Cousins Maine Lobster, a food truck concept and provider of Maine lobster rolls, has announced an expansion into Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C, bringing six food trucks to the region over the next 18 months. Cousins Maine Lobster appeared in Shark Tank over a decade ago to help launch expansion and began franchising in 2014. The deal marks their first multi-unit franchise sale.
Yunus Shahul joined the Cousins Maine Lobster Franchise Family when he launched his first food truck in Connecticut in September 2018. Six months later, Shahul added a second truck dedicated to New York City. For expansion into the DMV market, Yunus will partner with his brother, Thameem. The brothers have worked together for the last four years as Yunus grew his operations in New York and southern New England. Yunus currently owns and operates five trucks across his territories.
“We have been very successful in New York. We saw the success of our peers in Philadelphia and New Jersey. We are confident we will find the same success in the DMV,” Yunus explained. “We are committed to investing in this market with the goal of building the same strong customer base that we have in our established markets.” Specific locations for the trucks have not yet been made available.
Cousins Maine Lobster operates fifty trucks in twenty states and maintains a tight-knit group of franchisees. “Our growth has been measured and strategic,” explained Jim Tselikis, Cousins Maine Lobster co-founder. “Not only has Yunus grown with Cousins Maine Lobster, but Cousins Maine Lobster has grown with Yunus. We truly believe that our strength is in our franchisees and we are thrilled to move into Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. with the Shahul brothers at the helm.”
