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While the domestic hamburger market has grown to a scale of 5 trillion won, In-N-Out Burger, an iconic brand of the American West, remains cautious about entering the Korean market. Although Shake Shack and Five Guys have both entered Korea in succession, leading the trend of premium burgers, In-N-Out has been holding back on expansion to maintain quality under its "no frozen ingredients" principle. Industry insiders say that the food service sector is not ruling out the possibility of In-N-Out’s official entry in the future and has been proposing the introduction of the brand.

According to industry sources on the 17th, In-N-Out held a pop-up store in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the previous day, selling a limited 450 servings of burgers. The pop-up store opened at 11 a.m. and operated for just four hours, but by around 10 a.m., entry for 500 people had already closed, drawing huge crowds.

The pop-up event attracted merchandise planners (MDs) from department stores and the food industry, garnering attention. Since In-N-Out Burger has not yet officially entered Korea, it is said that there have been a series of overtures from the domestic distribution industry.

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In-N-Out was founded in California in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, and is now managed by their granddaughter, Lynsi Snyder. Although it has a longer history than Shake Shack (founded in 2004) and Five Guys (founded in 1986), it operates only about 350 stores, mainly in the western United States. The founding family retains management control and adheres strictly to its "quality first" principle.

"No frozen ingredients."

In-N-Out’s philosophy is simple. Patties are never frozen and are kept only refrigerated, and French fries are made by cutting whole potatoes to order and frying them immediately. Because of this, stores are only opened within distances where fresh ingredients can be delivered daily. This is why the company is cautious about overseas expansion.

In Korea, In-N-Out has held five pop-up stores since 2012, once every two to three years, but has never opened a permanent location. The pop-up stores were also operated directly by the U.S. headquarters, with ingredients sourced locally to maintain freshness standards.

Industry observers view In-N-Out’s ongoing pop-up stores as a strategic move to defend its trademark rights. Under current trademark law, if a trademark is not used within three years of registration, anyone can file for cancellation. In-N-Out has already registered its trademark in Korea and is said to be maintaining legal effect by regularly holding pop-up events to prove "actual use."

Yonhap News Agency

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However, the prevailing opinion in the industry is that the possibility of In-N-Out’s official entry into Korea cannot be completely ruled out. In particular, Korea’s small land area and dense logistics infrastructure make it easy to establish a "fresh delivery network," which aligns well with In-N-Out’s operational philosophy.

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It is also speculated that negotiations could proceed quickly if a company actively seeking new business opportunities presents favorable terms. A notable example is Vice President Kim Dongseon, the third son of Hanwha Group, who brought Five Guys to Korea. An industry insider said, "In the past, major domestic distributors, including Lotte, reportedly made high-value offers to In-N-Out to introduce the brand. Despite consumer spending contracting due to high inflation, overseas burger brands remain attractive."

Meanwhile, according to global market research firm Euromonitor, the size of the domestic hamburger market grew from 1.9 trillion won in 2013 to 5 trillion won last year, more than doubling.

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