Eater LA - Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson Open LocoL in WattsThe Los Angeles Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2016-01-19T09:06:14-08:00http://la.eater.com/rss/stream/105521712016-01-19T09:06:14-08:002016-01-19T09:06:14-08:00LocoL Draws Hundreds to Watts in Massive Grand Opening Party
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<img alt="Outside LocoL, Watts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OqaP4q7uZRVxLMK0E5O9KDIrIfA=/135x0:1909x1331/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48592053/2016-01-18-locol-opening-001.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Outside LocoL, Watts | <a href='http://www.instagram.com/wonhophoto'>Wonho Frank Lee</a></figcaption>
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<p>Roy Choi, Daniel Patterson, Jon Favreau, Jim Brown, Lena Dunham, Eric Garcerti: all on site.</p> <p>Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson's <b><a href="http://la.eater.com/venue/locol" class="sbn-auto-link">LocoL</a></b> <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2016/1/4/10708768/locol-fast-food-watts-january-18-opening-date-los-angeles">opened with a bang</a> in Watts yesterday, as lines stretched around the corner and down the block from the 103rd Street storefront. Balloons arched the street as locals, politicians, celebrities, food media, and anyone interested in the genre-bending fast food brand stopped in to get a look at the action.</p>
<p>Jon Favreau worked the room early while Choi kept the line upbeat; later, Lena Dunham and Gillian Jacobs ducked inside for food. Football legend Jim Brown showed up in a blue Bentley to cut the ribbon while mayor Eric Garcetti made a cameo around 1 p.m. Even Tony Konecny, founder of Tonx and the man behind <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2016/1/7/10733744/one-dollar-coffee-locol-tonx">LocoL's $1 specialty coffee initiative</a>, was on hand to welcome in the new restaurant.</p>
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<img alt="Locol Watts 2" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/N8I4D78vXXfDF8VmOwOxeisEBe0=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5916237/2016-01-18-locol-opening-022.0.jpg">
<cite>Matthew Kang</cite>
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<p>The first customers arrived well before 8 a.m., and by 11:15 a.m. the line was moving in chunks of 15 people at a clip, though most folks didn't start eating by closer to noon. Still the process was impressively coordinated and never fell into mania, instead keeping an upbeat tone — the DJ on hand helped — throughout the early afternoon.</p>
<p>The corner location itself is as functional as it gets, with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_-xJ0eNfBN/">blank cubes for seating</a> and a small patio out back. Menu signage wraps the room, while big, open windows sit under roll down metal doors meant for locking up at night. The whole thing is situated across the street from Florence Griffith Joyner elementary school, which is smart for any place — Roy Choi or not — serving burgers and chicken nuggets.</p>
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<img alt="LocoL Watts 3" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pQMNXgs1ElUwd8RV2NdsPipx7Qo=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/5916241/2016-01-18-locol-opening-011.0.jpg">
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<p>Speaking of which, Patterson and Choi's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BAnFZ8QgG0D/?taken-by=welocol">menu is a mix of fast food favorites</a> and modern staples, though fries and sodas are noticeably absent from the options. There's also nothing over $6, including $4 breakfast toad in a hole options (the breakfast menu isn't available quiet yet) and $2 <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BADd-oCtfOz/">taco amalgamations</a>, called in LocoL parlance 'foldies'.</p>
<p>Hours right now run 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.</p>
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https://la.eater.com/2016/1/19/10788190/locol-watts-grand-opening-partyFarley Elliott2016-01-07T16:15:11-08:002016-01-07T16:15:11-08:00LocoL Will Offer High-Quality One Dollar Cups of Coffee Thanks to Tonx Founder
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<img alt="LocoL Coffee Cup" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qgVKu6chqrCGmASxF6KTb9jOWdc=/0x153:1180x1038/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48521095/locolcoffee.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>LocoL Coffee Cup | <a href='https://www.instagram.com/p/8jgT04AG7v/?taken-by=welocol'>Instagram</a></figcaption>
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<p>Roy Choi, Daniel Patterson, and Tony Konecny are going to attempt the impossible.</p> <p>Tony Konecny, who co-founded Tonx Coffee (which <a href="http://www.eater.com/2014/4/7/6247359/blue-bottle-acquires-las-tonx-and-handsome-coffee" target="_blank">eventually got acquired by Blue Bottle</a>), is partnering with Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson's LocoL to present affordable $1 cups of coffee at the budding fast food chain. Konecny, <a href="https://medium.com/@tonx/locol-and-a-one-buck-cup-of-coffee-ae347d8346b4#.9ngda7mgg" target="_blank">who posted the news on Medium earlier today</a>, teamed up with LocoL after Choi and Patterson reached out on how they could brew cheap, but tasty cups of coffee using the kind of quality one might expect at a typical Third Wave roaster.</p>
<p>The answer, says Konecny, was developing and producing the coffee beans in house instead of trying to get partnerships with established companies. Konecny is bringing on Intelligentsia and Tonx alum Sumi Ali to help spearhead the project, which should complement LocoL's breakfast program once that debuts. LocoL's first location opens in <a href="http://la.eater.com/2016/1/4/10708768/locol-fast-food-watts-january-18-opening-date-los-angeles" target="_blank">Watts come January 18,</a> with San Francisco's Tenderloin outlet opening soon as well.</p>
<p>Maybe McDonald's should really be worried, because their celebrated coffee won't be the only cheap fast food option within a few weeks.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2016/1/7/10733744/one-dollar-coffee-locol-tonxMatthew Kang2016-01-04T11:15:02-08:002016-01-04T11:15:02-08:00Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi's LocoL Opens January 18 in Watts
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<img alt="LocoL, Watts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kl6N_EZRFn5-cyxq5GU1JW1-S6I=/256x0:1024x576/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48492285/locol-watts-exterior-construction.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>LocoL, Watts | <a href='https://twitter.com/welocol'>Twitter</a></figcaption>
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<p>Get ready.</p> <p class="p1">Get out your desk calendars and a Sharpie marker: <b>LocoL</b> arrives on January 18 in Watts.</p>
<p class="p1">The news landed over the long holiday weekend and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_-xJ0eNfBN/">comes straight from Roy Choi himself</a>, who blasted the info out into the world via his Instagram account. Per the post, the Monday Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will mark the arrival of the <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2015/4/16/8435085/roy-choi-patterson-locol-watts-wall-street-journal-conversation">most-anticipated fast food franchise</a> maybe ever, with doors opening at 11 a.m. sharp. Expect a wait.</p>
<p class="p2"><span>What’s more, the first 100 people in line will also get their very own LocoL swag bag and, apparently, some free food to boot. That includes </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BADd-oCtfOz/">these so-called Foldies</a> <span>(quesadillas? tacos? who knows), which the team is experimenting with still — and handing out to the community as well.</span></p>
<p class="p1">You can also get a quick peek inside what looks to be the finished first location over on Choi’s Instagram. Hint: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/_-xJ0eNfBN/">lots of multi-functional blocks</a> and big, glassy, swinging doors that open out into the street.</p>
<p class="p1">LocoL Watts launches January 18, with the Tenderloin location in San Francisco to follow shortly after.</p>
<p class="p1"><i>LocoL<br>1950 E. 103rd St.<br>Watts, CA</i></p>
https://la.eater.com/2016/1/4/10708768/locol-fast-food-watts-january-18-opening-date-los-angelesFarley Elliott2015-09-09T11:15:03-07:002015-09-09T11:15:03-07:00Roy Choi's Loco'l Now Targeting Christmas Day for Watts Arrival
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<img alt="Loco'l, Watts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TvCD0wKJYSYFJmV2E3MF7aoFHu4=/125x0:984x644/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47141652/locol_watts_location.0.0.png" />
<figcaption>Loco'l, Watts</figcaption>
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<p>Or, let's hope so.</p> <p class="p1">New details on the<b> Loco’l </b>front, as the long-gestating healthy fast food mini-empire plans a late-2015 arrival in Watts.</p>
<p class="p1">Initially thought to be <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2015/3/12/8203275/roy-choi-daniel-patterson-watts-locol-twitter-vital-updates">a summer baby</a>, Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson’s genre-busting fast food option Loco’l has encountered a few snags while trying to set up shop on 103rd near the Watts Towers. But things are still progressing along, even if San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood is now the first new likely arrival for the brand. In fact, everyone is apparently eyeing a December 25 debut in Watts — yep, Christmas Day.</p>
<p class="p1">The news comes from Loco’l’s own <a target="_blank" href="https://instagram.com/p/7V69kdAG7S/">Instagram account</a>, which not only shows Patterson putting together one of their signature burgers (Tartine Bakery bun and all), but also dishes on the proposed opening date in Watts. Of course, it’s only that for now — proposed — but the timing would make an awful lot of sense.</p>
<p class="p1">After all, Choi and Patterson’s plan for Loco’l is to redefine the unhealthy eating habit tied to some of the nation’s most underserved neighborhoods, and what better way to welcome in the local community than with a Christmas Day bonanza of food and chef photos?</p>
<p class="p1">As for the space, it’s still coming along. The <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2015/3/19/8255885/first-look-roy-choi-locol-watts-inside-video-watch">last time anyone checked</a>, there was plenty of work to be done, so hopefully construction, R&D, and permitting all line up for a late-year Loco’l arrival.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2015/9/9/9295805/roy-choi-locol-christmas-day-watts-coming-news-updateFarley Elliott2015-03-19T09:00:02-07:002015-03-19T09:00:02-07:00Here's Your First Look Inside Roy Choi's Upcoming Loco'L in Watts
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kDcJaY6_OfsuHDHE8ztC84UMgf8=/21x0:1101x810/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45938938/roy-choi-watts-youtube.0.0.png" />
<figcaption><a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPiXxoUp4ww''>Joe Buscaino</a></figcaption>
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<p>The recently funded Choi takes Councilman Buscaino on a tour.</p> <p class="p1">Just one day after officially <a href="http://la.eater.com/2015/3/18/8244921/roy-choi-daniel-patterson-locol-funded-indiegogo-watts" target="_blank">making good on his Indiegogo campaign</a> for the new fast food concept Loco’L, L.A. chef <strong>Roy Choi </strong>is showing off the restaurant’s future digs in Watts, per the above video.</p>
<p class="p1">Along with 15th District Councilman Joe Buscaino, who oversees Watts, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPiXxoUp4ww" target="_blank">Choi heads over to 103rd Street to walk through the still bare-bones space and outline the bright-looking future for the genre-bending Loco’L.</a> It’s not much to see beyond the faded carpeting, loose plaster, and unkempt outdoor space, but Choi’s vision is clear.</p>
<p class="p1">Through much of the seven minute video, he outlines the Loco’L vision that he and <strong>Daniel Patterson </strong>have pioneered: fresh, creative fast food made with nourishing ingredients in a multi-purpose space that is open to the community — including an on-site commissary kitchen for classes and other local events.</p>
<p class="p1">Skip ahead in the video a couple of minutes to catch the walk-through, or stick out the whole seven minutes; Choi talks about the notion of rethinking fast food and his decision to land in Watts, which is due at least in part to the vital history of the South L.A. neighborhood.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2015/3/19/8255885/first-look-roy-choi-locol-watts-inside-video-watchFarley Elliott2015-03-12T13:30:03-07:002015-03-12T13:30:03-07:00Roy Choi Says Loco'L Watts Will Arrive First, Could Be as Soon as Summer
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<img alt="The Loco'L location in Watts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5RRIkck5AmxD07rA67QW3ZzT_Vo=/125x0:984x644/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45879428/locol_watts_location.0.0.png" />
<figcaption>The Loco'L location in Watts</figcaption>
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<p>The chef took to Twitter to drop the news.</p> <p class="p1">Everyone’s favorite multi-hyphenate chef <b>Roy Choi</b> is still blazing a warpath with his latest creation <b>Loco’L</b>. He and S.F.’s Daniel Patterson have been hard at work making <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2015/2/9/8007711/5-reasons-locol-roy-choi-daniel-patterson-fast-food-crowdsourcing">the funding rounds</a> in anticipation of their first two reimagined fast food openings in the Tenderloin and in Watts, respectively. But today comes some intriguing news.</p>
<p class="p1">After an early head start for the San Francisco storefront, Choi drops on Twitter today that <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RidingShotgunLA/status/576080066276298752">Watts may actually beat the Tenderloin to the punch</a>. That should be a surprising turn of events, but then again S.F.’s zoning and permitting laws are notoriously cumbersome. It’s just as likely that Watts pulled out a few of the stops along the path to opening — after all, this is the most anticipated Watts food story since the <a target="_blank" href="http://la.eater.com/2015/2/20/8079113/south-las-best-street-quesadilla-dining-on-a-dime-review">All Flavor No Grease</a> team started cooking quesadillas in a driveway off 108th Street.</p>
<p class="p1">Given its current trajectory, Choi says that a late summer or early fall release for the Watts location of Loco’L is likely. That’s a pretty small window in which to not only build out a restaurant from scratch, but revamp the entire fast food industry in the process.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2015/3/12/8203275/roy-choi-daniel-patterson-watts-locol-twitter-vital-updatesFarley Elliott2015-01-20T12:24:47-08:002015-01-20T12:24:47-08:00Roy Choi Reveals Next LocoL Will Open in Watts
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<img alt="LocoL Watts" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EXFTSZuiithyWGMsXf30_aadtpI=/125x0:984x644/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/45503436/locol_watts_location.0.0.png" />
<figcaption>LocoL Watts</figcaption>
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<p>Just blocks from the famous Watts Towers.</p> <p><b>Roy Choi</b> has announced his first location for <b>LocoL </b>in Los Angeles: Watts. <a href="https://twitter.com/RidingShotgunLA/status/557630316333244417" target="_blank">According to Twitter</a>, the chef has pinpointed the affordable fast food onto the corner of <a href="https://twitter.com/RidingShotgunLA/status/557629803508289536" target="_blank">103rd and Grape</a> at an former bodega. The sleepy location is just a few blocks away from the famous Watts Towers yet only 7.5 miles south of Downtown.</p>
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<img alt="Locol Twitter" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Dfyh-ENMLKLYdMGtvuIM0tiH1Y4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3322202/locol_grape_watts.0.jpg">
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<p class="caption">Photo credit: Roy Choi</p>
<p>The inner city location is a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.eater.com/2014/9/2/6163189/roy-choi-on-creating-a-revolutionary-kind-of-fast-food">testament</a> to Choi and partner Daniel Patterson's commitment to bring the ambitious, affordable, and healthy fast food restaurant to under served parts of the city.</p>
<p>LocoL's first spot was <a href="http://sf.eater.com/2014/12/17/7410719/daniel-patterson-roy-chois-locol-opening-at-tenderloins-most" target="_blank">announced last month</a> in the Tenderloin District of San Francisco. This Watts location echoes Choi's focus on South LA, where he already owns an eatery called Three Worlds Cafe that <a href="http://la.eater.com/2013/6/24/6414961/chef-roy-choi-contributes-to-3-worlds-cafe-downtown#4206420" target="_blank">serves healthy fare</a> in South Alameda.</p>
<p>No word on the projected opening, though the <a target="_blank" href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516589&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.indiegogo.com%2Fprojects%2Floco-l-revolutionary-fast-food-in-san-francisco&referrer=eater.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fla.eater.com%2F2015%2F1%2F20%2F7861851%2Froy-choi-locol-opening-watts-south-la-twitter" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Indiegogo campaign</a> meant to drum up some funds is still in progress. According to Choi's <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RidingShotgunLA/status/557630316333244417">tweet</a>, LocoL is slated to open this year in Watts.</p>
https://la.eater.com/2015/1/20/7861851/roy-choi-locol-opening-watts-south-la-twitterMatthew Kang