Zetteria

Zetteria (ゼッテリア) is a Japanese hamburger fast-food chain operated by Burger One Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Zensho Global Fast Holdings, which is itself an intermediate holding company under Zensho Holdings. The brand was created as a new format for the Lotteria hamburger business after Zensho Holdings acquired all shares of Lotteria's Japanese operations from Lotte in 2023. The name combines the Japanese word "zeppin" (絶品, superb/exquisite) with "cafeteria," reflecting a positioning around premium burgers in a casual, café-like setting. The first Zetteria store opened on September 20, 2023, in the Tamachi Shibaura area of Tokyo, renovating a former Lotteria location. Over the following years, existing Lotteria stores in Japan were progressively converted to the Zetteria format. By December 2025, Zetteria had grown to 172 stores, and after the final Japanese Lotteria stores closed on March 31, 2026, the chain reached approximately 280 stores, making it the fourth-largest hamburger chain in Japan after McDonald's, Mos Burger, and Burger King. Zetteria's menu centers on the "Zeppin Burger" (絶品バーガー) line, a premium burger series originally developed under Lotteria, alongside regular burgers, morning, lunch, and dinner sets, sides, sweets, and drinks. The chain has also introduced Japan-specific items such as an okonomiyaki burger sold in Osaka-area stores in 2025. While the Lotteria brand continues overseas under Lotte GRS, the Japanese business has fully transitioned to Zetteria.

Zetteria's history is closely tied to that of Lotteria in Japan. Lotteria was founded in 1972 as the fast-food business of the Lotte Group, initially conceived as an ice cream shop to promote Lotte's ice cream. The first pilot shop opened in July 1972 inside the Lotte Urawa factory in Saitama Prefecture, and the first official stores opened on September 29, 1972, in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and Ueno, Tokyo. Over the decades, Lotteria developed unique menu items such as the Ebi Burger (shrimp burger) in 1977 and the Rib Sandwich in 1984, differentiating itself from competitors. However, from the 1990s onward, Lotteria's management struggled with inconsistent strategies, failed low-price initiatives, and poor new menu performance. In 2001, it took over stores from Burger King Japan, which had withdrawn from the market. In 2005, Lotteria entered a capital alliance with Revamp, a corporate restructuring firm, which took a stake of approximately 33.4% and installed new management, including CEO Motoichi Tamatsuka. Under Revamp, Lotteria renewed its logo, slogan, and uniforms, and focused on customer feedback, returning to profitability. Revamp exited in 2010, and Lotte Holdings' president Takayuki Tsukuda became president. The company remained profitable in fiscal 2010 but sales gradually declined. On February 16, 2023, it was announced that all shares of Lotteria would be sold to Zensho Holdings, effective April 1, 2023. Zensho Holdings had previously operated Wendy's in Japan but had withdrawn, so this marked its re-entry into the hamburger chain business. The sale covered only the Japanese operations; overseas Lotteria businesses led by Lotte GRS in South Korea remained with the Lotte Group. On September 20, 2023, Zetteria opened as a new format under the Lotteria brand. The name combines "zeppin" (絶品, superb) and "cafeteria." The first store was a renovation of the temporarily closed Lotteria One Rank Up Tamachi Shibaura store. The menu was completely different from Lotteria at first, though some items were later standardized. As Lotteria stores were converted, Zetteria's store count rapidly increased to 172 by December 2025. On January 21, 2026, it was reported that all domestic Lotteria stores would close by March 2026 and be sequentially converted to Zetteria, ending Lotteria's 54-year history in Japan. On February 16, 2026, the company announced a name change to Burger One Co., Ltd. On March 31, 2026, the last Lotteria store in Japan, the Senri-Chuo store in Toyonaka, Osaka, closed and converted to Zetteria. Three other stores closed completely without conversion. With this, Zetteria reached approximately 280 stores, becoming the fourth-largest hamburger chain in Japan after McDonald's, Mos Burger, and Burger King. After Lotteria's disappearance, new Zetteria stores have also opened by converting existing Zensho Group restaurants such as Sukiya.

• First Lotteria stores open in Nihonbashi and Ueno, Tokyo.

• Lotteria develops the Ebi Burger (shrimp burger).

• Lotteria takes over stores from Burger King Japan.

• Lotteria enters capital alliance with Revamp for restructuring.

• Lotteria Japan reaches 469 stores.

• Lotteria Japan peaks at 524 stores.

• Zensho Holdings acquires all shares of Lotteria's Japanese operations.

• First Zetteria store opens in Tamachi Shibaura, Tokyo.

• Zetteria reaches 172 stores.

• Announcement that all domestic Lotteria stores will close by March 2026.

• Company name change to Burger One Co., Ltd. announced.

• Last Japanese Lotteria store closes; Zetteria reaches about 280 stores.

Premium yet casual hamburger fast-food chain, positioned as a café-like burger restaurant.

• Zeppin Burger (絶品バーガー)

  Premium burger series originally launched by Lotteria in 2007, featuring natural cheese, larger patties, and specially baked buns.

• Ebi Burger (えびバーガー)

  Shrimp burger with a croquette-style patty, a signature item since 1977.

• Okonomiyaki Burger

  Limited-edition burger sold in 28 Osaka stores in 2025 ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.

1. 1ゼッテリア｜ZETTERIAzetteria.jp
2. 2Zetteria - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3ゼッテリア - Wikipediaja.wikipedia.org