04/03/2026
To our community, our supporters and every Yo Tyme contestant:
We hear you. We owe you a clear, honest and complete response. Today we are giving you one.
The Yo Tyme competition was created from a place of genuine love for this community during one of the most difficult seasons of our lives. We wanted to give back. We moved faster than our infrastructure could support and we own that completely.
The trailers are real. They are currently at Alabama Customs Trailer and RV, which has provided written confirmation that the delay falls entirely on their end due to their facility relocation and supply chain issues related to tariffs. We have invested $75,000 into this build. Video documentation from the facility is being released separately so you can see this for yourself. The estimated completion date is June 2026 for the contestants currently confirmed in the build process.
Regarding how winners were selected. The Yo Tyme competition was never based on social media shares or likes. Winners were selected based on an overall evaluation of each contestant's food quality, business plan, personality and social media presence. This was communicated to all participants. We want to be clear on this point because we are aware that questions have been raised about the selection process. The decision rested with our team and was based on merit across all categories.
Regarding the first-place winner. The first-place winner was selected based on his personality, his background story, his social media presence and our genuine belief in his potential as a developing entrepreneur. Our team saw significant potential in him and rather than simply handing over a trailer and wishing him well, we wanted to invest in his growth directly. The concept truck arrangement was designed to give him hands-on experience operating a food business with our full team working alongside him, guiding him and supporting him before transitioning into independence. That is not a lesser prize. That is a greater investment.
He accepted that arrangement. In October he reached out to us proactively, communicated about continuing to represent the brand and requested meetings to discuss franchise plans. Our team responded and followed up with contact information. We have full text message documentation of every exchange.
We understand that people will ask why the first-place winner was offered a concept truck while other contestants are receiving independently branded trailers. The honest answer is that the original competition was built around the concept truck model for all participants. As the competition evolved, independently branded trailers became part of the prize structure for confirmed contestants. The first-place winner's arrangement was discussed and agreed upon with him directly and we stand by that documentation.
We also want to be transparent about one final point regarding the first-place winner. We were not made aware that he had any issue with the arrangement offered to him. He never communicated a formal decline to our team directly in any form. Not by phone, not by text, not by email. We learned of his decision the same way the public did, through his live video. We would have welcomed a direct conversation at any time and that door remains open.
Regarding the business plans. Business plans were requested to evaluate how best to support each winner long term. It was never our intention to use anyone's proprietary concepts. We recognize that process should have included formal agreements protecting all parties and that is something we are correcting going forward.
Regarding communication since October. We have been in contact with contestants and have documentation of those communications. We acknowledge that our communication was not as consistent as it should have been and every contestant deserved better updates throughout this process. That is on us. We are reaching out to each confirmed contestant individually within 72 hours with a clear update and a defined path forward.
Regarding the current status of the build. Two trailers are currently in active production at Alabama Customs Trailer and RV for confirmed contestants. We are committed to honoring our obligations to every contestant who has confirmed their participation and wishes to proceed. Individual correspondence is being sent to each contestant within 72 hours outlining next steps.
Regarding allegations made publicly today. We are aware of serious allegations being made against this company on social media. Those matters have been referred to our legal team. We will not be responding to them publicly at this time. Our business records, our character and our five-year track record in this community speak for themselves. We trust the process and we trust the truth.
We should have communicated better throughout this process. Every contestant deserved more consistent updates and we fell short of that.
We are not a Fortune 500 company. We are a business that loves this community and tried to do something meaningful for it. We made mistakes in ex*****on. We did not make mistakes in intention.
The trailers are real. The commitment is real. The documentation exists. We stand on that.
Yo Chef! — Birmingham, Alabama
