MOS Burger
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Template:Nihongo, doing business as Template:Nihongo (which stands for "Mountain Ocean Sun"<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead link</ref><ref name="foray"/>), is a multinational fast-food restaurant chain (fast-casual) from Japan. Its headquarters are in the ThinkPark Tower in Ōsaki, Shinagawa, Tokyo.<ref name="MBCO"/> At one time its headquarters were located in Shinjuku, Tokyo.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Being Japan's answer to McDonald's,<ref name="foray"/> it is the second-largest fast-food franchise in Japan after McDonald's, and owns numerous overseas outlets over East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania, including China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. "MOS Burger" is also the name of the standard hamburger offered by the restaurant, having been its first product when it opened in 1972.
MOS Burger's outlets are located in suburban areas to avoid the rising land costs in central areas where the outlets of its competitor McDonald's are located.<ref name="to join"/> According to its then-president Kazuo Watanabe, MOS Burger is successful in its home country because it only cooks food when ordered, compared to its competitors which mass produce food items.<ref name="foray"/> It also avoids heavy advertising in the mass media; in 1992, its advertising expenses for its home market were US$10 million, compared to McDonald's' US$100 million.<ref name="foray"/>
Its working culture emphasises on the company's three attitudes of mind: self-resiliant, progressive and sympathetic towards others. Its managerial staff are trained for three months after being hired and are regularly sent for more training in Japan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
As of February 2014 the publicly traded company runs 1,730 MOS Burger and several AEN, Chef's V and Green Grill stores. One slogan used within its stores is "Japanese Fine Burger and Coffee".<ref name="MBCO"/>
NameEdit
The company name, styled in all caps: MOS Burger, is a backronym for "Mountain, Ocean, Sun".<ref name="foray"/><ref name="out of"/> Despite the backronym being coined by its founder Satoshi Sakurada, no one was able to explain whether mountains, oceans or suns have to do with burgers.<ref name="out of"/> The company was originally was a spinoff of Atsushi Sakurada's previous company, Merchandising Organizing System.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Later,Template:When the company began to use playful English phrases in point-of-purchase marketing materials to explain the name, including "MOSt delicious burger", before it finally settled on the current backronym.
MOS Burger's logo as of 1992 was a yellow M with signage in red, similar to McDonald's.<ref name="foray"/>
HistoryEdit
Sakurada, then attached with Nikko Securities' Los Angeles branch in the early 1960s,<ref name="out of">Template:Cite news</ref> frequented the Los Angeles chili burger chain Original Tommy's.Template:Better source<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Wanting to strike out on his own after returning to Japan he decided to adapt the cook-to-order hamburger concept used by Original Tommy's. He also developed the MOS rice burger as an alternative to the hamburger.
As of 1992, MOS Burger had 1,100 outlets in Japan (1,021 in 1991<ref name="to join">Template:Cite news</ref> and 1,200 in 1993),<ref name="chain">Template:Cite news</ref> being the country's largest chain. It expects to open 100 more outlets in that year.<ref name="foray">Template:Cite news</ref>
Its most popular items were teriyaki burger and rice burger<ref name="to join"/><ref name="foray"/> with grilled rice cakes as its patty.<ref name="foray"/>
International operationsEdit
MOS Burger began its international expansion in 1989 <ref name="foray"/> with Taiwan, where its sukiyaki rice burger was popular with its customers. In 1991, its outlets reach a monthly sales target of between ¥ 5 million and ¥ 10 million.<ref name="to join"/>
As of 1992 it had five outlets in Hawaii, four in Taiwan and three noodle houses in the Los Angeles area.<ref name="foray"/> Sales of its international outlets reach an estimate of US$3 million.<ref name="foray"/> MOS Burger planned to open 500 more outlets in Asia, with 30 in Hong Kong, 250 in South Korea and the rest in Singapore and Taiwan.<ref name="foray"/>
In 1992, MOS Burger expanded to Singapore through joint venture Moriyoshi Foods, with its franchisee Palate (S) Pte Ltd. Palate owned 70% of the joint venture while MOS takes the rest of the stake. It plans to open five outlets in 1993 with the first one in Orchard Road open in April.<ref name="foray"/> The first outlet opened on 28 May 1993 at Isetan Scotts, with sales for its first year of operation expected to reach S$1.7 million. Palate later planned to open 7 more outlets in two to three years, totalling 30 in ten years. Its second outlet at Junction 8 opened in 1994.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1993, MOS Burger planned to expand to China. A joint venture with Yaohan International and a Chinese firm, it planned to open 3,000 outlets by the end of the year.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
As of 1996, MOS Burger had five outlets in Singapore, with plans to expand to Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In April 2011, MOS Burger opened its first store at Sunnybank Plaza, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. As at September 2021, the company had five stores in Australia, all of which were in Queensland.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> MOS Burger announced the closure of all its Australian stores in August 2024.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
MOS Burger opened in the Philippines in February 2020.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ProductsEdit
MOS Rice BurgerEdit
The MOS Rice Burger uses a bun made of rice mixed with barley and millet.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rice was first used as a bun in 1987,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> when the restaurant served the Tsukune Rice Burger, filled with ground chicken<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and daikon, and seasoned with soy sauce.
The MOS Rice Burger has been imitated by the Taiwanese division of McDonald's,<ref>Taipei Times</ref> where the rice bun was pan-seared, but it remains a MOS-exclusive item in Japan and other markets.
- MOS BLT burger.jpg
MOS Burger "Tobikiri Hanbāgu Sand B.L.T. slice cheese" (2011)
- MOS Kaisen01.JPG
MOS Rice Burger
- MOS Chicken01.JPG
MOS chicken
- MOS Kuro-Koshō Chicken01.JPG
MOS Burger "Kuro-Koshō Chicken", black pepper flavor
- MOS Burger's MOS-walker is a menu French fries on the Drink cup cover.jpg
MOS walker (fries and drink)
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
Further readingEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Food chains in Japan Template:Portalbar Template:Food chains in Taiwan