Meet a Former Wall Street Executive Who Became a Burger 'Pop-Up' Icon

This article was produced in partnership with Land Rover.

It’s not every day you see someone pivot from billionaires, basis points, and bearer bonds to making tasty cheeseburgers for the public.

That’s exactly the case with former Wall Street senior executive Mike Puma, who’s left the financial sector behind to don an apron and cook gourmet-level burgers for New Yorkers. In the process, Puma is raising money for his favorite charitable causes while running regular “pop-up” burger events all over the Big Apple – and is opening his first burger eatery in New York’s Lower East Side.

Selfless difference-makers like Puma are exactly why the Defender Service Awards, now in its third year, resonate so much. The awards celebrate the often-unsung heroes who are creating meaningful change in their communities, across a variety of categories from social issues to civil service to environmental conservation. This year's Defender Service Awards nomination period runs from June 15 to July 21, 2023.

Category finalists will receive $7,500 ($5,000 from CHASE and $2,500 from Warner Bros. Discovery), while category winners receive $25,000 and a custom Land Rover Defender 130.

Anyone can refer a nonprofit by entering the organization’s name and email contact in the Defender Service Awards online form. The nonprofit will then receive information on how to enter, by submitting a video up to three minutes in length that showcases their service work and explains how a Defender 130 vehicle would help support their cause.

To shine a light on the Defender Service Awards this year, we tracked down Mike Puma at his New York City home. We asked him how a career shift from managing money on Wall Street to cooking burgers on the street has changed his life and what that means to him as a community leader and to the multiple charities he favors.

TheStreet: How did you start out on Wall Street?

Mike Puma: I was born and raised in Long Island, New York, and moved to Connecticut in high school, which was a huge transition for me coming from Long Island in the 1980s. I went to St Bonaventure University where I studied marketing and was president of my class.

The opportunity to work on Wall Street was presented to me by an early career colleague and I wound up going to work for Oppenheimer & Co. No doubt, Wall Street was exciting and fast-paced, and I experienced many ups and downs. I've seen everything from a financial collapse to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, to a global pandemic and many more over my career. I was getting less excited about being behind a desk so I retired from Oppenheimer after 25 years with the firm as a director.

TheStreet: What triggered your passion for eating– and then cooking – high-end burgers?

I started the Gotham Burger Social Club in 2013 with the simple idea of a burger tour with friends. I had posted a magazine cover about the best burgers in NYC and asked people I knew on Facebook who wanted to join. The response was incredible.

Our first meet-up group was in October, 2013. From our first club meeting, I thought it would be fun to chronicle our antics and started my Instagram page on the burger tours. I started posting pictures of the food, and the restaurants we visited and shared reviews of burgers and other things about the club I loved.

It was all organic with the Gotham Burger Social Club – it was really a place for guys to taste different burgers across the city and swap stories. We started with the idea of going on a burger tour once a month and writing up a review. Word got out and the awareness of the club grew and grew, which really opened up opportunities for us. I wasn’t operating the club to be a burger-biting "influencer" – I don’t think that term was even around when we started the club. I was doing it out of fun and a passion for food and people gravitated towards my honesty and authenticity.

TheStreet: How did your love for burgers merge with your starting your own burger “pop-up” restaurant business?

As our club meetings grew, opportunities began opening up on the business front and on the community service front. We started creating “pop-up” burger events where I’d cook burgers with a fundraiser for Social Tees Animal Rescue. That led to more fundraisers and events over the years. Our burger was so well received with people sometimes lined up for blocks to try one out. They were shocked I didn't have a physical restaurant of my own. That wasn’t in my thought process yet as my focus was still on my career as a financial advisor. Yet when the pandemic and the lockdowns happened in 2020, there were no restaurants to visit, guys were moving and working from home so reviews were put on hold. 

Eventually, the requests to do Pop-Up events came from bars and restaurants like Rays, Marshall Stack, Hotel Chantel, and Pig Beach. They saw it as a way to help their business. Since I had the time and thought it would be fun and a great way to help local businesses out. It was then our signature burger, called the “Gotham Smash”, was born and it really took off. We became the most successful pop-up eatery in New York City as we made it more than just a place to get a burger. It really became a lifeline for New Yorkers and it also became a thriving business during a tough time. People would spend hours in line and be happy to wait, with everyone sharing some cocktails and music. Eventually media outlets began to list us as one of the best new burgers in New York City and we took home the People's Choice Award for the “best burger” at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival in 2020. Three years later we’re opening our first restaurant, called the Gotham Burger Social Club, in New York City.

TheStreet: Have there been any lessons learned in transitioning from finance to entrepreneur with your pop-up burger and your upcoming restaurant?

My experience in Wall Street helped develop a business plan and taught me how to hustle and deal with adversity. There are so many challenges when doing pop-up's that you need to be prepared and always have a plan “B” and even a plan “C”. Fortunately from the start, we have always sold out our events, so that we’re controlling costs. As we’ve grown, our pop-ups have doubled and tripled in size to meet demand. 

That said, we are aware that people come for the burger but stay for the whole experience - it's about community and connecting with people. If someone is willing to come out and eat my food and wait over an hour to do so, I need to make sure they walk away with the best experience possible. That’s why we’re opening our first location in the Lower East Side of New York City. Most of our pop-ups have been in the Lower East Side – it only made sense that our first location should be in the community that embraced us.

TheStreet: You’ve been a big part of some amazing charitable endeavors with your burger pop-ups. What community organizations inspire you, and why these and other organizations are near and dear to your heart?

A big part of our history is giving back. When I started cooking and serving the Gotham Smash burger it was almost entirely for charities. We worked with Social Tees Animal Rescue, New York Bully Crew, The Jeff Michner Foundation, Carl Ruiz Foundation, and Tailgate With A Cause, among other charities. As an animal lover and as a parent, I always have a special interest in helping rescue organizations.

TheStreet: What do the Land Rover Defender Service Awards mean to you and why do they matter to you?

Non-profits have such a tough time and need resources to succeed and execute. The Defender Service Awards gives these organizations the recognition and help they need to serve their communities. After all, when you get involved and give back there is no better feeling in the world!