Lobster roll food truck made famous on “Shark Tank” opening first Denver franchise

A lobster roll food truck chain that once appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank” is rolling into Denver.

This weekend, Cousins Maine Lobster is parking its first Colorado franchise at Edgewater’s Joyride Brewing Co. The food truck will serve “Connecticut-style” lobster rolls with warm lobster meat and butter; “Maine-style” rolls with chilled lobster meat and mayo; and warm cups of New England clam chowder and lobster bisque starting Saturday. There are also lobster tacos, quesadillas and grilled cheese. All the products are sourced directly from Maine.

Cousins Maine Lobster’s grand opening will be at Joyride, but the truck will be off to businesses throughout Denver, Lone Tree, Boulder and Littleton in the coming months.

“There are not a lot of lobster options in Denver, and the market is very food-truck friendly,” said Denver franchise owner Raj Mohan. “We have already experienced a warm welcoming from breweries and other businesses seeking to partner with us and we are excited to deepen our ties with the community.”

The business was founded in 2012 by cousins and Maine natives Jim Tselikis and Sabin Lomac, who came up with the idea while living in L.A. and longing for flavors of home. A few months later, the cousins appeared on “Shark Tank” and partnered with show regular Barbara Corcoran to franchise the concept and bring Maine lobster to more than 40 cities nationwide, with food trucks and a handful of restaurants.

Food trucks are a billion-dollar industry, so it’s no surprise to see franchises in the mix, but food truck chains aren’t common in Colorado, where the majority of trucks are locally owned.

“My daughter and I are big fans of ‘Shark Tank,’ and while we were visiting Dallas during Christmas time, we visited the food truck. Believe it or not, we stood two and a half hours in line,” Mohan said. “So I knew I had to be a part of this somehow.”

Mohan and his brother Rahul already own three other Cousins Maine Lobster food trucks in San Francisco, which they started in the summer of 2020. Mohan said they quickly plan to add a second food truck in the Denver market.

Joyride Brewing Company: 2501 Sheridan Blvd., Edgewater; Food truck open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; facebook.com/CMLDenver 

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