Chi'Lantro BBQ
Chi'Lantro BBQ is a Korean and Mexican fusion mobile truck and catering service.[1] Chi'Lantro serves in the Austin and Fort Hood, Texas areas. In 2012, Chi'lantro expanded beyond the Austin market and opened a truck in Houston. [2] The name "Chi'Lantro" is a portmanteau of "kimchi" and "cilantro", two distinct cultural staples, reinventing traditional Korean and Mexican cuisine.[3] They are locally known as the originator of a dish known as Kimchi Fries.[4]
Menu
The menu for Chi'Lantro features hybrid cuisine inspired by Korean and Mexican food traditions. Items include Kimchi Fries, Seoul Burritos, Spicy Fries, Tacos,[5] Quesadillas and bulgogi Burgers.[1] Ingredients include combinations of bulgogi, Korean vinaigrette salad, eggs, Monterey Jack Cheese, limejuice, a proprietary "magic sauce" and sesame seeds. Its signature food, Kimchi Fries, are covered in caramelized bulgogi, shredded cheddar cheese, chile mayonnaise, yellow onion, chopped fresh cilantro, Thai chile sauce, and sesame seeds.[6]
Style of Operation
Chi'Lantro functions primarily as a mobile kitchen or food truck. The trucks make scheduled stops throughout Austin and Ft. Hood, Texas in the mornings, afternoons and evenings in highly commercial areas. The scheduled routes of the Austin trucks reflects an appeal to consumers in the white-collar workforce in addition to manual laborers, the stereotypical customers for such establishments. Example stops include tech-industry hubs like the Austin offices of Google, NCSoft, and BioWare. They also offer catering services for parties, corporate events, promotions, weddings, festivals, conventions, and various large social events in the area.[7]
Use of Internet and Social Media
Chi'Lantro has made extensive use of social media applications such as Twitter, Foursquare, Yelp, and Facebook to connect with its tech savvy customer base in the Austin area. They rely on publishing of tweets to keep their customers informed about where each truck is going to be located. Chi'Lantro is also one of the many food trucks in the Austin area and nationwide to pioneer the use of Android and Apple mobile devices for credit card transactions and the organization of finances.[8] Chi'Lantro is popular on YouTube for its series of commercials targeted to its fans: It's That Good, Fries Like a G6 and Chi'Lantrofied!
Participation in Special Events and Promotions
- Nocturnal Festival: September 6, 2010
- 21st place in Food Network's The Great Food Truck Race: August 10, 2010[9]
- Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival, Austin, TX: November 2010[10]
- Charity promotion for Japanese Earthquake Relief: March 2011[11]
- SXSW Promotion with Intuit GoPayment and Loopt[12]
- Texas Craft Brewers Festival: September 24, 2011[13]
- Fun Fun Fun Festival: November 2011
References
- ^ a b [1] Cooking Channel. "Barbeque This | Eat Street" Episode: CCEAT-108H. February 28, 2012
- ^ [2]Eater | Houston. "Chi'Lantro Announces Houston Open Date." November 29, 2011
- ^ [3]Chi'Lantro BBQ's main website | Homepage
- ^ [4] UrbanSwankBlog. "The Original Maker of Kimchi Fries" December 9, 2011
- ^ [5]dishtip | What to Eat and Where| "Tacos and Kimchi Fries"
- ^ [6]Cooking Channel: Kimchi Fries Recipes.
- ^ [7]Yahoo Voices. "Chi'lantro BBQ: Fresh Fusion to Go" February 16, 2011
- ^ [8]Mashable. "How 9 Food Trucks Use Tech To Drive Business." July 14, 2011.
- ^ [9]The Great Food Truck Race
- ^ [10] Gypsy Picnic. Food & Music: "Chi'Lantro BBQ"
- ^ [11] myFOXaustin: Austin Food Vendor Raises Money for Japan Relief
- ^ [12]Mashable.com: Chi'Lantro BBQ - Offering a Deal, #4 in the article
- ^ [13] Texas Craft Brewers Festival
