This Tokyo small business owner is at the centre of attention after his signature burger was selected to be served to the President.
In amongst all the speeches and outings held during Trump’s first visit to Japan as U.S. President, the one thing that stood out for many people was the fact that during his visit to a golf course with the Japanese Prime Minister, the two chose to eat hamburgers.
While some criticised the decision to shun the country’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage-listed traditional cuisine, others immediately started searching the Internet to find out where they could get their hands on a burger deemed worthy to be served to the U.S. President.
It turns out that the burger comes from a small Tokyo business owner who operates two burger stands in the city – Munch’s Burger Shack in Shiba (pictured below) and Munch’s Burger Stand at Toranomon.
Both located in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, which is home to many foreign embassies, making it one of the most internationally diverse districts in the capital, the area is filled with burger joints catering to locals and foreigners with discerning burger palates. To be selected to serve the President of the United States is a huge accolade for the small business, and it’s been driving customers to visit in hordes to get a taste of what the president enjoyed.
The burger that Trump dined on was the “Colby Jack Cheese Burger“, which costs a mere 1,200 yen (US$10.54). At this price, which is significantly less than a night out at Sukiyabashi Jiro where Obama dined during his Japan tour, anyone can afford to try a presidential meal, and that’s exactly what everybody did yesterday, when it was reported that the Toranomon outlet had completely sold out of burgers by 2:30 p.m.
According to staff, their recent appearance on television – which revealed the news about their star customer – attracted so much attention that they were unable to keep up with demand, especially given that their Shiba outlet was closed on Monday, which drove even more customers to their small Toranomon store.
Check out the television news segment below, where 40-year-old owner chef, Yutaka Yanagisawa, reveals his burger-making method.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_wmCWjAlfA
Yanagisawa, who was sent to the golf course to cook his signature burger for the two leaders, said that after their meal, President Trump shook his hand and told him the burger, which he requested to be well-done, was “very good”. Using 100-percent American Angus beef patties, the burgers are known for being juicy and delicious, and our very own Japanese-language reporter P.K. Sanjun can attest to that, having visited the burger stand last year. According to P.K., who got his chomps around a Homemade Bacon Cheeseburger during his visit, this is one of the best burger joints in Tokyo, and it’s continually busy with customers, despite being a 20-minute walk from the nearest station.
Now that the burger stand has become even more well-known following Trump’s Japan visit, there’s even more of a wait to dine inside, but according to happy customers, it’s worth it.
▼ They pack burgers up in a nice box for takeaway orders too.
So next time you’re looking for a place to enjoy a burger in Tokyo, Munch’s Burger is the place to go. Now we’ll just have to wait and see whether or not the Trump Burger will appear on their menu in future, like it did at these Japanese burger joints during the election.
Restaurant information
Munch’s Burger Shack / マンチズバーガー シャック
Address: Tokyo-to, Minato-ku Shiba 2-26-1
東京都港区芝2-26-1
Hours: 11:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m. (weekday lunch) 5:30 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. (weekday dinner) 11:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. (Saturdays) 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. (Sundays and public holidays)
Closed Mondays
Source: Nikkan Sports via Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Instagram/masachang15
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