On June 15, In-N-Out Burger, one of the most popular hamburger chains in the world from the United States, opened a one-day pop-up store in Tokyo, Japan.
Burgers sold out one hour before opening
In-N-Out Burger is a hamburger chain with locations in only a limited number of states in the U.S. and is loved by people all over the world.
The popularity of the event was the same in Japan, and despite the short notice, many people gathered on the day of the event, waiting up to seven hours.
I used to eat it almost every week when I lived in California, so it has fond memories for me. It is rare that I get a chance to have that taste in Japan, so I took the opportunity to participate in the event.
June 13 (2 days before)
Suddenly, TimeOut reports the news of In-N-Out Burger’s pop-up in Japan.
The only information in the article was that “In-N-Out Burger will have a pop-up at a restaurant called RIDE in Tennozu Isle on Saturday, June 15 from 10 AM to 4 PM.
The article was saying, “In-N-Out Burger’s official facebook account advertised that content,” but when I went to the facebook page, I could not find that content. I wondered if there really was a pop-up… I was skeptical.
June 14 (1 day before)
The next day, information about the pop-up began to spread on X as well.
明日In-N-Outが日本に1日限定のポップアップを行うらしい。 pic.twitter.com/ursRnIvP1c
— Tetsuro Miyatake (@tmiyatake1) June 14, 2024
June 15 (On that day)
6:10 I found some posts on X from people who were already in line.
I was convinced that there was indeed going to be the event and decided to get ready and head there.
8:05 Arrived at RIDE restaurant in Tennozu Isle, the venue for the pop-up store.
I received a wristband, which served as a numbered ticket, and a novelty key chain, and head to the end of the line.
There were already around 300 people in line, many wearing In-N-Out T-shirts, hats, bags, and other goods. It seemed that there were many people from many countries.
9:00ish All the 800 numbered tickets gone
At a little past 9:00 AM, one hour before the store was scheduled to open, all the 800 numbered tickets had already been distributed. A “Closed” sign was posted even though the store had not yet opened.
9:15 The store opened 45 minutes ahead of schedule.
The store opened ahead of schedule and the line began to move little by little.
13:10 I made it right up to the entrance.
13:20 Inside the store, finally!!
Finally, it was my turn to enter the store.
First, we ordered at the casher. Each person was limited to one hamburger. Unfortunately, there were no potato fries, and they served potato chips, instead.
As of 13:20, unfortunately, the T-shirts were sold out (they were probably available until around 13:00), and only caps were available.
However, they gave us the paper hats and stickers for free!
It was exciting to see the In-N-Out-ish decoration inside!
13:30 Burgers were served!!!
10 minutes after ordering, the burgers were served! After waiting in line for five and a half hours since this morning… Finally, the time had come.
Ah, this taste! I felt the bun was a little different from the one in the U.S., but the taste was satisfying enough.
It was a strange feeling to eat the burger in Japan…. I am usually satisfied with a regular cheeseburger, but I finished the animal-style double-double in one sitting!
How I felt for the In-N-Out Burger pop-up
The burger was of course very delicious at the In-N-Out Burger pop-up in Tokyo, but there were some things that I felt differently about, such as the lack of animal-style fries, etc., which made me more keen to go to the local In-N-Out Burger.
It was also quite tough, as we waited for a total of 5.5 hours, starting 2 hours before opening…. I heard that there were some people further back who waited for 7 hours.
On the other hand, it was fun to feel the enthusiasm from the In-N-Out fans. It was fun to see many people wearing In-N-Out goodies, making me feel like we were at a live concert.
When will the next In-N-Out pop-up be?
