Case Study:
Ah, the food truck! Long ago, food trucks parked outside a factory or office building or on a college campus were dubbed “ptomaine trailers” and “roach coaches” because they dispensed eats that only the brave—or the seriously famished—would consume. But today, the food truck concept has morphed into a valuable channel for delivering high-quality food at affordable prices to people in neighborhoods that can’t support gourmet restaurants and where healthful eating isn’t always the norm. Helping to change the food truck’s image and introduce gourmet cuisine to the masses is Los Angeles chef Roy Choi, the son of Korean immigrants, who grew up on the streets of Koreatown. A law-school dropout, Choi became inspired to enroll in culinary school while watching chef Emeril Lagasse on TV. Preparing delicious, healthy food for people of modest means has become something of a calling for Choi. He gets passionate when he talks about it: “It’s convenient to eat horrible food, and it’s so difficult to eat great food. It’s O.K. to eat flaming-hot Cheetos and never read books or eat vegetables.” After working as a hotel and restaurant chef, Choi borrowed a truck from a friend and began serving a mix of Korean and Mexican cuisine—short-rib tacos and kimchi quesadillas—to targeted neighborhoods. Another friend created visibility for Choi’s enterprise, Kogi BBQ, through Twitter and a Web site. The first couple of months, the venture simply broke even, but by the end of Year One, Kogi BBQ had generated $2 million in sales, with the average tab around $13. Today, Kogi BBQ operates four trucks in Los Angeles. For aspiring restaurateurs and entrepreneurial chefs, a food truck represents an opportunity for those who lack the capital to open a restaurant. The trucks are like rolling warming kitchens that can fit into empty niches or park on a corner, revitalizing street life or providing some sense of community where none existed before. Choi’s business has led to numerous “copycat” food truckers and helped build momentum for the food-truck enterprise in Los Angeles. Now, a nondescript corner in Santa Monica serves as a gathering place for a number of trucked-in food stops serving a wide variety of eats, from sushi to grilled cheese. Food & Wine magazine recently named Choi one of the best new chefs in America. The annual award recognizes ten new chefs who are “changing the landscape of eating.” But success hasn’t changed Roy Choi: his goals remain intact. His most recent endeavor: a sit-down restaurant in an old strip mall. Choi didn’t spend money beautifying the space, however; the fare includes rice bowls for $7 to $9 and, he points out, the plates are mismatched.
Q1. What did Roy Choi do to build the Kogi BBQ brand? What measures has he taken to extend the brand? In your opinion, would further expansion hurt Roy Choi’s efforts? Why?
Q2. The introduction of Kogi BBQ has led to several other food truck businesses in and around Los Angeles. Does this competition help or hurt Choi’s mission?
Your answer must be typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman font (size 12), one-inch margins on all sides, APA format and also include references.