Chopped Cheese Restaurant Is Moving to New Home — at Home Depot

“People always say things like, ‘It comes with a heavy heart that we announce…,’ but I don’t really feel that way. I tried my hardest,” says Brian Murphy, owner of Big Apple Bodega, which closed its brick-and-mortar location at 2231 South Broadway on September 28 — though the business will live on.

Murphy started the chopped cheese-focused concept as a food truck in 2021 and moved into the former home of Turtle Boat sixteen months ago. While its first winter was “pretty rough,” Murphy admits, spring brought a boost in business and some hope for the summer to come. “But summer was almost as bad as the winter. … I don’t know if there’s a recession going on. That’s what people are saying.”

And that’s not the only challenge. “Minimum wage [in Denver] is ridiculous. I’m from New York City, and it’s more than New York City,” Murphy adds, noting that in January, the minimum wage in Denver will increase once again, hitting $19.29 per hour ($16.27 for tipped workers).

Despite his best efforts at marketing the location and concept Murphy thinks that an unfamiliarity with chopped cheese, the sandwich that’s long been popular at NYC bodegas, may have played a factor as well. Regardless, “I’m leaving with my head held high,” he says. And he’s also leaving with a new plan.

“The business isn’t closing, it’s moving,” he notes. Murphy has continued to operate the food truck for various events; now, he’s putting his focus back on the mobile version of Big Apple Bodega.

Home Depot, which eliminated most of the hot dog stands that had been a staple outside its stores until the pandemic, has now partnered with Best Food Trucks to bring eating options back to some of its locations in select states, including Colorado. That’s how Big Apple Bodega landed a new home base outside the Home Depot at 7990 West Crestline Avenue, just off Wadsworth Boulevard.

“The truck is what I know,” Murphy says, and he’s optimistic about its future. Starting today, October 1, the Big Apple Bodega truck will be serving chopped cheese sandwiches plus corn dogs and hot dogs at Home Depot from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. In the evenings, it will continue to pop up at breweries, HOAs and other events. “We’re pretty booked through October and November, and we’re gonna try to run all winter depending on the weather,” he notes.

Set to move into the South Broadway space is Phatt Matt’s, a new pizza-focused concept from Matthew Mino. “I started all the Big Daddy’s Pizzas in Denver,” he says. In 2017, he sold all of them except for the Littleton location, which he still operates today. “It’s time for us to grow a little bit and we’re moving down to that area to give it a go,” he adds.

An opening date for Phatt Matt’s has not been determined, but Mino is hoping for a relatively quick turnaround.

“I’m very grateful for the experience,” Murphy says of his time on South Broadway. “I don’t think I would change anything, but it’s hard to work eighty hours a week and never really get paid. … I’m, of course, very, very sad, but I feel accomplished. I gave it my best. There was nothing I left on the table.”

To keep up with Big Apple Bodega’s food truck, follow it on Instagram @bigapplebodega.