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If you think a burger needs a fluffy brioche or a sesame seed bun to be great, Japanese chain MOS Burger is the kind of place that’ll challenge your thinking. Drawing inspiration from Los Angeles’ Original Tommy’s Hamburgers, MOS Burger (with MOS standing for “Mountain, Ocean, and Sun”) was founded in Tokyo in 1972 by Satoshi Sakurada, and has since shaped a distinct Japanese fast food burger.
Opening around the same time as McDonald’s first location in Japan, hamburgers were still relatively foreign to many Japanese people at that time. In order to appeal to customers, MOS set about adapting the burgers to fit Japanese tastes. One of its first innovations was a teriyaki burger with a tangy, sweet-savory sauce made from miso paste. Still, by pairing teriyaki with beef instead of the usual choice of fish, this broke a lot of Japanese culinary traditions. While the burger didn’t land with many Japanese adults, teens latched onto it, and this offering still exists on the menu today.
MOS Burger’s biggest innovation came later when it created the Rice Burger. The brand’s signature dish ditches the burger bun in favor of a “bun” made with packed rice that’s brushed with soy sauce and grilled until crispy. There’s two varieties available: One with yakiniku (sliced, marinated, and grilled beef), and another with tempura shrimp, squid, and veggies. Technically speaking, these aren’t burgers as there are no patties involved, but they are undeniably novel fast food products.
What do people think of MOS Burger?
MOS is regarded as a high-quality fast food option in Japan. Diners praise the chain for cooking its burgers to order (although this does mean it’s not typically lightning-fast). The beef rice burger has been held up as the supremely flavorful choice with its hits of garlic and onion, although it’s sometimes criticized for its small portion size. The rice bun itself is a bit divisive — while the novelty is appreciated, that bun is sometimes lambasted for falling apart too easily.
As a chain, MOS has leaned on some different strategies against competitors. The brand spends less on advertising compared to McDonald’s. Instead, it takes a “let the food do the talking” approach. MOS Burger’s focus on fresh ingredients and made-to-order food has allowed the chain to expand more through word-of-mouth.
This unique take on burgers has been enough of a success to allow MOS to expand internationally across East and Southeast Asia. It has locations in seven countries (with the most in Japan and Taiwan). However, MOS’ unique menu doesn’t seem to guarantee success. It opened in Australia in 2011, but the locations all closed a decade later. For now, it seems that MOS will remain on the list of overseas chains that Americans would love to try, as the brand has given no indication of any plans to open in the United States.
AloJapan.com