Orange County’s the Kroft Opens in LA Selling Canadian-Style Poutine | Eater LA

"I’ve watched The Kroft grow from its 2014 debut at Anaheim’s Packing House into Orange County’s most well-known purveyor of poutine, and now the team is finally opening a Chinatown outpost at the base of the Jia Apartments (629 N. Broadway) after years of delays. Inspired by steaming bowls of poutine devoured while snowboarding in Whistler, owner Stephen Le built a fast-casual concept selling loaded fries in a variety of flavors — including chicken tikka masala poutine, a katsu curry version, a loco moco take, and chili cheese fries — alongside a burger, a fried chicken sandwich, cubanos, and a Philadelphia-style roast pork sandwich. The Kroft quickly blew up in OC, amassing tens of thousands of Instagram followers, long lines, and about $2.5 million in annual sales at the Packing House; those earnings have helped Le keep his Chinatown dream alive despite a mismanaged food-hall deal, subsequent legal fallout, pandemic setbacks, and “headache after headache” after signing the lease at 629 N. Broadway in 2016. As Le says, “The Kroft is my baby,” and although Los Angeles has many loaded-fries specialists, he’s trying to honor his past and passion by turning the foods he and his wife love into poutine." - Brian Addison