Tweeting for Kimchi Tacos

Travel Blog  •  Julia Ross  •  02.25.09 | 2:43 PM ET

I’ve always envied the whole L.A. taco truck subculture; if I lived out there, I think I’d probably overdose on all the spicy goodness. Now that I’ve heard the story of the Kogi taco truck, I’m really jealous. Launched in November, the truck has gained an avid following for its fusion of Korean barbecue and traditional taco/burrito fare (imagine topping juicy carne asada with soy-sesame chili). But what’s really making news is the owners’ unusual marketing approach, which involves Tweeting the truck’s expected location a couple hours ahead of arrival, setting off a taco-minded flash mob. 

According to the Los Angeles Times, the operation has become a “social networking juggernaut,” drawing between 300 and 800 people at each stop, with waits of up to two hours (Kogi staff play Japanese reggaeton to soothe the crowds). Even more interesting, it’s a bicoastal effort: Kogi’s public relations maven, Alice Shin, writes the Twitter feed and blogs about the truck’s doings all the way from New York. There’s a Flickr photostream, as well.

All I can say is: cool. I’d fly to the left coast just to check this out. Meantime, I think we need to send a certain World Hum coeditor up to L.A. on special assignment. Jim?


Julia Ross is a Washington, DC-based writer and frequent contributor to World Hum. She has lived in China and Taiwan, where she was a Fulbright scholar and Mandarin student. Her writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Time, Christian Science Monitor, Plenty and other publications. Her essay, Six Degrees of Vietnam, was shortlisted for "The Best American Travel Writing 2009."


2 Comments for Tweeting for Kimchi Tacos

Jim Benning 02.25.09 | 6:15 PM ET

Oh yeah, I’m up for it, Julia.

I heard about this recently and was in LA last weekend hoping to score some Korean tacos, but the timing didn’t work out. I wound having dinner in Little Tokyo, which, I have to say, is a pretty great part of town.

Next time, I’ll be sure to track down some Korean tacos and return with a full report.

Mike Prasad 02.27.09 | 9:46 PM ET

Jim: email me at mike at kogibbq and let me know when you’ll be at the truck! We’ll get you some Kogi!

Julia: if you’re ever in LA, hit me up too!

Thanks for the article!

@MikePrasad
Brand & Social Media Guy at KogiBBQ

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