Daily Inspiration: Meet Joseph Knoblich

Today we’d like to introduce you to Joseph Knoblich.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have been in and out of the restaurant industry most of my life. I went into the United States Navy right after high school. During college I worked in restaurants and cemented my love for the industry. While in college around 93, I opened a restaurant food delivery business called Quick Cuisine. I really discovered my entrepreneurial spirit. I ended up opening restaurants for chefs in around the United States.
It was here in Denver I decided to open a food truck and thus Chuey FU’s Latin Asian Grub was born in 2014. I brought on a partner, Jordain Parker around 2015. In 2016 we opened our brick and mortar location in the Santa Fe Art District and been going strong since. Looking to grow and develop.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not always a smooth road, there are always struggles. COVID was no help. We came out of COVID into a tough market. Costs had doubled, sometimes tripled. We buckled down and kept right percent of our staff and with perseverance we came out on the other side with a lot of drive to keep going. The tough part was seeing so many restaurants in our area not make it. Downtown Denver has never really recovered. In the sense that the number of people in downtown during the day has never came back. CmWith costs doubled or tripled, you cannot double your menu prices to match those costs. So finding unique ways to save and move forward has been half the battle.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Chuey FU’s Latin Asian Grub was born out of my love for both cuisines.
We tend to be a unique and different flavor. That is what sets us apart. Take the Phō burrito we make, when we started doing it in 2018 it was really different from others out there, that are doing burritos. That with our other marriage of flavors set us apart from the herd. Our logo in some sense is like a pirate flag, the jolly rodger. Thus being rebels with our food and our vibe we like to set on the truck and in the restaurant.

Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
When starting out I would say, find something no one is doing. If they are doing it, do it different. Find a new approach to the cuisine you are wanting to do.
I think I was lucky when starting out, I found a friend that really took me under his wing and helped me get the truck into key events that launched us into being. Thanks Joe Gerace (East Coast Joe’s). Being unique and different will help you stand out. I think you can apply that to almost any industry. Whether it’s through food, service, or building something. Do it better, do it different, and be the best of what you do.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.chueyfus.com
• Instagram: @chueyfus
• Facebook: Facebook @chueyfus