Cousins Maine Lobster

REMINISCING ABOUT THEIR CHILDHOOD IN MAINE, COUSINS SABIN LOMAC and Jim Tselikis look back fondly on family gatherings and the mainstay dish that was front and center at every barbecue, holiday, and pool party: Lobster. Food, family, and business opportunities were the topics of conversations between the two back in 2011, when Jim made a visit to Sabin at his home in Los Angeles.

Struck by the food-truck craze that had taken Los Angeles by storm, they decided to take on a “passion project.” They pooled their resources and debuted the first Cousins Maine Lobster truck in 2012, selling traditional lobster rolls, lobster tacos, tater tots, whoopie pies, and other traditional Maine fare. “We make Maine lobster an affordable luxury,” Tselikis says.

“We were hoping to break even, but before we even opened the truck, we had more than 75 people waiting in line,” he says. That first evening generated $7,000 in sales and an offer to be on “Shark Tank.” They refused at first, but eventually appeared on the show and made a deal with Shark Barbara Corcoran, who recommended franchising as a way to grow the business. “We didn’t even know what franchising was at that time,” says Tselikis.

Right out of the gate, the pair had thousands of requests from potential franchise partners. They started out with a select group of 10. “We didn’t want to grow too quickly. At the end of the day, we want good, ethical people to become part of our family. People who will treat this business like it’s their baby, just as we do,” Tselikis says.

Training is a thorough process including approximately six days in Los Angeles, where franchisees learn how to run the business. Franchisees then head to Maine where they fish with Maine Lobstermen, and learn about Maine’s unique sustainability practices. “The Maine lobster industry is the only certified sustainable lobster fishery in the world. We want our franchisees to become experts on the subject, and there’s no better way than experiencing it firsthand,” Tselikis says. Now with 32 trucks in 16 cities, the Cousins have added brick-and-mortar locations and are franchising those as well. “It’s high-end food in a fast-casual setting. We want everyone to have that real Maine lobster experience wherever they are,” Tselikis adds.

For more information, visit www.cousinsmainelobster.com