February 13, 2017

Meet Scott Shelton of Urban Espresso

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Scott Shelton.

Scott, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a barista and my wife, Kenia, is a chef. Kenia manages all the styling/the look of our business, as well as the food. I manage all the business operations of our business, as well as the coffee. Together we created Urban Espresso. We are only LA’s only coffee+breakfast truck. We are the only coffee truck in LA to have a full kitchen on board. We are both passionate about what we do, and we love the whole food truck concept. We also provide mobile espresso bars. We love the mobile part of our business. We love working special events. Everyday is fun and a new adventure. We are having a blast getting hired for everything from movie sets, to weddings, to fancy corporate events, private house parties, concerts, events at Convention Centers and Stadiums.

Our business has grown, and we are now surrounded by a team of baristas and chefs that are just as passionate as we are. We all have a great time working together.

USC is our main hangout for our coffee+food truck. We have a loyal following of customers. We love serving the students of USC, and all the people in the USC area.

Has it been a smooth road?
City permits, parking. A lot of trial and error finding good locations.

Shopping, maintenance, and paperwork take up most of my time.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
We are very proud of our business. We are very proud of the look and style of our business.

We are proud of our espresso bars. I think what sets us apart is our attention to all the details, we care a lot about the presentation of our food and our drinks.

We took a lot of time designing our coffee truck, to have a different, more inviting look than other coffee trucks.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
I feel like Los Angeles has been very fair and inviting for business, so far. There are a lot of obstacles, and sometimes it is difficult to know where to start. But so far the city and all of its workers have been very friendly, helpful, and informative to us.

I feel like food trucks still operate under some gray area. Not everyone (food truck drivers, brick, and mortar business owners, city parking enforcement, city police officers) knows all the rules. Some of the rules are even unclear. So there is occasionally some confusion on what is permitted and what is not.

It’s a tough business. A lot of work.

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