Today, food trucks are omnipresent and almost taken for granted. But back in 2010, Atlanta had none. Buckhead native Carson Young, a Woodward Academy and Atlanta Speech School graduate, was inspired after a trip to Los Angeles. “I was working as an intern in Midtown during the Great Recession, and good, quick food options were limited,” he remembers. He was floored by the scene in California, where trucks used social media to promote their offerings, causing them to go gangbusters at office buildings during the week. “There were lines out of the truck and huge consumer support. It clicked that I had to do this in Atlanta, because it is a very spread-out city,” he says.
Hurdles to overcome
However, laws and permitting issues prevented him from setting up a food truck centered around Asian-Mexican fusion in Atlanta the way he wanted to. That didn’t deter Young. “I set out to help change the laws,” he says. (In 2011, Carson and others helped get legislation revised in the City of Atlanta to help with permitting via the Atlanta Street Food Coalition and other efforts.)
That determination is par for the course for anyone who knows Young, who is deaf and who has no formal culinary training. He knew what he wanted to do and figured out a way to do it, to the tune of much success. He’s now joined by his wife, Katy, who handles the behind-the-scenes aspects while Carson is “the visionary of the brand,” she says.
Yumbii today
Yumbii currently has three Atlanta brick-and-mortar locations serving up Korean-Mexican fusion items like burritos, tacos, and of course, its famous sesame fries, plus its fleet of food trucks. Two stand-alone locations have closed, but Carson has seen the change as a positive. “We’ve used the struggles of closing two locations as lessons in learning and getting better,” he says. “We had to remind ourselves that getting back into basics is the best way to grow and run a business, and it’s been a triumph to be in business for 15 years,” he says.
The duo recently celebrated that milestone with an appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives,” Guy Fieri’s long-running Food Network show. Katy says being on the show was an interesting reversal. “Our food trucks have done movies and TV sets for years, and being on set is familiar to us, but being on camera was a whole different thing,” she says. “It was a great experience, and we love how the show is committed to propping up smaller, family-owned and operated brands.”
The Youngs adored their time with the iconic chef and restaurateur. “It was cool to meet and get to know Guy and for him to recognize the brand,” says Carson. “He gave us a couple of pointers on the kitchen and front-of-house sides, which he didn’t have to do,” says Katy. Fieri sampled Yumbii’s street-style tacos, bulgogi cheesesteak, and loaded sesame fries, which are similar to nachos but with a potato base. (Fieri repeatedly described the food in the episode as “flavor bombs.”)
Business evolution
Building on the success of the episode, the Youngs are growing the business in new ways. “We’ve expanded the business into doing more catering and events, not just with our food truck,” Katy says. While the food trucks have always been booked out for movie sets and big corporate events, the brand has expanded into more large-format catering. For example, Yumbii did 20,000 orders of sesame fries for Delta at a corporate event in a single day.
The menu is also expanding to satisfy shifting palates. “We’re also adding more health-forward options and getting away from having so much fried food, even though that’s what everyone loves,” she says. That includes recent additions such as a chili lime shrimp taco, a Mexican chopped salad with an avocado lime crema, and a Korean cauliflower taco, among others. “We’re staying true to our flavor profile but expanding into more varied and creative options,” she says.
There’s even a new concept. The duo noticed that the wings were “slowly creeping into a top-selling item, specifically our honey Sriracha,” says Katy. “Carson found a fryer oil that is completely seed-free, is derived from the sugar cane plant, and fries at a higher temperature. We’ve been perfecting a healthier version of the chicken wing.” Katy says that Yumbii is the first fast-casual brand in Atlanta to bring in this particular oil.
Despite being a successful restaurateur for the last decade and a half, Carson isn’t slowing down. He’s ready for the next chapter. “I want to find a partner or two to help me run the business,” he says. “We are ready to grow organically to the next level.”
