Interview with TheBaddChef

By The Baddy Cult

Building one of Austin’s most chaotic food concepts, TheBaddChef — Tommy Marquez — has made a name for himself by blending fearless flavor with unapologetic branding. As the founder of Badd Burgers, he’s created a goth-driven, burger-obsessed underground community that shakes the city with every pop-up and burger drop.

TBC:
You started in the dish pits 5 years ago and leveled up to owning and running Badd Burgers. What did that time between then and now teach you?

Tommy:
It was humbling, and it taught me patience and perspective. I’ve done every job in the food industry in a short time and it showed me no role is beneath me. From being an CEO of a corporate startup to going back to my restaurant career roots was a big change, but I feel like it was meant to be. Over time, that grind taught me how to build teams, handle the madness, and lead. The biggest lesson? You can turn even the lowest moment into the start of something bigger.

TBC:
Was there a specific moment where everything clicked and Badd Burgers became more than just an idea?

Tommy:
Yeah — it was realizing that food could be more than just something people eat. One late night, I cooked a burger that just hit and basically was good as hell. That moment showed me this could be a full experience if I made it Badd and so my marketing mind started thinking of a concept that would set my burger idea apart from the rest by being fire and have crazy branding. That’s when Badd Burgers stopped being an idea and became a movement. I started the LLC, made the logo, bought the domain and just went all in and started making recipes.

TBC:
For someone who’s never experienced it, how do you explain what Badd Burgers actually is?

Tommy:
It’s loud. It’s chaotic. It’s unforgettable burgers paired with an atmosphere that pulls people in. The branding is meant to catch you off guard, just like the flavors. Every pop-up, every drop, every detail is intentional — it’s food and energy colliding.

TBC:
When you started Badd Burgers, why did you gear it toward a cult movement instead of just another burger concept?

Tommy:
Because food alone doesn’t build loyalty. Movements do. I wanted people to feel like they’re part of something — not just customers, but members. A cult creates belonging, and belonging lasts longer than a meal.

TBC:
Which hits harder for you — the flavor of the food or the chaos of the brand?

Tommy:
They’re inseparable. The attitude fuels the flavors, and the flavors give the brand its punch. One doesn’t work without the other.

The tagline is Fuel Evil. Taste Chaos!! for a reason.

TBC:
What is The Baddy Cult?

Tommy:
The Baddy Cult is our team — the people who believed in this from day one. They help bring the brand to life through content, energy, and real connection with our customers. They’re part of the experience and one of the most important pieces of Badd Burgers. In the future it will be an international ambassador marketing team of alternative models and also the girls who run our locations

TBC:
Your burger drops sell out fast. Why run it that way instead of opening daily?

Tommy:
Because drops keep it electric. They force us to show up at our best every time and keep pushing ourselves creatively. People don’t just eat the burgers — they anticipate them.

TBC:
When those drops happen, what’s the wildest reaction you’ve seen?

Tommy:
Honestly? The consistency. Seeing the same people come back every drop, hyped and ready, telling us it somehow keeps getting better — that never gets old.

TBC:
You also create vegan twins of your burgers. Why is that important to you?

Tommy:
I want everyone to be able to eat with us. I learned to cook in vegan kitchens, and it’s also part of who we are as a company, nobody else is doing it like this.

TBC:
Is there a bigger vision for Badd Burgers?

Tommy:
The end game is an event space, bar, and restaurant all in one — a home for Badd Burgers in Austin where the evil goth energy lives full-time and the food stays chaotic.

TBC:
You built this brand out of chaos — but what does peace look like for you?

Tommy:
Chaos is my peace. It’s what I grew up in, and it’s what shaped both me and this brand.

TBC:
Anything else you’d like to add?

Tommy:
Just gratitude. To the team that shows up ready to kill it every time, to our partners and investors who believed early, and to everyone who lines up hungry for what we’re building. Without them, none of this matters.