David Boursalyan admired the chopped cheese shops in New York. He watched videos of them when he was young and took a trip to New York to see and taste them.

Now, the budding entrepreneur is bringing the concept to Fresno. He opened Chop Cheese Bodega in central Fresno last month.

“Chop Cheese Bodega is a patty that’s chopped up with cheese, grilled onions, peppers, and a hoagie roll,” Boursalyan said, explaining the concept.

The restaurant features a variety of sandwiches, featuring chopped meats and cheeses. The Philly cheesesteak is the most popular.

The sandwiches are easy to grab, fast to make, and quick to eat, Boursalyan said.

Located at 6031 N. Blackstone Ave., north of Bullard Avenue in Fresno, Chop Cheese Bodega serves four sandwiches made with Angus beef and includes a side of fries for $13 to $15. It also offers a variety of “chop cheese fries.”

Sarah Robinson of Fresno said she learned about Chop Cheese Bodega on Instagram and had to try it out.

“I’m constantly looking for new food places, looking for places to eat at with my husband, and this popped up on Instagram, and I thought, okay, you gotta try it,” she said. “It’s everything that we thought.”

Inspired By New York Concept

Boursalyan grew up in East Hollywood and moved to Fresno three years ago. After working at some local restaurants, he branched out on his own.

“I always wanted to open a chopped cheese restaurant since I was younger, and I finally got my dream to open one,” Boursalyan said.

He first saw the concept in social media videos, inspired by the Blue Sky Deli in Harlem — also known as Hajji’s.

“It was very, very cool to me to make a sandwich that way instead of eating a regular burger,” Boursalyan said.

He took over the building that for years advertised a Front Yard Burger coming soon. It never did. He took over the lease, spending more than $200,000 to open his new concept.

Boursalyan enjoys being an entrepreneur.

“With a lot of hard work and success on the way, it feels great,” he said.