Black-and-White Chef Showdown... Lotteria vs Mom's Touch, Who Will Win?

Lotteria Launches Napoli Mafia Mozzarella Burger on the 16th
Mom's Touch to Introduce Edward Lee's Cyburger Five Days Later
Collaboration of Acclaimed Chefs Sparks Excitement in the Hamburger Market

The winner and runner-up of Netflix's 'Black and White Chef' are set to face off outside the franchise hamburger market. The winner, Chef Kwon Seong-jun of 'Napoli Mafia,' teamed up with Lotteria, while runner-up Chef Edward Lee partnered with Mom's Touch. The news of collaboration between these talented chefs, known for their originality, is stirring excitement in the hamburger market at the start of the new year.

Lotteria Incorporates Napoli Mafia Recipe into Mozzarella Burger

Chef Kwon Seong-jun of Napoli Mafia and Lotteria's new menu item 'Napoli Mafia Mozzarella Burger'. Provided by Lotteria

On the 16th, Lotteria launched two types of ‘Napoli Mafia Mozzarella Burgers.’ This new menu combines Chef Kwon’s unique recipe with the steady-selling Mozzarella Burger, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Even the hamburger buns are special. The brioche buns are topped with mozzarella and cheddar cheese, then baked to a crispy and savory finish. Additionally, green basil, white mozzarella cheese, and red tomato sauce?reminiscent of the Italian flag?are added.

Among the ongoing collaborations featuring chefs from Black and White Chef in the distribution industry, this collaboration is particularly special because the chef reached out first, not the brand. Chef Kwon appeared on the YouTube channel 'Chimchakman' last October and expressed his desire to collaborate with Lotteria, saying, "There is one thing I really want to do."

Lotteria recently released extraordinary menu items such as the King Donkatsu Burger and Squid Alive Burger. Chef Kwon praised Lotteria’s unique spirit of challenge, which paved the way for this collaboration. Regarding the new product, he explained, "I decided on this collaboration because my diverse menu styles, which are not confined to Lotteria’s framework, and my creative and challenging cooking style align well."

Chef Kwon is also known for taking full responsibility for the success of collaboration menus, which raises consumer expectations even higher. For example, when he launched the Night Tiramisu with CU, he held product improvement meetings with CU after receiving negative feedback and changed the recipe, which was well received.

Mom's Touch Adds Edward Lee’s Recipe to the Cyburger

Chef Edward Lee. Provided by Mom's Touch

While Lotteria took the initiative with Napoli Mafia’s new menu, Mom's Touch is preparing a counterattack with Chef Edward Lee. Mom's Touch plans to unveil a new product on the 21st. Although the specific menu name remains under wraps, the press conference theme, titled 'Mom's Touch’s Great Challenge,' suggests significant effort has been invested.

The new Mom's Touch menu is a hamburger that incorporates Edward Lee’s recipe into their signature Cyburger. The reason this new menu is even more intriguing is that Edward Lee currently operates restaurants only in the United States. Unlike other chefs who appeared on Black and White Chef, domestic consumers have had no opportunity to taste his food. Thus, Mom's Touch becomes the only route to experience Chef Edward Lee’s recipe, which is why many consumers are curious about this collaboration.

Edward Lee, a second-generation Korean-American, is a star chef who was selected as the White House state banquet chef during the 2023 Korea-US summit. Starting from dishwashing to working in restaurants, he rose to the top chef position with innovative recipes combining Korean and Western cuisines. Chef Edward Lee said, "I was attracted to Mom's Touch’s unique character, such as the very large and thick patties used in the Cyburger," adding, "The menu we developed this time will actually contain the signature recipe sold at my American restaurants."

The news of collaboration between the chefs who competed for the win on Black and White Chef is stirring the relatively quiet hamburger market at the end and beginning of the year. Since Mom's Touch and Lotteria compete for first and second place in the number of hamburger franchise stores in Korea, the competition between the two brands is even more exciting. Mom's Touch has about 1,400 franchise stores, while Lotteria has about 1,300.