2020, Austin County, where Bellville is located, reported 78.7 percent of the population voted for Trump.
Bellville resident Brian Hajek was there for a burger on a recent weekday. The restaurant is close to his work and home. Hajek said weekends at Trump Burger can get jam packed.
“I thought they’d be out of business after the elections, but you come here on the weekend, you see a big line of motorcycles, sports cars and antiques and Trump flags,” Hajek said. “They’re all from out of town.”
Will Taylor, a Marine from Katy, said he isn’t very political and doesn’t feel much when he walks into Trump Burger, aside from finding the décor a little funny. He did light up about the military discount.
“They’re very generous about it,” Taylor said. “More so than any other places I’ve been to.”
When Trump Burger opened in 2020 there was some backlash.
“We got a lot of bad calls at the start: People who wanted to burn the place down,” Beainy said. “It was scary at first, but we don’t have those calls anymore. We have a great following, and not all of them are Trump supporters. They come for the food and the service.”
The restaurant is not connected to the Trump Organization, but, according to Beainy, a portion of the restaurant’s profits go toward Trump’s fundraising campaign.
“I would love to have his blessing and have him come by,” Beainy said. “We tried to call them — we have some friends — we’re hoping that he does soon and sees the place.”