Bringing Social Change to a Food Desert One Burger at a Time

by Dorothy Reinhold on May 24, 2016


Print This Post Print This Post Rock star chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson are starting a revolution in underserved communities with Locol, a new nationwide chain of healthy fast food restaurants that will employ locals, transform lives and communities using the power of really good food. | ShockinglyDelicious.com

Today I have an inspiring guest post from Susan Marquis about a new restaurant in south central Los Angeles that is trying to change the food and employment picture in that community — and elsewhere. The rock star chefs and owners of Locol, which opened in Watts earlier this year, aim to use food (relatively healthy fast food) and an employment philosophy (hiring from the neighborhood, paying decently, helping employees have careers) to bring about social change. Marquis, dean of the graduate school at the RAND Corporation — a think-tank in Santa Monica, Calif. — is uniquely positioned to comment about the intersection of food, labor and policy. She teaches on the subject and has a book in the works about how the working conditions of tomato field laborers were vastly improved in Florida. Marquis has also documented a personal food obsession: For several years, she edited and published a newsletter called “Cheese Enthusiast.”

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By Susan L. Marquis

On a once-desolate corner of Los Angeles, something big is happening. At first glance, the story might seem to be about celebrity chefs and a reinvention of fast food, but it’s so much more than that. With the opening of the first in a planned national chain of restaurants called Locol, two chefs are taking on persistent and major social issues—so-called “food deserts,” chronic unemployment, and the rebuilding of communities that have long been underserved and faced myriad challenges.

Children waiting in line at LocoL ©Audrey MaCommunities like Watts.

Chefs Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi during team meeting at Locol Restaurant ©Audrey Ma

Chefs Daniel Patterson and Roy Choi during a team meeting at Locol Restaurant.

Chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson opened Locol Watts this year—not incidentally—on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The restaurant may resemble a humble, neighborhood fast-food place but that’s just the physical manifestation of a much grander dream. The chefs talk about their latest venture as the start of a “revolution,” and so it may be.

Healthy food options from Locol Restaurant in WattsPart of their mission is to bring affordable and healthful food to forgotten areas that need it most, to urban food deserts where modestly priced, quality fresh food can be hard to find.

“We believe that chefs should feed America, and not suits,” the company says on its website.

Burg and Foldie from Locol Restaurant in WattsA few blocks away from Jordan Downs, a housing project with a long history of violence and crime, the restaurant owners are bringing change to the neighborhood one “burg” (hamburger) and “foldie” (taco) at a time, along with many other delicious and affordable foods.

Ribbon cutting at LocoL ©Audrey MaChoi and Patterson have big-league credentials; years apart both were named “best new chefs” by Food & Wine magazine. Three weeks into the new year, the magazine’s restaurant editor was already calling Locol the best new restaurant of 2016.

Child showing his tray of LocoL Food ©Audrey MaIn many ways, the really good food is just a vehicle for social change. Because Locol seems to be about working with communities to build them up. What’s important here is that this is not a matter of charity or “helping the poor” (the median income in Watts is among Los Angeles County’s lowest).

Ambassador DBow with his twin sons at LocoL ©Audrey MaThe owners say that it is instead about recognizing the promise and potential of communities and the people who live there. To blur the boundaries between community and restaurant, the Locol building was designed with ample screens on the windows and doors.

Staff member at LocoL  ©Audrey MaBetween 80-90% of the staff at Locol are from the neighborhood. Choi points out that the job application asked simply for a name, contact information and why the applicant wanted to work at Locol. There’s no requirement for prior experience in a neighborhood where unemployment is high and the percentage of residents 18 or younger is among the highest in Los Angeles County.

Staff at LocoL ©AudreyMaNearly all of the cooks, cashiers and managers hail from the neighborhood. More than 40 people have been hired, most of them full time, and they are being paid well above minimum wage.

Staff member at LocoL ©Audrey MaTwo days before the restaurant opened, most of the cooks had only been cooking professionally for a week, and they were already displaying the talent to make it in the field, according to Patterson. As their skills expand, so will the restaurant chain and its employees’ horizons — a second venue, in Oakland, is set to open tomorrow (May 25) and the Watts location is closing for two days while the whole team goes to Oakland for the opening. A third location is being planned for San Francisco. A member of the Locol Watts staff has been in Oakland training new employees, an example of the restaurant’s commitment to providing workers with the opportunity for a true career path.

Staff members at LocoL ©Audrey MaThis approach overturns the common wisdom and reality of restaurant employment, where workers tend to hopscotch from restaurant to restaurant in search of better wages and opportunities but usually never make it to the best-paying jobs, according to the 2013 book “Behind the Kitchen Door.”

Child eating at LocoL ©AudreyMaNeighborhood by neighborhood, a few dozen jobs at a time, Choi and Patterson are tackling complex and persistent public policy problems and could very well succeed in their own way in communities where generations of government programs and charitable endeavors have had limited impact.

They’re doing it by recognizing the humanity of communities, the untapped talent within them, the promise of the market—and the not inconsequential power of really good food. If the restaurateurs can follow their plan for expansion, which targets underserved communities but is not limited to them, Locol could transform lives and communities even as it challenges our very notion of what fast food can be.

Susan Marquis of RANDSusan L. Marquis is dean of the Frederick S. Pardee RAND Graduate School and vice president for Emerging Policy Research and Methods at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation. She teaches about food and labor policy.

PHOTOS: All Locol photos by Audrey Ma; used with permission.

Want to remember this restaurant so you can eat there on your next trip to Los Angeles? Pin it to your restaurant Pinterest board using the graphic below. Get inspired!

Healthy Fast Food from Locol Restaurant in Watts

Locol Watts
1950 E. 103rd St.
Los Angeles, CA 90002
Open every day 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

Child eating at LocoL @Audrey Ma

 

{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }

Ilona @ Ilona's Passion May 25, 2016 at 9:27 am

It is a great story. Fantastic effort!

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Peggy Rahn May 25, 2016 at 9:27 am

Dorothy, this was a wonderful, informative post chockfull of info. Thanks for sharing

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 12:20 pm

Peg,
Nice to see you here! Thank you!

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Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) May 25, 2016 at 8:01 am

Seriously great cause. Thank you for sharing this.

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jane cavalier May 25, 2016 at 7:35 am

I can’t think of a better vehicle for social change than really good food. These guys get it and are doing it! Authentic change comes from joy. Bravo!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:09 am

Jane,
I completely agree with you. Passion and joy for a cause make all the difference.

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Betsy Eves May 25, 2016 at 6:55 am

What a great story!

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Jeanne @JollyTomato May 25, 2016 at 6:43 am

Amazing! Thanks for bringing attention to this inspiring project!

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Stephanie May 25, 2016 at 6:38 am

This is so great. I love that they hire from within the community!

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Justine | Cooking and Beer May 25, 2016 at 5:05 am

Thank you so much for sharing this with us! I enjoyed reading it. So inspirational!

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eat good 4 life May 25, 2016 at 5:03 am

These pictures are terrific. What a great cause!!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:15 am

Eat Good,
The wonderful photography is by Audrey Ma.

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Kristen Chidsey May 25, 2016 at 4:40 am

This. I love this. We should all be promoting things like this!

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Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine May 25, 2016 at 3:50 am

Such an incredible story It gives us hope that more change is possible!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:15 am

Rebecca,
I know, right? And it makes me want to be a part of it.

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Des @ Lifes Ambrosia May 25, 2016 at 1:00 am

This is such a heartwarming story. So awesome of those two chefs to do this. I can’t wait to follow along with them!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:16 am

Des,
Who knows…I don’t know where you live, but their plan is to go nationwide, so perhaps there will eventually be one in your city or state.

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Sara | Belly Rumbles May 24, 2016 at 8:10 pm

Interesting read.

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Elizabeth - SugarHero.com May 24, 2016 at 8:00 pm

This brought tears to my eyes! So wonderful to read about people working to make change and putting their money where their mouth is (pun intended.) I wish I hadn’t moved from LA last year, I would love to grab a meal at Locol!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:17 am

Elizabeth,
It IS a very moving and emotional concept, isn’t it? I can’t wait to taste their food.

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Hanady May 24, 2016 at 7:24 pm

What a fantastic concept. It’s so important to help the community that supports us! And their food looks amazing!

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:18 am

Hanady,
Agree completely. Giving back to the community is something we ALL should do on a regular basis.

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Molly Kumar May 24, 2016 at 6:36 pm

Fantastic effort from the two chefs and such a great read ! Such ventures truly motivates n inspire.

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:19 am

Molly,
I agree…Susan Marquis did such a good job of explaining what is going on with this project.

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Immaculate May 24, 2016 at 6:29 pm

I can’t wait to visit this restaurant. I use to work not too far from here. And for the life of me could not find any healthy restaurants around. Happy to see there is a healthy option now. I MUST revisit and give it a try.

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 8:19 am

Immaculate,
I have my eye on that noodleman bowl!

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Kacey @ The Cookie Writer May 24, 2016 at 3:33 pm

What an inspirational read! The fact that job applications are not based on experience, but why THEY want to work there is truly motivating. It shows that a little effort can really bring a community together.

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Dorothy Reinhold May 24, 2016 at 3:37 pm

Kacey,
I agree. Everyone needs a leg up for their first job!

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Amy Stafford May 24, 2016 at 2:37 pm

Such a great cause, bringing people together through food.

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Dorothy Reinhold May 25, 2016 at 2:24 pm

Brightmarkjane,
They are walking the walk, aren’t they?

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