In Los Angeles, Kogi is all the rage. Mix Korean and Mexican cuisine together into a taco and you get something pretty special -- So much so that people are willing to hunt, chase, and wait in line for (sometimes up to two hours a pop).
Two trucks hit the city streets and post updates to Twitter letting their followers know where they’ll be showing up next. People gather at the disclosed location awaiting their coveted prize: Their $2 fusion taco.
Is it the food, the exclusivity, or both? What we do know is that the demand is high and the creators of Kogi are on to something. Converge traditional mobile fast food (as in transportation) with social media to yield a self-fueling business model. One that is doing so well, the company is adding a couple more trucks and is considering expanding to NYC.
Next time I’m in L.A., I hope to see if the payoff is worth it. But in the mean time, I’ll continue to be intrigued by their far reaching (amplified) marketing for such a local offering.
It seems because their operation is so small. Kogi is really able to exploit their mobility and story telling abilities. Plus $2 is cheap...even in a recession.
Posted by: Stuart Foster | June 07, 2009 at 04:24 PM
I hear ya, Stuart. It reminds me of a mobile food joint we had at UNH called "Karl's". If only Twitter was around back then ;-)
Posted by: Mike Proulx | June 07, 2009 at 04:52 PM