K-burgers hit US: Lotteria debuts in California with major buzz
The Korean burger chain Lotteria has made a sizzling debut in the United States, with its pre-opening event drawing large crowds despite the sweltering heat in the homeland of fast food.
Lotteria opened its first US store on Monday in Fullerton, California, a city with a large population of Korean and other Asian residents, industry sources said Wednesday.
The Fullerton branch is hosting a three-day soft opening from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The official opening is scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday.
Even in the scorching weather, visitors queued for up to two hours before the event, holding umbrellas for shade, as seen in videos on social media.
"Staff handed out umbrellas and bottled water for free while people waited," said a TikToker who visited the store. "I arrived at opening time but still had to wait 30 minutes before getting my burger," another attendee wrote on X.
Some videos showed vehicles lining up to enter the store's parking lot, with staff taking orders from drivers.
The signature items at Lotteria's first US store are its Bulgogi (Korean-style marinated beef) Burger and Shrimp Burger, which are sold as combos with French fries and a soft drink for $12.77 and $13.27, respectively.
Other combo options include the Bibim Rice Burger, featuring beef and a fried egg between buns made of rice, for $12.77, and the Bulgogi and Shrimp Burger, combining bulgogi and shrimp patties, for $15.77. The price of a single burger starts at $6.49.
The Bulgogi Deluxe Burger, created for local tastes, stood out for its thicker patty and ample bulgogi topping, which drew interest from Korean users online.
"The patty definitely got thicker in the US. If they sold burgers with patties that thick in Korea, I'd pay extra for them," a Korean user wrote on TikTok.
Although priced higher than in Korea, Lotteria's US offerings are viewed as competitive when compared with American burger chains such as Five Guys and Shake Shack. At Five Guys, a single burger typically ranges from $8.09 to $13.67.
The store's interior features touches of Korean culture. A sign with the word 'Lotteria' in Korean hangs above the main entrance, while a painting of the former presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae, hangs on the wall inside, a YouTube video showed.
Lotte Group's food franchise arm Lotte GRS — the operator of the burger chain — established its US subsidiary in California in the first half of last year and has been preparing to open the store since early this year.
Lotteria's store in Fullerton -- home to one of the largest Korean communities in the state -- is in a large shopping center with outlets such as Walmart and Costco, a location that could help attract customers in the store's early stage.
The burger franchise has been accelerating its overseas expansion and now operates more than 320 stores in countries including Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Mongolia. It has also confirmed plans to enter Malaysia and Singapore following its US launch, sources said.
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