Meet Brian Murphy | Food Truck Owner / Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Brian Murphy and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Brian, what role has risk played in your life or career?
“Don’t Hide Your Money Under the Mattress” From a very young age, I’ve always been told to make cautious decisions and to follow the norm. As I graduated college and entered the workforce, my uncle pulled me aside and we had one conversation that ultimately changed the direction of my future. He told me that I should do the opposite of what I have learned all along. He told me to invest like the wealthy and to take chances. “High risk, high reward” was his exact words, and I loved every bit of our conversation! Working my way up the corporate ladder in the restaurant industry, I realized that the very industry that I went to school for and loved was not going to get me to a place in my life where I wanted to be any time soon. And so, I bought two books: a food truck book and the other a real estate book. I picked up the real estate book first and after some risk-taking and creative investments I had acquired a fair share of properties. Since then, I’ve found enjoyment working for myself as a budding entrepreneur. Now it was time to read my food truck book. I love the food industry so much but I didn’t necessarily fit the corporate mold anymore. I wanted to go off and recreate my success in real estate and work for myself on my very own food truck!

What should our readers know about your business?
I am the very proud owner of Big Apple Bodega food truck. We specialize in Chopped Cheese sandwiches served on east coast bread. I think what separates my business and food truck from others is that we bring to Denver something that only NYC bodegas have, Chopped Cheese. We have our classic chopped cheese and then we have 7 other that play off of the classic. They are all different, extremely flavorful and unique. I left my six figure, cushiony corporate job to take a step back and work for an amazing lady on the Kona Ice trucks. She taught me the ropes of being on and running a truck and I LOVED each and every moment of it! I knew that leaving my corporate job and taking a risk opening my own truck was exactly the direction I wanted to go in! We are opening on March 31st, 2022. I’m sure there will be plenty of learning moments as we open and introduce our brand into Denver and the world and I’m willing, able and ready to learn and grow my business. I think my biggest takeaway for people reading this would be to take risks, live life and believe in yourself! You should be your biggest fan.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would have to say some of my favorite spots in Denver would have to be in RiNo. It is a great artsy neighborhood that is very welcoming of all walks of life and has a tons of different things to do. You can grab a bite to eat at a great restaurant, walk down the street to your favorite brewery and then dance the night away at some amazing night clubs. RiNo has many different and unique things to do for locals and out of towners alike!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Uncle Frank… My mothers brother, my Godfather.
As a young boy growing up on Long Island, I remember the car rides into the city to go visit my Godfather Uncle Frank. Backyard BBQ’s was his jam. We would all gather to eat, play and laugh as one big family. He was always extremely welcoming and his house was filled with joy and laughter. As I got older, he became more and more a mentor to me. Always giving me life advice and trying to steer me in the right direction. One Christmas morning as he picked my up in Astoria, Queens and brought me upstate for family dinner, he and I chatted the entire way about investing, risk-taking and growing your “portfolio.” That conversation stayed with me to this day. I think of risk-taking completely different than what I was taught at a young age. I think many people are “okay” with their 9 to 5 jobs and their weekends off. I always wanted more and always had that entrepreneur mentality early on.

Website: bigapplebodega.co

Instagram: @bigapplebodega

Twitter: @bigapplebodega

Facebook: facebook.com/bigapplebodega

Youtube: @bigapplebodega

Image Credits
Johnston Rienton, Kindling Productions LLC