If one restaurant has shaken up the world of fast food this past year, it would be LocoL. Conceived by chefs Roy Choi and Daniel Patterson, LocoL's ethically driven fast-food concept opened its first location in Watts. (It also just launched a food truck.) Focused on bringing prosperity to the neighborhood and providing more nutritious, affordable food options to a community in the middle of a food desert, LocoL is a model of what fast food could — and arguably should — be. At LocoL, Choi and Patterson have created a menu void of french fries, full of more nutrient-packed takes on classics such as an absolutely delicious barbecued turkey burger or the LocoL “burg,” a healthier take that uses fermented grains, kombu and fish sauce to amp up the flavor. With their approach, nothing is wasted; veggie scraps are used to make sauces or thrown in to flavor braises. There's also breakfast, featuring egg-in-the-hole–style sandwiches, fresh fruit, yogurt and granola, and one of the best coffees ($1 per cup) in the entire city, a blend created by Tonx just for LocoL. Beyond the food, what makes LocoL special is the care it takes in fostering community and creating a support system for the staff, uplifting and strengthening from the inside out. LocoL has gone on to open in Oakland, with plans for more locations in other states to come.

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