Chi'Lantro BBQ facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Restaurant, food trucks |
|---|---|
| Founded | United States (2010) |
| Headquarters | |
| Owner | Jae Kim |
Chi'Lantro BBQ is a popular restaurant and food truck business. It started in Austin, Texas in 2010. This company mixes flavors from Korean and Mexican food. They began as a mobile truck and also offered catering. Now, they have many restaurants in the Austin area.
The name "Chi'Lantro" is a mix of two words: "kimchi" and "cilantro". Kimchi is a famous Korean dish, and cilantro is a herb used in Mexican food. This name shows how they combine these two cultures in their cooking. Chi'Lantro BBQ is especially famous for a dish called "Kimchi Fries."
Contents
History of Chi'Lantro BBQ
Chi'Lantro BBQ was started by Jae Kim in February 2010. Jae was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. when he was eleven. He had already owned a coffee shop before starting Chi'Lantro. He moved to Austin because it's a city with many different cultures.
At first, the food trucks served areas like Austin and Fort Hood, Texas. In 2012, they even had a food truck in Houston. However, they stopped the Houston food truck service in 2014. Jae Kim then decided to open a restaurant.
On January 19, 2015, the first Chi'Lantro restaurant opened in Austin. This meant people could now sit down and eat their food indoors. As of 2023, Chi'Lantro has more than ten locations in Austin, Texas. They also have one restaurant in Houston.
Delicious Menu Items
The menu at Chi'Lantro BBQ offers a mix of Korean and Mexican dishes. This is called "hybrid cuisine" because it blends two different food styles. Some popular items include:
- Kimchi Fries
- Ssäms (which means "wrap" in Korean)
- Curated Bowls
- Korean Fried Chicken Wings
They use ingredients like Korean BBQ Steak and Japchae noodles. They also have special sauces and fresh vegetables. Their famous Kimchi Fries are covered with Korean BBQ, caramelized kimchi, and shredded cheese. They also add onion, fresh cilantro, a special "magic sauce," sriracha, and sesame seeds.
How Chi'Lantro Operates
Before opening restaurants, Chi'Lantro mainly worked as a food truck. These trucks would stop at different places throughout the day. They would visit busy areas where many people work or shop. They also offered catering for events like parties, weddings, and festivals. This allowed them to serve food at many large gatherings.
By 2020, Chi'Lantro stopped using its food trucks. Now, they focus on their restaurant locations. Since January 2015, you can eat inside their restaurants.
Since April 2016, Chi'Lantro restaurants do not accept cash payments. You can pay using Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or any major credit or debit card.
Chi'Lantro in the Media
Chi'Lantro BBQ uses social media a lot to connect with its customers. They use apps like Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, and Facebook. They post updates on Twitter to let people know where their trucks (when they had them) would be.
They were also one of the first food businesses to use mobile devices for payments. They used Android and Apple phones to handle credit card transactions. Chi'Lantro is also known for its fun commercials on YouTube. Some of their commercials include "It's That Good," "Fries Like a G6," and "Chi'Lantrofied!"
Awards and Recognition
Chi'Lantro BBQ has received a lot of attention. By 2011, their food trucks were shown on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel. In 2014, Huffington Post named them one of their favorite food trucks at SXSW.
In November 2016, the founder, Jae Kim, appeared on the TV show Shark Tank. On the show, he got a $600,000 investment from Barbara Corcoran. This investment gave her a 20% share in Chi'Lantro BBQ.
Images for kids
-
2015 SXSW food truck lot
See also
- KoMex
- List of food trucks
