Zetteria

For half a century Japan’s Lotteria was the burger arm of the Lotte confectionery group. It began in 1972, originally conceived as a way to sell Lotte ice cream, with its first restaurants opening that September in the Takashimaya store in Nihonbashi and the Matsuzakaya store in Ueno. Its menu soon set it apart: the shrimp burger arrived in 1977 and was later copied by both MOS Burger and McDonald’s, and in 2007 the “Zeppin” (superb) cheeseburger brought natural cheese and a much bigger patty to Japanese fast food.

In 2023 Lotte sold the Japanese business to Zensho, the group behind the Sukiya beef-bowl chain, and in September that year the first Zetteria opened in Tamachi, Tokyo. The name joins “zeppin burger” and “cafeteria”. Branches were converted one by one, and on 31 March 2026 the last Lotteria in Japan, in Senri-Chūō near Osaka, closed for the night and reopened as a Zetteria. Lotteria lives on abroad, run from Korea.

With around 280 restaurants, Zetteria is Japan’s fourth-largest burger chain after McDonald’s, MOS Burger and Burger King. The Zeppin burgers, made with a heavier 100% beef patty, sit alongside the old Lotteria favourites, teriyaki and fried-chicken burgers and a breakfast menu. Calories are published by the company.

About 280 restaurants across Japan, the country’s fourth-largest burger chain.

• myBurgerLab (Malaysia, since 2012). The Malaysian gourmet-burger brand that made black charcoal buns famous, with local twists like kobis goreng and salted egg. Also built on beef, egg, a special sauce and cheese.
• Lotteria (South Korea, since 1972). The Korean chain that once had more than double McDonald’s market share. Also built on shrimp and beef.
• Burger Machine (Philippines, since 1981). “The burger that never sleeps”: the Philippines’ round-the-clock roadside burger stand. Also built on beef, egg and cheese.
• No Brand Burger (South Korea, since 2019). A Korean burger chain built on a supermarket’s budget label. Also built on beef and cheese.