 | |
| Industry | Foodservice |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Jim Tselikis, Sabin Lomac |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
| Website | www |
Cousins Maine Lobster is a franchise food truck business based in Los Angeles, California. In addition to food truck locations in Southern California, it has franchise locations throughout the United States.
History
The idea for Cousins Maine Lobster came in 2011 when cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac were discussing food they used to eat while growing up in Portland, Maine. Impressed with the Los Angeles food truck industry, they decided to start selling Maine lobster in the L.A. area. The first truck opened in 2012 and by 2014 had four trucks in Southern California and signed up 10 franchisees in locations throughout the United States. The company received an investment of $55,000 from Barbara Corcoran after appearing on Shark Tank in 2012.
Cousins opened its first brick-and-mortar location in 2015 in West Hollywood with additional menu items not found on the food trucks. At the time of the store opening, the company was operating 15 food trucks in 11 cities, and 26 trucks in 13 states by 2017. In April 2018, the Cousins published an ebook in the hope of inspiring other entrepreneurs to start a business, and not lose hope.
On April 11, 2021, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac's new show, "Food Truck Rehab" premiered on The Food Network. As of February 2024, Cousins Maine Lobster had 60 locations and had plans to expand in the Chicago area.
See also
References
- ^ "From Food Truck to Franchise: How These Cousins Turned Their Love of Lobster Into a Business". Entrepreneur. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
- ^ Harris, Jenn (30 June 2015). "Cousins Maine lobster brings lobster martinis to first brick-and-mortar location". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- Feloni, Richard (21 June 2017). "The cofounder of a 'Shark Tank' success story shares the excellent advice Barbara Corcoran gave him during his first year in business". Business Insider. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
- "Two Maine cousins bought a food truck in 2012. Now they host a show on the Food Network". Boston Globe. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13.
- "Cousins Maine Lobster launching in Chicago". FastCasual.com. Archived from the original on 2024-02-25.
Sources
- Blount, Chuck (July 20, 2017). "Cousins Maine Lobster wins the 2017 Critics' Choice for Best Food Truck". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- "Food truck review: Cousins Maine Lobster always draws a crowd". The News & Observer. February 11, 2016. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- Meyer, Carla (January 22, 2016). "Dining review: Food truck satisfies Maine lobster craving". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
- Exclusive interview The Scope Weekly: How a Shark Tank investor and two Maine natives forged an incredible partnership, transforming a lobster roll food truck into a nationwide seafood enterprise. March 14, 2018 Barbara Corcoran & Cousins Maine Lobster: How a Lobster Roll Food Truck Became An Enterprise. Cousins Maine Lobster’s Inspirational Book: Speaking with Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis
Further reading
- DuDell, M.P. (2013). Shark Tank Jump Start Your Business: How to Launch and Grow a Business from Concept to Cash. Digital Picture Book. Disney Book Group. p. pt86-87. ISBN 978-1-4013-0620-5. Retrieved October 27, 2017.