Cousins Maine Lobster, a Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based operator of lobster food trucks and restaurants, has expanded rapidly nationwide, taking the brand’s popular food truck concept on the road to several locations across the U.S.
Founded in 2012 as a single food truck by cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, both of whom hail from Maine, the company’s popularity skyrocketed after the cousins appeared on Shark Tank and partnered with Barbara Corcoran, a real estate mogul and investor who is a co-host on the popular reality show.
“On the day we launched, the Shark Tank producers saw we were coming to Los Angeles and asked us to audition. My brother [Jim] said no to Shark Tank twice,” Cousins Maine Lobster Director of Marketing and Franchise Sales Annie Tselikis recalled. “They had no valuation on the company but knew that with the first truck, they [only] had to sell 37 lobster rolls to break even.”
Through a franchising model set up with the help of Corcoran, the company has grown to eight restaurants and around 60 food trucks in 30 markets. Each market includes a cluster of cities that the mobile CML food trucks visit.
“All of our growth had been more organic, [but] now, we would like to be more strategic and targeted,” Annie Tselikis said.
This year, the company has expanded its presence of food trucks in several regions, including its first Pacific Northwest location, which opened in Portland, Oregon, in mid-July.
“Portland has an amazing food scene, and food trucks and food carts are incredibly popular. The area is home to vibrant breweries and wineries. We find great synergies with beverage companies and love collaborating with other small business owners,” Raj Mohan, who operates the franchise along with his brother Rahul, said in a press release. “Right now, there are limited options for lobster in the market, and we are confident that the quality of our product and our service will be a hit with seafood lovers throughout the region.”
The Mohan brothers also operate three CML food trucks and are currently in development on a brick-and-mortar location in San Francisco, California. In February 2023, the Mohans expanded into Denver, Colorado, with the first CML food truck in that territory.
Other CML franchisees are busy across the country, adding three trucks in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland market, with plans to open three more in the nation’s capital in the near future. In early July, the company also expanded to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and will add another truck in the Cleveland, Ohio, area soon.
“We have created a market segment to make the product more accessible and affordable for people, [compared to] being in a fine-dining setting,” Annie Tselikis said.
Lobster prices have come down from record highs a few years ago, helping CML franchisees offer more favorable prices and making lobster a more approachable option for budget-conscious consumers, Annie Tselikis told SeafoodSource.
The company’s prices vary by market but remain competitive across the country, including in the incredibly competitive lobster market “right here in Maine,” Annie noted. CML’s Portland, Maine, food truck sells lobster rolls for USD 24.00 (EUR 21.85) each, while other restaurants in the city sell them for USD 36.00 (EUR 32.78) and higher, she said.
Among the many reasons behind CML’s success and growth is its replicable, flexible franchise model according to Jim Tselikis. Additionally, people who live far from the coasts are often interested in eating lobster but unfamiliar with how to cook or shuck one, but Tselikis said CML makes it easy for customers by featuring “accessible” dishes like lobster rolls and tater tots that are brought “right into their neighborhood.”
“The mobility of our food trucks creates an opportunity to provide the best lobster in the world to guests in markets where lobster or seafood traditionally would not be available,” he said. “As a result, [we] have built a loyal following and great demand.”
Also helping was surging consumer demand for seafood during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tselikis said.
“We loved to see those really robust numbers, exposing [more] people to seafood,” she said.
Now, the company is capitalizing on the overall success of the food truck industry, which is boasting around a 10 percent annual growth rate in the U.S., according to Zippia, compared to a 5 percent growth rate for quick-service restaurants.
But that doesn’t mean CML executives want to ignore the brick-and-mortar side of their business. The company plans to add more permanent restaurants across the country, with an eye on nontraditional spots, such as food halls and airports. “It’s a category within the brick-and-mortar space we would like to tap into,” Annie Tselikis said. “There are a number of different ways we can establish ourselves with franchisees.”
The company has expanded its staff to accommodate its rapid growth. It now has 22 employees who work at both its corporate office in Portland, Maine, and its satellite office in Los Angeles. The company recently hired quick-service restaurant industry veteran Angela Coppler as its new head of development.
“Angela brings an incredible skill set ranging from real estate to brand strategy and financial acumen to talent development to our Cousins Maine Lobster system. Her leadership and expertise are critical for us as we are focused on responsibly expanding the brand. We are thrilled to have her on board," Jim Tselikis said in a release.
Photo courtesy of Cousins Maine Lobster
