Cousins Maine Lobster Celebrates Ten Year Milestone & Strong Q1 with New Deals Across the U.S.

News provided by

Apr 27, 2022, 11:02 ET

Leading Mobile and Restaurant Dining Concept and Shark Tank Success Story Marks a Decade of Lobster with Plans for Expansion

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine , April 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cousins Maine Lobster, leading food truck concept and provider of the tastiest Maine lobster rolls across the country, announced the openings of two new territories in the United States as well as four signed franchise agreements in the first quarter of 2022. The new deals solidify a strong start to the year and mark another success milestone on the ten year anniversary of the brand, founded in April 2012.

Recent franchise food truck openings include brand new territories for the brand in Austin and San Francisco, expanding CML's footprint across the United States. Additionally, new deals were signed by veteran Cousins Maine Lobster franchisees in markets including Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Tampa, Florida. An additional six openings are planned for Q2 of this year.

With growth fueled by a hero product, sustainably harvested Maine lobster, and a successful turn on Shark Tank in 2012 that resulted in a longstanding partnership with Shark Barbara Corcoran, Cousins Maine Lobster has expanded into 35 major U.S. cities in 18 states with 36 food trucks and seven brick-and-mortar restaurants since the brand's inception. The brand has also added an e-commerce platform with shore-to-door offerings. Cousins Maine Lobster plans to continue domestic expansion with new deal signings and franchise openings in 2022 and beyond, for both food truck territories, and brick & mortar restaurants.

"Since 2012, our mission at Cousins Maine Lobster has been driven by a unique business model and the determination of every franchisee to succeed while bringing an authentic taste of Maine to their local market," said Jim Tselikis, Co-Founder of Cousins Maine Lobster. "We are proud of what we have already achieved in 2022 and look forward to continuing to build momentum with our current franchise partners."

"We are excited to sign on new franchisees in cities across the country and continue to bring our product to consumers in new territories," said fellow Co-Founder Sabin Lomac, of Cousins Maine Lobster.

In addition to expansion, Cousins Maine Lobster saw an uptick in YoY sales nationally with a 37% increase in 2021. The brand also continued to offer a fully immersive customer experience on every food truck with their smart signage displays with the 43" displays to showcase the brand story at every location. Furthermore, CML plans to embark on a pilot program with new kitchen display systems in Q2 and continue to expand on the company's mobile app offerings in 2022.

"2021 marked a year of expansion and investment for us, but none of that would have been possible without our incredible team. We added key people to our corporate staff. My cousin (Jim's sister) Annie Tselikis, is a fifteen-year veteran of the Maine lobster industry, and she joined the CML Family as Director of Sales and Marketing. We invested in a new distribution warehouse in Maine and we added several people to support that effort. We are committed to investing in the right people and resources that support the entire CML system and that will be true for 2022 as well," Lomac added.

Cousins Maine Lobster is looking to expand in markets throughout the United States, including but not limited to Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Minnesota, Orlando, St. Louis, Virginia Beach, and the Pacific Northwest. CML is looking for experienced, qualified franchisees to join their dynamic franchise family. To learn more about franchise development opportunities with Cousins Maine Lobster, visit https://www.cousinsmainelobster.com/franchise/.

About Cousins Maine Lobster

Founded in 2012 by real-life cousins and Mainers, Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, Cousins Maine Lobster began with two things: a food truck, and a shared vision to extend the highest-quality Maine lobster to the lobster-starved masses by making it affordable and accessible. After appearing on Shark Tank, Jim & Sabin partnered with Barbara Corcoran and began franchising, partnering with local owners and entrepreneurs to bring Maine lobster to over 30 cities across the country. For more information, visit cousinsmainelobster.com. Connect with CML on Instagram @cousinsmainelobster, Twitter @Cousinsmainelob, and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CousinsMaineLobster. Download the Cousins Maine Lobster Mobile App on iOS and Android to skip the line, save time, and earn rewards for purchases year round.

DISCLAIMER
This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for informational purposes only. An offer or solicitation can only be made by a Franchise Disclosure Document. This franchise offering is not being offered by us to residents of California, Hawaii, Indiana, Virginia, or Washington, until the offering has been registered and declared effective and an approved disclosure document has been properly delivered to the prospective franchisees.

Contact:
Sarah O'Connor-Guffey
Fish Consulting
815-630-9557
[email protected]

SOURCE Cousins Maine Lobster