Lotteria, South Korea’s homegrown burger chain, officially opened its first North America location in Fullerton, California, on August 14. The launch came 46 years after its first store opened in Seoul’s Sogong-dong in 1979. Marketed as a proud “K-burger,” Lotteria’s U.S. debut quickly became a cultural talking point.
Mainstream media outlets highlighted the significance of the entry. Fox News even revisited the brand’s history, noting that the late founder Kyuk-ho Shin first established Lotteria in Japan in 1972 before expanding to Korea.
The opening day drew explosive interest. Customers reported waiting up to four hours, with drive-thru lines stretching close to a mile. A viral video of a store manager personally escorting a group of soldiers with a “free pass” treatment was viewed more than 3.9 million times on social media, earning wide praise online.
Early Praise Meets Harsh Reviews
The strong turnout gave Lotteria confidence that it had successfully landed in the U.S. market. However, not all reactions were positive. Many who endured the long waits left disappointed.
On Yelp, numerous one-star reviews criticized poor service and long delays. Even among those who left four-star reviews, some said they would not return.
A customer named Thomas, who identified as Japanese and Korean, wrote, “My wife and I have always had a tradition of visiting Lotteria whenever we traveled to Japan or Korea. Now, 30 years later, our children continue that tradition. We visited the Fullerton location to relive those memories, but unfortunately, it was disappointing. The operations were completely disorganized. If this continues, it could harm Lotteria’s brand image. It may be better to temporarily close until they can run it properly.”
His review reflects a loyal customer’s plea for the brand to improve rather than rely solely on nostalgia.
Struggles at Home and Abroad
Lotteria has also faced challenges in Korea. Once known as the original “value burger,” it lost market leadership to Mom’s Touch. In 2021, Mom’s Touch overtook Lotteria in store count, and by last year its operating profit of 73.4 billion won was nearly double Lotteria’s 39.1 billion won.
Safety concerns have also hurt the brand’s image. In April, Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety found shrimp patties produced at Lotteria’s Vietnam subsidiary contained up to seven times the legal limit of doxycycline, an animal antibiotic, forcing a recall. Ironically, Lotteria America’s chief executive Jungwook Lee had said before the Fullerton launch that shrimp would be imported from the same Vietnam plant.
Nostalgia Alone May Not Be Enough
Lotteria still holds a place of nostalgia for many Korean Americans. But in the U.S., home to more than 3,000 competing burger chains, experts caution that brand loyalty will not be enough to secure lasting success.
One disappointed customer quipped, “They should call it Low-ttoria, not Lotteria. If I wanted to wait this long, I might as well have gone to the DMV.”
As Lotteria tries to position itself as the face of the “K-burger,” the company faces pressure to raise its standards in taste, service, and safety—or risk seeing its American debut become short-lived.
BY KOO HYUN CHUNG [chung.koohyun@koreadaily.com]
