Wendy's Goes Beyond the Dollar Menu in Japan

In the age of the gourmet hamburger, there’s no shortage of pricey patties. At his Miami and Manhattan eateries, chef Daniel Boulud serves up a $34 burger packed with braised short ribs and truffles. The herb butter-spiked classic at New York’s 21 Club is priced at $32. And at Gordon Ramsay’s Maze Grill in London, the burger will set you back 15 quid ($23).

To that list now comes an unlikely addition: Wendy’s. The third-biggest U.S. fast-food chain hopes to win over Japan’s trend-driven consumers with the Foie Gras Rossini burger, a 1,280 yen ($16) hamburger topped with truffles and goose-liver pâté. The premium burger debuted at Tokyo’s Omotesando luxury shopping district on Dec. 27 and will eventually be sold in 100 Wendy’s restaurants across the country. “We think the fast-food market here is ready for something different,” says Ernest Higa, chief executive officer of Wendy’s Japan.