American hamburgers became a staple for Lee U-chan, a 29-year-old office worker, during his 18-day journey across the United States from the East Coast to the West Coast in 2023. Back in Korea, however, he finds U.S. chain burgers too expensive to enjoy. “In Korea, the difference in taste between U.S. chain burgers and Korean brands isn’t big enough to justify the price gap,” Lee told The Korea Times. “If I’m going to spend that much, I’d rather go to an independent restaurant that serves really good food.” At Lotteria, one of Korea’s largest homegrown burger chains, single burgers typically cost about 6,000 won ($4.06) to 9,000 won. At Five Guys, a U.S. burger chain, prices in Korea are twice as expensive, ranging from about 13,000 to 17,000 won. Lee’s viewpoint is one explanation for the limited success of Western burger chains in Korea, with many consumers regarding their higher prices as burdensome amid rising living costs. On Wednesday, Hanwha Galleria, the operator of Five Guys in Korea, agreed to sell the business to a private equity firm, just two and a half year
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