He discovered lobster rolls, ate 10 in 3 days, then turned it into a career

“I probably had 10 lobster rolls in three days.”

Chris Yelton, founder of the popular Lobster Dogs food truck, first tried a lobster roll while on vacation in New York. With a plan to check out local restaurants, he and his wife found themselves in line for a 700-square-foot space known for lobster rolls.

“At the time I really wasn’t familiar with lobster rolls, but the line to the restaurant was down the street, so I knew it had to be worth the wait,” Yelton said. “We finally got through the line, and I was hooked. The rolls were so simple — just fresh lobster, butter and seasoning. We ended up there every day of our trip.”

Yelton, a Charlotte native, owns Sports Page Food & Spirits in Mooresville. A slow night at the restaurant acted as the catalyst for Yelton’s next big idea: a food truck serving lobster rolls.

What started as one truck in March 2016 has since expanded to three, which you can find in Charlotte, Winston-Salem and Greensboro. The trucks are usually open seven days per week and are most often found near One Wells Fargo in uptown, the NoDa Company Store, Eleven Lakes Brewing, Old Town Public House and King Canary Brewing.

We talked to Yelton about the idea for his wildly popular trucks and his future plans for expansion.

Humble beginnings

During a slow evening at Sports Page Food & Spirits, Yelton wondered why the usual customers had not taken their seats.

“I started asking my employees why we were slow, and one said, ‘Maybe it’s because of the food truck thing happening in downtown Mooresville.’

“Keep in mind, five years ago, the food truck scene was really not that big yet. I didn’t want to believe that we were slow for that reason. So, I got in my car and drove downtown to see if that was in fact why we were slower than usual. When I got to the food truck event, there had to be 2,000 people there. I was blown away.”

Yelton returned to his restaurant to tell his wife what he’d learned and shared his idea to build a truck to offset slow nights.

“When I started doing research, I noticed a lot of the same style of trucks — tacos, burgers, etc. I didn’t see many seafood trucks, and that’s when I told my wife I was going to build a truck with lobster rolls like we had in New York,” Yelton said.

“I knew nobody else was doing lobster rolls in a truck, and I also knew the ones we’d found in restaurants were nothing like what we’d had in New York. I thought, if a restaurant in New York could execute it out of a tiny 700-square-foot restaurant, I could execute it out of a truck. So I did. My goal was to put the most premium food item — lobster — in a very casual setting.”

Developing the menu

The original Lobster Dogs menu started with lobster, crab and shrimp rolls. Think fresh, chilled lobster in a toasted bun with warm butter and a blend of seasonings. Yelton adamantly pursued only the most premium lobster available in the market and supplemented the menu with other items like chicken salad (for non-seafood lovers) and a cold crab salad plate.

“I wanted to keep it very simple, as we were limited for space. I felt like — and still believe — if you only have 5-10 menu items, it allows you to really focus on those items, to make them as good as you possibly can. If you’re going to have a $16 item on your menu, it better be great with tons of attention to detail.”

Yelton shared that the menu has evolved since the truck first hit the road.

“I realized very quickly that a couple of items were not ‘oh wow’ items, like the chicken salad and crab salad. I adjusted, and that’s when I decided to try to make stuffed avocados with lobster.”

The popular stuffed avocados started out after a shipment accident. Two extra cases of avocados arrived at Sports Page Food & Spirits, and Yelton refused to let them go to waste.

“I put them on my truck with a few other ingredients and sauce (and most importantly, fresh lobster), and it was an instant hit. Customers would look at it and say, ‘Oh wow.’”

Yelton’s restaurant expertise carries over into managing the menu on the truck. He carefully curates each item and watches the local market’s response to determine whether to continue to serve certain items or to test something new.

“Our signature stuffed avocado is called the ‘Plan B.’ When trying to name the avocado dish, we said ‘plan A’ didn’t sell too well, let’s see if ‘plan B’ will. We’ve called it that ever since,” Yelton said.

“Once I saw the success we were having with one stuffed avocado on the meu, I started to develop some other stuffed avocado dishes. We now offer an Ahi Tuna Stuffed Avocado and a Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Avocado. The avocado piece to our menu is the same as our rolls — it’s a unique item you don’t see often.”

When I asked what sets Lobster Dogs apart from other food trucks in the area, Yelton responded like a true Southern gentleman. He declined to speak negatively about — and even praised — other trucks in the area.

“We just try to offer great premium food at an affordable price. We pride ourselves on being from this great market and for being the first lobster truck in town. We hope people are loving our food.”

Future plans

If you’re already a fan of Lobster Dogs, you’ll soon be able to enjoy your favorite menu items in more places.

“We sold our first franchise in the Asheville market. They got going in September and have been very well-received. Our second franchise will be in South Carolina. We also have interested parties in Raleigh and Wilmington.”

Yelton’s inspiring story shows how a love for lobster rolls and quick action spurred a successful business beloved both locally and regionally. But nothing comes without hard work.

“If you think you have a great idea, work toward it,” Yelton said. “Don’t just think about it. Make it a great reality.”

Lobster Dogs

Location varies

Instagram: @lobsterdogsfoodtruck

This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 2:26 PM.