The Hunt for the Golden Bulls will start on March 1, 2023.

Follow us on social Media for the most up to date information and clues.

Hello Golden Bull Hunters! Are you ready for the 2023 Hunt? We have all new riddles, puzzles, history, and locations for you to solve. We have worked to create puzzles of varying difficulty and want to give everyone a chance to feel they can win free burgers for a year.* Here are some key tips, and pointers as you get ready for the 2023 hunt.

As big fans of Willy Wonka, the original movie with Gene Wilder, we thought we’d have our own golden tickets, err bulls that is.  We hide five golden bulls (okay they are brass, we couldn’t afford solid gold) at different times throughout the month in and around Durham. Five lucky winners who found a bull, win a free meal each week for a year*.  How do you find a bull?Throughout March, we reveal clues here on our website and in social media regarding where to find a Golden Bull.  If you find one, follow the directions below to claim your prize.  Full details in the “fine print” below.  Let the hunt begin!

Ground Rules for the Hunt: Please do not destroy any personal property.  No bull will be hidden in a location which requires going inside a non-public space.  No bull will be buried or sealed inside anything.  Nothing will need to be damaged, broken, taken apart, busted, cracked, or dismantled.  The bull will always be accessible 24/7 once it is hidden. Please respect any and all people, businesses, or property while you search.  Thank you and good luck! Teams are welcome, but there can only be one winner on the team.

Because we want everyone to have an opportunity to hunt for at least one Golden Bull, we pick different types of riddles with different days and dates to be inclusive of as many hunters as possible. With that in mind, here is some information to help you plan and strategize.

*****Also, and WE CAN'T STRESS THIS ENOUGH***** there are no known photos of the Golden Bull. It is essential to keep it this way! Therefore, no photos or social postings of any kind will be accepted. Breaking this rule will be grounds for immediate disqualification and a lifetime ban on future Golden Bull Hunts.

Golden Bull 2023 Hunting Schedule

The first clue for the First Bull drops on Wednesday, March 1. Please note, this bull will not be accessible until Saturday. You will need to solve the daily clues before Saturday to find it. This is a four day hunt.

The Second Bull starts Monday, March 13. This will allow the folks who work nights and weekends to have a chance on a weekday to hunt. This is intended to be a one day hunt. Also note that there is a weeklong gap between the first and second bull to accommodate this weekday hunt. Don’t be alarmed, you haven’t missed a thing during the week, but be ready for March 13.

The Third Bull drops Sunday, March 19 to accommodate our fellow weekend warriors that might be working Saturdays. It will be a one day hunt and requires you to be on site at BCBB to start. It is intended to be a one day hunt.

The Fourth Bull drops Saturday, March 25, our 12 year birthday! This is intended to be a one day hunt. There will be a series of puzzles to solve in order to find the bull.

The Fifth and Final Bull drops Friday, March 31. This will be a one day hunt and requires solving puzzles to get to the next clue.

Good luck, Hunters! Remember if you need help, need any further information, need guidance, have additional questions or you are stuck… well, sorry.
​I found a Golden Bull, What do I do?
  1. call BCBB and talk to a manager (919) 680-2333
  2. arrange a time to bring in your golden bull and claim victory
  3. bring your photo ID and be ready for a photo to go on the wall
  4. within 24 hours email a description of how you found the bull (moocow[at]bullcityburgerandbrewery[dot]com)
  5. please do not send a photo of the bull or take photos of you with the bull. You may be disqualified if you take or post any photos of the bull.
*The contest begins March 1st and ends when all bulls are found. The first free burger day for winners is April 1st or the first day in April BCBB is open. The last day of free burgers is March 31 the following year. Must be 18 years or older to claim a prize. IDs will be checked. Bring your ID. One Golden Bull winner per person and per family. If you find a Golden Bull redeem it in person at Bull City Burger and Brewery during regular business hours. Please call us to let us know you are coming in at 919-680-2333. Winners receive one hamburger or veggie burger per week with one specialty add-on topping, one regular dirty fry order and one non-alcohol beverage of choice. No substitutions for specialty burgers or special features. Can’t be used toward a specialty burger. No alcohol included. A week is defined as any hours BCBB is open for business Sunday through Saturday. BCBB cannot be held accountable for acts of God, weather, and business interruptions during any week. Only one free burger meal can be claimed per week. Cannot be used online.  Multiple burgers cannot be saved up for redemption in one week. Only the person claiming the Golden Bull can receive the free burger each week. No family members, spouses, former spouses, children, cousins (kissing or otherwise) can claim your prize. Winners consent to the use of their names and photos or likeness by BCBB to promote the contest on the website, in the restaurant and in print. Again, we will check your ID. No employee of BCBB or Pompieri Pizza or Pie Pan Inc. can win. No employee of a business we partner with for the Golden Bull can win. One winner per family please. No repeat winners. No scammers, no loophole finders, no twisters of the rules. It’s free burgers for about a year, that’s pretty good. That’s our fine print.
“I, the undersigned, shall forfeit all rights, privileges, and licenses herein and herein contained, et cetera, et cetera... Fax mentis incendium gloria cultum, et cetera, et cetera... Memo bis punitor delicatum!” - Willy Wonka

(FOUND)

Golden Bull #1

Clue #1

Played “Lionel” born in Salisbury, NC​

Clue #2

Robert Osband did this​

Clue #3

Clue #4
Around the corner from “Corbett” Street​
Acronyms are so puzzling. One of these is the correct clue - DDI, IDD, DID, ID, DI, DIY
This Bull cannot be found until Saturday, March 4.

Golden Bull #1 was found by: Justin

Here's the story in his own words:
My first time searching for the golden bull was in 2019 when I was working at CMG Consulting in downtown Durham at the American Tobacco Campus,. My co-workers and I worked together to try to solve the golden bull puzzles that year, but the bull remained elusive to us.

Fast forward to 2023 and I was determined to finally solve the clues to find one of the golden bulls.

Clue #1: Played “Lionel” born in Salisbury, NC
Some quick googling came up with “Mike Evans” who played Lionel in All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Initially I couldn’t find any connection between him and Durham, so I waited for the next clue

Clue #2: Robert Osband did this
After more googling, I found that Robert Osband was famous for calling out the countdown at Space View Park during rocket launches. He also led a successful petition to change Brevard County’s area code to “321” to commemorate the Space Coast’s impact on the area. Similar to the first clue, I struggled to find a connection between him and Durham, so I waited again for the next clue.

Clue #3: Around the corner from “Corbett” Street​
Once again, I relied on google to figure out the reference to “Corbett” street. I was unable to find a street anywhere in Durham that referenced Corbett, so this one took some extra digging. Eventually, I found a post on Open Durham, an online community archive of Durham people and places, that referenced an old building on Morris Street that was a small grocery store, owned by James F Corbett. Additionally, the portion of Hunt Street between Morris and Foster was previously called “Corbett Street,” and I knew I was onto something big here.
At this point, I felt I could start combining the 3 clues, even though there was a 4th and final clue that had yet to be posted.

I started off by looking up the locations 321 Foster Street and 321 Morris Street, since these were “around the corner” from Hunt Street (previously Corbett Street) and related to Clue #2 because of the countdown 3-2-1. Neither of these locations looked promising, so I kept searching until I found 321 Coffee located on Morris Street. BINGO!

I did some digging on the history of 321 Coffee (which is an incredible company by the way, whose business model is focused on inclusion by employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities) and found that the company was founded by Lindsay Wrege and Michael Evans. BINGO #2!

At this point, I was confident that the golden bull was going to be found at 321 Coffee, since all 3 of the clues were connected to here. The next piece of the puzzle was figuring out when the 4th clue would be dropped and the golden bull would be available to be found. Looking at the timing of the 3 clues, I noticed that Clue #1 was posted at 3am, Clue #2 was posted at 2am, and Clue #3 was posted at 1am…. 3-2-1. I then incorrectly concluded that the final clue was going to be posted at midnight, Saturday morning. Regardless, after a long day of anticipation, I arrived at 321 Coffee at midnight and after 10 minutes of searching, I found the golden bull hidden in a corner of their outdoor bar seating area!
​
Little did I know, that the 4th clue wouldn’t be posted until 6am, so my midnight “launch” theory was incorrect, but regardless, I was thrilled that I was able to discover the location of the golden bull using only the first 3 clues.

​(FOUND)

Golden Bull #2

Clue #1

​Welcome to Golden Bull #2. This time we make it easy.

We’ll tell you exactly where all the clues are located. You just have to solve them. In order to find the location of the bull you will need to use the provided grid, then figure out how the puzzles fit together with the grid.

Easy, right?

This bull will take you a little outside of the immediate downtown area. Good luck and happy hunting.

“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” –Willy Wonka

Note: BCBB is closed on Mondays so if you find the bull Monday, please email us at moocow@bullcityburgerandbrewery.com with your name and phone number. Thanks

**Remember, any pictures or social posts equal instant disqualification.

GOLDEN BULL #2 WAS FOUND BY: Camden

​HERE'S THE STORY IN HIS OWN WORDS:
My wife, Anjana, and I have been long-time hunters, dating back to 2015.

We've come close several times over the years, but the elusive golden bull has always been just out of our reach. We missed the first bull this year, so we were excited to get an early start on the second. When the clues came out, I jumped in the car and raced over to the Scrap Exchange.

Luckily, you guys made the collection of clues really easy for this one.

I snapped pictures of clues 1-4 in the Lakewood area, and then went home to start sorting them out with my wife. I'm a huge fan of word games, so figuring out the first four clues was pretty quick.

After about 15 minutes, we had come up with: -SIX, WHY, GUM, & JOB. We were a bit confused on how to apply the answers to the word grid, but after several iterations and a quick consultation with some friends (Thanks Brook & Tony!) we realized that if we crossed out all the letters from the clues, we were left with: PART AND PARCEL.

We jumped back in the car and sped over to their new location. There were a couple hunters there already milling around and I thought we were going to be too late again. But sure enough, after about 20 minutes of searching I reached up to find the bull in its hiding place.

​Sweet, sweet burger glory!

​(FOUND)

Golden Bull #3

Clue #1

This time you really have a puzzle to solve. I mean, a real puzzle, as in with pieces that you fit together into an image. So start your preparations now.

Are you a lone wolf puzzler or more of a team puzzler?
We will have the pieces set up on a worktable inside the restaurant. You are welcome to come work on it or just watch others work on it.

Here’s the catch, you need to see the image, or enough of the image to figure out where to find the bull. Relax, have a beer and a bite to eat while you build a section or an edge. We would show you the puzzle box cover, but oh shucks, we threw it out. You will all be puzzling as a giant team or cheering on the team.

In any case, we want to bring the Golden Bull Hunters together to meet, chat, and share stories.

Join us this Sunday for a real puzzle and one-day hunt. I anticipate lots of whispering going on during the build. Now bring us the bull!

“A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” - Willy Wonka
The final state of the puzzle

​GOLDEN BULL #3 WAS FOUND BY: Jenn

​​HERE'S THE STORY IN Her OWN WORDS:
I first learned about the Golden Bull in an Indy Week newsletter earlier this year. I have enjoyed many burgers and pickle chips from Bull City Burger over the years, but had never heard about the epic hunt for the bull. I love a puzzle and was excited to give it a go.

When the clues were released for the first bull, I was stumped. This would be harder than I thought! Looking back through my messy notes, at some point I did jot down 321 Coffee, but I was so stuck on clues 2 and 4 that I never went out to look.

With some scheduling conflicts for bulls 2, 4, and 5, bull number 3 was my only option for the year.

On Sunday I went down to Bull City Burger to join in the puzzle. I loved getting to work with other bull hunters and it added to the fun that we could watch who would be the first to run out the door and search.

I ran into a friend (shout out Varun!) who was also searching for the bull and we talked a little strategy.

As the puzzle started to come together there were scenes from across Durham. With about half of the puzzle completed, there was a sense that many of the images were from the American Tobacco Campus. Eager to go search, Varun and I set off across town and started searching around the restaurants at ATC. (In retrospect, searching ATC may have just been dumb luck!) Slowly a few other bull hunters showed up, but none of us were successful in finding the bull.

Worried that the bull had already been found and in need of new clues, I went back to Bull City Burger to check in. Back on the puzzle I could see that a few white stars had been completed in the picture, which validated one of the places we had been searching at ATC -- Five Star Restaurant.

With some renewed confidence, we headed back to Five Star to continue the search. After many rounds of searching outside, we wondered if there might be another entrance, and found a small lobby area inside the Tobacco campus. A little more searching, and there was the bull!!

​​(FOUND)

Golden Bull #4

Clues for golden bull #4

​GOLDEN BULL #4 WAS FOUND BY: Ankita

​​​HERE'S THE STORY IN HER OWN WORDS:
Having lived in Durham, Bull City Burger and Brewery was one of the first restaurants that we ever ate at.  However, it wasn’t until our good friends Camden and Anjana (Golden Bull #2 winner) told us about the Golden Bull competition on Friday night.  Being an incredibly competitive human being, I was immediately in.  I cancelled my Saturday morning plans (kids soccer game and school festival) to go find the bull. 

I got the text at 7 am from Camden that the clues were up and immediately got to work. 

Clue # 1: Initially we thought this was pointing us in the direction of a European inspired business and didn’t actually put this one together until the end when we realized it was an anagram for EDUCATION. 

Clues 2-4: These were so much fun! Having played many of the NYTimes puzzles these were fun and led us to the words: Business, Culture and South.

Clues 5-8: We weren’t sure what to make of these at first but started to realize that the clues were letters that needed to fit in somewhere.  Clue 5 was sign language for the letter O, clue 6 was BEER - BEE = R, clue 7 was all Anjana and her love for math who was able to figure out that the symbol represented OR in the math world, lastly clue 8 was the Wolfpack (NCSU) - Cam the RAM (CSU) = the letter N.  We had all of the letters but couldn’t make sense of what they meant until clue 9 was released...

Clue 9: we wrote out the musical notes with blank spots (C _ _ C _ _ A _).  That’s when it clicked.  Plugging in the random letters in order from clues 2-4 got us to CORCORAN Street.

By 9 am we were on Corcoran St. trying to piece together the earlier clues of EU, Business, Culture, and South.  We ended up at a lot of the wrong places including La Mala, EUtopia, etc.  With no luck at any of these spots we waited for the next clue which was soduku and got us to the color black. This led us to think that the bull would be hidden at the intersection of Corcoran and historic Blackwall St.

By the time we figured it out clue 11 was released and once again our math genius (who was at home) pulled out her graph paper and plotted the points revealing a picture of a top hat. 

This is when we started losing hope.  We couldn’t figure out how any of the previous clues tied into clues 10 and 11.  We had been up and down Corcoran Street creepily looking in every nook we could think of to find the bull. 

When the last clue was released, it finally all made sense.  The clue was released at 11:11 (opening time) and we were able to plug in all of our clues that then led us to the statue in front of Neomonde on Corcoran St.  The statue was a tribute to the visionary black leaders in the New South and had the top hat from clue 11 on it.  We found the golden bull tucked in the jacket in the statue. 
​
We celebrated the victory with lunch at Bull City Burger and Brewery!

Golden Bull #5

(1 Day Hunt:  March 31)