The Korean burger franchise Lotteria, which opened its first location in California, is gaining explosive reactions locally.
According to the food industry on the 13th, Lotteria will officially open its first location in Fullerton, California, on the 14th (local time). Fullerton is an area in the western U.S. with a high proportion of Koreans and other Asians.
Ahead of the official opening, Lotteria conducted a 'soft opening' from the 11th to the 13th, welcoming customers from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. During this period, there was an open run, attracting significant interest.
Photos and videos of the queue formed for the pre-opening event were posted on Lotteria Fullerton's official Instagram account.
The video captured scenes of dozens of people waiting under the hot sun, using umbrellas. Online, there were reviews stating that some waited 3 hours and 20 minutes to enter Lotteria. With the ongoing Korean Wave and K-food boom, it seems that local residents and Korean customers visited the store upon hearing about the entry of Korean burgers into the U.S.
The representative menu items at the store include the bulgogi burger, shrimp burger, and bibimbap rice burger. The bulgogi burger set is sold for $12.77 (about 17,740 won), while the shrimp burger set is priced at $13.27 (about 19,000 won).
The 'bulgogi deluxe burger,' developed to suit local tastes, contains a thick patty and generous bulgogi, receiving reactions from domestic users that it has 'better quality than in Korea.'
Lotteria, operated by Lotte GRS, plans to expand its presence in the U.S., starting with this first location. Currently, Lotteria operates over 320 stores in four countries: Vietnam, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Laos.