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Lotteria opens 1st US restaurant in Southern California
Lotte GRS CEO Cha Woo-cheol, fourth from left, poses with Cho Seong-ho, third from left, deputy consul general of the Consulate General of Korea in Los Angeles, and Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, fourth from right, along with other dignitaries during the opening ceremony of the company's first U.S. Lotteria restaurant in Fullerton, Calif., Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Lotte GRS
By Ko Dong-hwan
Popular homegrown burger chain Lotteria has officially entered the U.S. market with its first restaurant in Fullerton, Calif., bringing a taste of Korean fast food to the heart of America’s burger scene.
The drive-through location opened Thursday (local time) in a shopping district anchored by department stores, superstores and restaurants operated by international companies.
According to Lotte GRS, the growing Korean population in northern Orange County influenced the decision to open the restaurant in Fullerton.
Cha Woo-cheol, CEO of the food business arm of Lotte Group, attended the restaurant’s opening ceremony, joined by Fullerton Mayor Fred Jung, a Korean emigrant to the U.S., and Cho Seong-ho, deputy consul general of the Consulate General of Korea in Los Angeles.
The restaurant follows the establishment of Lotte GRS’ American subsidiary, Lotte GRS USA, in 2023. The company said it has been preparing the 215 square-meter location since then.
Branded as “The Original K-Burger,” the restaurant aims to introduce Korean flavors, featuring burgers with bulgogi, or stir-fried marinated meat, and rice dishes with shrimp and bibim, or mixed vegetables, as signature ingredients.
Ahead of the restaurant’s official opening, Lotte GRS held a three-day pre-opening tasting event last week for limited hours to gauge local consumer response. The event drew long lines, attracting more than 500 visitors each day and generating buzz online. The company said that on opening day, visitors began lining up as early as 5 a.m.
“This is the day Lotteria is proclaiming to the world it has debuted in the U.S. We will expand markets beyond Asia, adding our tastes and values to American soul food,” Cha said.
Lotte GRS currently runs 320 Lotteria restaurants across Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Mongolia. Earlier this month, the company signed a business partnership with a local firm in Malaysia to expand the brand there.