Food & Beverage

Cousins Maine Lobster to expand into South Carolina, Alabama

Photo: Cousins Maine Lobster

December 23, 2025

Cousins Maine Lobster has signed a deal to add three units in Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina and Birmingham, Alabama. The food trucks will offer lobster rolls, tacos, grilled cheese and whoopie pies, according to a press release.

The first food truck will open in Columbia in February 2026, with Charleston following in 2027 and Birmingham in 2028. Dave Blosser and Matt Cobb will run these trucks.

"We first fell in love with Cousins Maine Lobster as customers, but once we began exploring the franchise opportunity, we were struck by how genuine and welcoming the entire CML family is," Blosser and Cobb said in the release. "The brand's focus on high-quality ingredients, great customer experiences, and a loyal fan base really stood out to us. We're excited to bring this unique food experience into our communities, create jobs, build a strong team culture, and even involve our kids as they learn about entrepreneurship. Along the way, it became clear it wasn't one moment that made us realize this opportunity was the right fit for us, but the relationships we built is what showed us CML was exactly what we were looking for."

"We're thrilled to expand our footprint across the Southeast with operators as driven and talented as Dave and Matt," Lindsay Herberger, director of franchise development at Cousins Maine Lobster, said in the release. "Our franchisees join a family-focused brand known for quality, innovation, and strong systemwide performance. With Dave and Matt's leadership and operational strength, we're confident they'll create lasting momentum as they introduce our premium, wild-caught Maine lobster to customers across Columbia, Charleston, and Birmingham."