THE MCDONALD’S menu is breaking exciting new ground in Japan, announcing their first ever burger bun made with rice.
With lobster mayo nugget sauce, purple potato and chocolate sauce friends, McDonald’s Japan’s seasonal offerings never cease to amazing their international audience. But the latest all-rice addition has truly sent the Japanese internet into a frenzy.
The rice burger bun , or “gohan” burger in Japanese, arrives February 5 and “offers a new taste by changing the bun into a specially made rice bun while keeping the ingredients and seasoning of the classic burger,” according to McDonald’s Japan.
The new series of rice burgers is being promoted with the phrase “gohan, dekita yo!”, which is used to say “dinner is served” – but literally translates to “the rice is ready”.
The “gohan” replaces buns with 100% domestic rice thickly packed and cooked in savory soy sauce, allowing consumers to “enjoy the usual burger taste while enjoying the exquisite harmony of a new flavor stemming from an unexpected combination.”
The burger will come in three varieties: rice teriyaki, rice bacon lettuce and rice fried chicken.
They will be sold nationwide for a limited time as part of a “Night Mac” menu that’s available between 5 p.m. and closing.
While other rice burgers, notably Mos Burger’s, have been available in Japan, this is McDonald’s Japan’s first crack at the delicacy.
The fast food giant previously teased the menu item release on Twitter, posting that they were “craving rice”.
That post alone has had over 233,000 likes and 56,000 retweets, with excited social media users predicting the new arrival and praising the fast food chain.
Kokoro Toyama, McDonald’s Japan rice burger representative, told CNN Business: “The reaction was huge. People didn’t know there was going to be a new product so it created a lot of suspense. Everyone had a lot of hope for what it would be.”
Toyama said the decision to launch the rice burger bun was based on customer feedback and on market research that showed that people in Japan in their 30s and 40s preferred rice over bread for dinner, while still being fond of the staple teriyaki and fried chicken burgers they’d eaten as teenagers and young adults.
McDonald’s hope both the nostalgic naming of the new menu item and its specific taste will appeal to the emotional appeal of hungry diners.
Tomoya said: “[Gohan] makes people feel like they are at home. It’s like your mum telling you your dinner is ready.”
The Gohan Teriyaki burger will go for ¥390 (£2.74) while the Gohan Bacon Lettuce burger and the Gohan McChicken will each cost ¥410 (£2.88).
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