The scorching summer of 2024 drove vegetable prices through the roof, and desperate times call for desperate measures — including, for Korea's fast food chains, burgers without their signature garnish.
McDonald's Korea announced Tuesday that it would remove tomato from some of its hamburger lineups — compensating impacted consumers with a free drink coupon — after having difficulty securing the vegetable.
Some Lotteria branches have begun mixing cabbage and lettuce into their burgers for the same reason.
"There were decreases in the quality of some vegetables due to the abnormal temperature this year," said a spokesperson for Lotte GRS, which runs Lotteria. "We may mix lettuce with cabbage if there is a quality issue with the lettuce we have."
Read more at Korea JoongAang Daily.