Two franchisees for Cousins Maine Lobster are establishing a presence in central Illinois to address what they believe is a demand for quality seafood here.
“Last year we came here for a tour and had a massive response compared to any other metro area,” said Yunus Shahul. He and his brother, Thameem Shahul, currently have 22 Cousins Maine Lobster food trucks operating in various markets, with two more in the works to serve central Illinois.
Four of their trucks are located in the Chicago area, but Shahul said the visit to White Oaks Mall last August convinced them there was “a huge opportunity for us to explore more areas in and around Springfield.”
“So far, the feedback has been great,” he said. “People love lobster, and I think they couldn’t find great seafood here.”
Shahul said he has been in the hospitality business for the past 20 years, operating both restaurants and food trucks. Shahul and his brother became franchises for Cousins Maine Lobster in 2018 after seeing one of the company’s food trucks at a festival in New York.
“We had our food truck at the same festival, but Cousins was the only truck that had a long line, even after the festival had closed down. That caught my eye, and I wondered what was special about it,” he said.
Cousins Maine Lobster was founded in 2012 when cousins Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, who lived in the Los Angeles area, decided to open a food truck that offered the type of food they had grown up eating in Portland, Maine. The company appeared on “Shark Tank” and received an investment from Barbara Cororan, then started franchising in 2014. The first brick-and-mortar location opened in West Hollywood in 2015.
The trucks are best known for lobster rolls, served Maine-style (chilled with mayo) or Connecticut-style (warm with butter and lemon). Other menu items include New England clam chowder, lobster tacos, lobster grilled cheese and loaded lobster tots.
While Shahul said one Cousins Maine Lobster truck is now operational in the Springfield-Peoria area, a second one that will also serve this market is scheduled to launch next month.
The food truck will be parked at Scheels from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, March 8. Shahul said the full schedule will be posted on the Facebook page and in the Cousins Maine Lobster app.
