Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson Launch Crowd-Funding Campaign for Loco'l

Loco'l, the potentially world-saving burger chain by acclaimed chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson, is now turning to a crowd-funding campaign to help raise money. According to its Indiegogo page, Choi and Patterson are seeking $150,000 in contributions to build Loco'l first-ever location, in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. (Additional locations are already planned for Los Angeles and Detroit, although the duo ultimately hope for a large-scale roll-out: In September, Choi told Eater that "This is not just inner cities, this is everywhere.")

In the accompanying video (below), Patterson announces Loco'l is launching the online campaign because "so many people wanted to do something, anything," he says. "And it was a way to start building a community; a way for people to participate on a very low level but feel like they are a part of it and it's their thing." Perks for interested community builders include autographed T-shirts and cookbooks, plus hang-out time with Choi, Patterson, and Tartine Bakery's Chad Robertson, a previously-announced partner. (He's working on a "soft and squishy" hamburger bun for the chain.)

The campaign page also reveals a few new Loco'l details. Joining René Redzepi (whose MAD 4 Symposium provided the stage for Loco'l's splashy initial announcement) as official advisors are Scott Kester, founder and owner of Scott Kester Design; creative director David Irvin; and restaurant consultant/designer Mark Stech-Novak. Choi and Patterson describe the working relationship as harmonious, with each chef "fill[ing] in each other's blind spots." They write: "We just try to up-play everything we're good at. But then at the same time, bring it together as one thing."

As Choi says, contributing to the fundraiser allows people to "be part of a revolution," whether or not there's a Loco'l location slinging 99-cent burgers in their immediate area. Go, watch the Indiegogo video below:

Video: Loco'l