Frank Burger

Frank Burger comes from Frank F&B, a franchise company set up in 2012 that first made its name with Bapuri, a chain of charcoal-grilled gimbap shops that grew to around three hundred branches. In 2018 the company opened a burger research centre and sent a team to the United States, and in 2019 the first Frank Burger opened in Mokdong, in western Seoul.

The idea was a “craft burger” at fast-food prices: patties grilled only once you order. It took off fast, passing sixty branches in 2020, two hundred in 2021 and more than five hundred in 2022; the chain bills itself as Korea’s number one craft burger by number of stores. It advertises heavily, with K-pop and TV stars such as Lee Seung-gi and (G)I-DLE as faces of the brand, and collaborations with popular video games.

The menu mixes American classics with Korean flavours. Beside the cheeseburger and a double with raw onion and pickles there are bulgogi burgers with a patty in the style of neobiani, the royal-court grilled beef, burgers made with 100% hanwoo, Korea’s prized native beef, and several burgers that pair a beef patty with a fried shrimp patty, a favourite Korean pairing. Fried chicken, cheese balls and squid rings fill out the sides.

Several hundred franchised restaurants across South Korea.

• Freshness Burger (Japan, since 1992). Tokyo’s relaxed burger café, famous for a yellow bun made with pumpkin. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Minute Burger (Philippines, since 1982). The Philippine burger kiosk where every order comes as Buy 1 Take 1. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Burger Bangor (Indonesia, since 2019). Indonesia’s fast-growing local burger chain, started by a basketball star, with burgers named after social ranks. Also built on beef and cheese.
• Q Burger (Taiwan, since 2013). Taiwan’s fast-growing breakfast chain, where burgers are what you eat at seven in the morning. Also built on beef and cheese.