New Market Entry
Cousins Maine Lobster will launch its first Des Moines-area food truck on August 22, opening a new franchise territory in Central Iowa and continuing the brand's steady geographic expansion across the U.S. fast-casual seafood segment. The unit will operate out of Altoona, a Des Moines suburb, under franchisee Karan Singh, an existing operator within the CML system.
The Franchise Model
Founded in 2012 by cousins Sabin Lomac and Jim Tselikis and boosted by a high-profile appearance on Shark Tank — where the pair secured backing from Barbara Corcoran — Cousins Maine Lobster began franchising in 2014 and has since grown to more than 50 locations. The brand's go-to-market strategy centers on mobile food trucks deployed at community events, corporate campuses, breweries, and local gatherings, a format that lowers entry costs relative to brick-and-mortar buildouts and allows franchisees to establish brand recognition across a broad geography before committing to fixed locations. The company also operates brick-and-mortar restaurants and a shore-to-door e-commerce channel. Singh's Des Moines territory follows that playbook, targeting high-traffic community touchpoints across the greater metro area.
Lindsay Herberger, Director of Franchise Development at Cousins Maine Lobster, said Singh "understands the hospitality, energy and quality that define the CML experience," characterizing Des Moines as a "strong community-driven market." Co-founder Lomac is scheduled to appear at the August 22 grand opening, a brand-building tactic the company has deployed at prior market launches to generate earned media and local social engagement.
Menu and Sourcing
The Des Moines truck will carry the brand's core lobster-forward menu — including the chilled Maine Roll, the butter-finished Connecticut Roll, and the Garlic Butter Roll with Parmesan — alongside lobster tacos, lobster grilled cheese, lobster bisque, and New England clam chowder. CML sources its lobster from Maine's coastal fishing communities, a provenance claim that anchors the brand's premium positioning in a fast-casual price tier and differentiates it from lower-cost seafood competitors in the Midwest market. That supply-chain story has become increasingly important to operators competing for consumers willing to pay above-average check averages for traceable protein sourcing, a trend reshaping fast-casual menus across the country.
The Iowa entry also reflects broader franchise activity in secondary and tertiary Midwestern markets, where demand for experiential dining formats — including food trucks tied to breweries and weekend events — has grown meaningfully since 2022. For CML, markets like Des Moines offer lower real-estate friction than coastal metros while still delivering the foot-traffic density the mobile model requires. Operators in similar franchise expansion plays have pointed to the region's strong event culture and rising disposable income as key drivers of viability for premium fast-casual concepts.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
