Mom’s Touch, the popular Korean chicken sandwich franchise, is making significant strides in the Japanese market through strategic partnerships and unique promotions.

The franchise is currently offering free meal upgrade coupons to customers who visit Samsung’s Galaxy Experience Space pop-up in Shibuya, Tokyo, until August 6. This promotion allows customers to upgrade their sandwich to a full meal at Mom’s Touch’s Shibuya location, while also promoting Samsung’s event at the pop-up store.

In addition to its collaboration with Samsung, Mom’s Touch has teamed up with Samyang Foods to launch a special menu item at the Shibuya branch. The new Gim-Tteok-Sun combo, which combines “gimbap” (Korean seaweed rice roll), “tteokbokki” (spicy rice cakes), and “sundae” (Korean blood sausage) with Samyang’s spicy chicken sauce, is designed to cater to the tastes of young Japanese consumers who enjoy spicy food.

A Mom’s Touch representative highlighted the goal of this new offering: “The new combo aims to attract young women customers who are interested in Korean food.”

Since opening its first Tokyo branch in April, Mom’s Touch has quickly gained traction, attracting 100,000 visitors and generating 100 million yen (approximately $633,000) in sales within just 40 days. This rapid success is noteworthy given the Japanese market’s reputation for being one of the most challenging for international franchises.

Mom’s Touch’s approach of collaborating with diverse brands has proven effective in this competitive market. The franchise’s openness to partnerships extends beyond food, as demonstrated by their recent collaboration with online game developer Smilegate. Together, they introduced the Lost Ark Mokoko Mom’s combo, tied to the popular MMORPG Lost Ark, adding a gaming twist to their menu.

This partnership with Smilegate is the third of its kind, following the launch of the Mokoko combo meal in 2021 and a joint pop-up store in Gangnam District, Seoul, in 2022.

Mom’s Touch’s success in Japan underscores its innovative approach and willingness to explore cross-industry collaborations, setting a strong example for other international franchises looking to make their mark in new markets.