Video above is from initial report on the battle Dec. 18.
LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Lubbock’s Buns Over Texas won the Orange Bowl Burger Battle at Fan Fest Thursday.
Initial report Dec. 18: Buns Over Texas is asking Red Raider fans to get their “buns up” next month as the Lubbock restaurant competes to win the Orange Bowl “Burger Battle.”
Owner Mark Hutchens said he couldn’t believe it when an Orange Bowl official called last week asking if he wanted to represent the Red Raiders in the fan fest burger competition in Miami before the game.
“A minute or two into the conversation, I was wondering if this was really legitimate or somebody was pulling a joke on me,” Hutchens said. “So I said, send me an e-mail.”
Since that call, Hutchens has been working to perfect his recipe, a perfectly cooked patty on a jalapeño bun, complete with pepper-jack cheese, caramelized onions and Anaheim peppers, brown sugar bacon and chipotle mayo.
“I just want to go down there and enjoy the experience and have fun and share the whole process with everybody that’s down there, all the Tech fans. And we are really looking forward to going,” he said.
While buns are the restaurant’s namesake, Hutchens says the restaurant’s bread and butter are its consistent food and friendly service.
“We’re not the hottest, trendiest place in town,” Hutchens said. “But it’s been a pretty, pretty successful run.”
Hutchens said this time last year, doing something like this would have been out of the question. He was diagnosed with a rare form of melanoma, and while undergoing chemotherapy, his friends and family kept the restaurant running.
“When people tell me now their cancer stories, it means a lot to me,” Hutchens said. “Because I have one too. And anyway, my family has been great. All my three kids live here. And they all graduated from Tech as I did. So, we just feel a big part of this community. I’m just very thankful for our customers and our friends.”
The community can try the burger for themselves during lunch next week and help Buns Over Texas earn their burger battle bragging rights. Then in two weeks, the Orange Bowl Fan Fest starts at 8 a.m. outside Hard Rock Stadium on January 1, with burger battle judging beginning at 10 a.m.
Copyright 2025 KCBD. All rights reserved.