ASDF

I subscribe to an exclusive newsletter called UrbanDaddy, which is surprisingly good with their recommendations for LA’s restaurants, night life, and anything interesting (and expensive, eck!). It was in one of these issues that I knew about an infamous Korean BBQ taco truck (which, if you think about it, is really a brilliant idea) that people have been obsessively tracking online. As a self-acclaimed food snob, I NEED to try it out. After 1 google search, I was linked to kogi’s blog, their twitter, and showered with positive reports on Yelp! and LA Times. After dragging my friends to wait in line for over 60 minutes, I sank my teeth into some tangy meaty tacos, standing in a very cold Thursday midnight.

I am not going to comment on the taste (which I really should do on my half-defunct food blog…), but the experience of waiting in line with my friends, and with over a hundred of people in front of me was exhilarating. The uncertainty of whether you will get your food (they do sell out on some nights, we were obsessively checking twitter to make sure that it was not one of those nights), the lingering fear of getting your car towed (there were a lot of parking enforcement people around), the effects of the smell of BBQ on an empty stomach, the random eccentric girl dressed in weird clothing dancing with her tacos and being filmed by her friends (I later discovered she is a blogger, and even made a video)… are all part of the Kogi experience.

Then, a few weeks later, we unexpectedly had Mike Prasad- Brand & New Media Director for Kogi BBQ to speak to us in class. It was very enlightening to look at how Kogi operated, and how successful they new media strategy worked.

Blogging, Tweeting, outreach to the community is almost “Duh?” for anyone working in the web 2.0 business, but how many companies have successfully implemented it? The beauty of Kogi is the build up of anticipation and the mystery of a food truck that you do not know where to find if you are not in. For food, it is a great business model: people are used to waiting in lines at fast food restaurants and other taco trucks, and the smell of the food and unsatisfied hunger are a few of the only things that will keep people in line. If Kogi sell clothes, I am sure it would not have worked out the same way… (ebay!) The product and the strategy worked really well together to create the buzz needed. And the longer the line, the louder the buzz! Genius!

A few weeks passed, and UrbanDaddy once again told me about Kogi, but now it is their permanent spot within the Alibi Room. Kogi is now not only a Taco truck that you need to track via twitter, but also a stand you can get tacos every night! I have to admit that part of me feel relieved that I will know where to get my dose of Korean BBQ Tacos without working like a private detective, but another part of me is slightly disappointed … After all, you are not going to get dancing bloggers at midnight at just any taco stand. But the foodie side of me is probably still going to try out the new Kog.