Lucky Pierrot

Ō Ichirō opened the first Lucky Pierrot in Hakodate, at the southern tip of Hokkaido, in June 1987. He named it after a circus he remembered from childhood: a pierrot is not the star of the show but keeps it going, and “Lucky” was added to chase away the clown’s sad image. Every branch has its own theme, from a merry-go-round in a forest to a room full of Santa Claus figures, film posters or Elvis memorabilia, many from the founder’s own collections.

The chain has turned down every invitation to open outside the Dōnan region around Hakodate, and it dominates there: a 2013 phone directory listed more Lucky Pierrot branches in the area than McDonald’s, MOS Burger and the other big national chains combined. It insists it is not fast food, because nothing is cooked until it is ordered, and it uses Hokkaido meat and rice and vegetables from farms near Hakodate. The founder reads customers’ comment cards himself, which is how curry, omurice and katsudon ended up on a burger menu.

The patties weigh about 120 grams, around three times a standard fast-food patty, and the menu is famously odd: besides the classics there are burgers filled with sweet-and-sour pork, chilli prawns, scallops or whale. The best-seller by far is the Chinese Chicken Burger, created to stand apart from the big chains, which has been voted Japan’s top regional burger. Fans vote new burgers onto the menu in an annual ideas contest.

About seventeen restaurants, all in and around Hakodate in southern Hokkaido.

• Tastien (China, since 2012). China’s fast-growing “Chinese burger” chain, with hand-rolled buns baked to order and fillings from Chinese cooking. Also built on chicken, beef and heat.
• Dom Dom Hamburger (Japan, since 1970). Japan’s first hamburger chain, born when a supermarket and McDonald’s could not agree on one percent. Also built on beef, egg and heat.
• Laya Burger (Taiwan, since 2002). One of Taiwan’s big three breakfast chains, now baking its burger buns from an 18-hour sourdough. Also built on chicken, beef and heat.
• Wat-a-Burger (India, since 2016). “India ka Burger”: aloo tikki, paneer and tandoori makhani burgers from Noida. Also built on chicken and beef.