Cousins Maine Lobster facts for kids
 |
|
| Industry | Foodservice |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founders | Jim Tselikis, Sabin Lomac |
| Headquarters | |
Cousins Maine Lobster is a popular business that sells delicious lobster dishes from food trucks. It started in Los Angeles, California, but now has many locations all over the United States. They are famous for bringing the taste of Maine lobster to people everywhere!
How It All Started
The idea for Cousins Maine Lobster began in 2011. Two cousins, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, were talking about their favorite foods from growing up in Portland, Maine. They loved the lobster they ate there.
They noticed how popular food trucks were in Los Angeles. So, they decided to start their own business selling Maine lobster from a truck in the L.A. area.
First Steps and Growth
The very first Cousins Maine Lobster food truck opened in 2012. It quickly became a hit! By 2014, they had four trucks operating in Southern California. They also started letting other people open Cousins Maine Lobster trucks in different cities. This is called franchising.
In 2012, the cousins appeared on a TV show called Shark Tank. On the show, entrepreneurs present their business ideas to investors, hoping to get money to grow. They received an investment of $55,000 from Barbara Corcoran, one of the investors. This helped them expand their business even more.
Expanding Beyond Trucks
In 2015, Cousins Maine Lobster opened its first regular restaurant. This "brick-and-mortar" location was in West Hollywood. It offered even more menu items than the food trucks.
At the time the restaurant opened, the company had 15 food trucks in 11 different cities. By 2017, they had grown to 26 trucks operating in 13 states!
In April 2018, the cousins published an ebook. They hoped it would inspire other people to start their own businesses and never give up on their dreams.
Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac also had a new TV show called "Food Truck Rehab." It premiered on The Food Network on April 11, 2021.
As of February 2024, Cousins Maine Lobster had grown to 60 locations across the country. They also had plans to open more locations, including in the Chicago area.
More to Explore
