Why We’re Defending A New Fast-Food Chain From Internet Haters

A few days ago, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed when I saw this post from Roy Choi.

I am not one of those people who easily gets upset or defensive about celebrities/people I don’t know personally. But in this case, I felt myself getting miffed. In fact, I got mad. The fact that Chef Choi had to take to Instagram to deflect negative commentary or insinuations about his new fast-food concept, LocoL, before it’s even opened made me feel like there is no justice in the world. And I am not just saying that to be dramatic or brown-nose to Choi, or his partners. The fact of the matter is that LocoL is a HUGE project with foundations in something that not many other food companies or big chefs have bothered to give a damn about: "food deserts" and nourishing the people who live in them. The goal of LocoL is to prove that fast food doesn’t have to be destructive to human health, local communities, or the environment. In fact, here are five excellent reasons we should all back LocoL and push back on anyone who says otherwise:

1. The owners want to start a revolution. LocoL is taking on the $200-billion dollar fast-food industry to prove that things can be different. Choi repeatedly talks about “quality food for everyone, accessibility for everyone, affordability for everyone.” The most fundamental aim of LocoL is to prove that fast food doesn’t have to be unhealthy or wasteful, and that everyone deserves to be nourished.

2. LocoL was conceived to tackle inner-city nutrition and employment problems. Choi and his partner Daniel Patterson share a passion for feeding people. Not only because they are chefs, but also because they care deeply about the hunger crisis in this country. LocoL’s very DNA is all about addressing this issue, and providing jobs that pay more than minimum wage for people in cities and neighborhoods that have not benefited from economic prosperity, like Newark and Camden in New Jersey and south Chicago. Additionally, skills they teach to their culinary staff will be transferable to other kitchens and restaurants, so they’re essentially giving people an education while employing them. When Yahoo! Food wrote an article about LocoL, Choi tweeted back:

3. It is using quality ingredients. LocoL's food is based on real meat and grains. Not to mention that the burger “also features grilled scallion-and-lime relish…tomato, onion, garlic, and gochujang that Choi and Patterson have dubbed ‘Awesome Sauce.’” HELLO! P.S., the burger looks bossy:

4. Choi and Patterson planned their menu around minimizing food waste. Food waste has been a blind spot for most restaurants, whether they serve fast food or gourmet grub. LocoL’s desire to minimize its food waste is built into its founding principles, and has been a part of its menu-planning since day one. 5. If LocoL proves it can work, it could change “institutional eating” as we know it. Institutional food (hospitals, prisons, schools, etc.) is the way it is mostly because the people at the top insist that it has to be that way. The public is told time and time again that there is simply no other way to feed the masses. If Choi and Patterson are able to prove that it doesn’t have to be that way — that food can be fast, healthy, and affordable — it will surely have a massive impact across the industry, and you’ll be thanking them next time you have to eat a hospital or school meal. And, no, in case you are wondering or there are any skeptics out there, this post was not paid for by LocoL. At a food conference last year, I was lucky enough to see Choi speak candidly about the project — which he has been working on for over two years now! — and he admitted that it is a huge risk that might fail, but he knew he had to do it anyway. He said something that has been a guiding principle for me ever since:

Let's help LocoL prove that things can be different. We have to do our part, too.