Singaporeans have a pretty well-documented soft spot for all things Korean, from K-dramas that have taken over evenings, to K-pop concerts that sell out in a flash, to K-beauty brands that have become mainstays in skincare and makeup routines.
Food is very much part of the obsession too.
If you’ve travelled around Seoul or other parts of South Korea, chances are you have come across Mom’s Touch.
The homegrown burger and chicken brand is hard to miss there. With 1,489 outlets in South Korea as of May 2026, it’s the country’s largest homegrown burger and chicken chain by store count.
And now, it’s back in Singapore with local exclusives and opening promotions, including S$1 value meal upgrades and limited-edition LE SSERAFIM freebies.
Even if you’ve never set foot in the ROK, Mom’s Touch might still sound familiar because the franchise has actually been here before.
Speaking to MS News, Kim Dong-jeon, Chief Executive Officer of MOM’S TOUCH&Co, explained that the previous Singapore operations had been established under the company’s former management through a master franchise agreement with No Signboard.
The brand exited Singapore in Feb 2022 after No Signboard ran into financial difficulties and was no longer able to continue operating the business here.
Mom’s Touch itself underwent a management change in 2020, with Mr Kim taking over as CEO in 2021.
This time around, Mom’s Touch has returned with FairPrice Group as its local partner. It is set to reopen on 14 Aug, with the new outlet along South Bridge Road.
Mr Kim said the tie-up was instrumental in making the comeback possible.
In the years since its exit, Mom’s Touch has also been building the systems needed to support its global expansion, with the aim of delivering the “same food, same service, and same value” across markets.
“We are now fully prepared,” Mr Kim said. “We found that partner in FairPrice Group, which is why we are able to reopen now.”
Its ambition goes well beyond a single Singapore outlet, with the ultimate goal of growing into a global franchise like McDonald’s.
That makes Singapore an important part of its wider expansion plans, with the brand describing the country as both a strategic gateway to Southeast Asia and a testbed for international dining brands.
For all of Singaporeans’ enthusiasm for Korean culture, Mom’s Touch is under no illusion that this will be an easy crowd to win over.
During his market research, what struck Mr Kim most was the sheer variety of choices available here.
“There’s really so much food in Singapore,” he said, noting that cuisines from around the world are readily available, while prices are, in his view, not excessively high relative to the overall cost of living.
That made him realise how challenging it would be for Mom’s Touch to stand out.
“It’s going to be really difficult here. But we have to do it, so we’re going to give it our best,” he said. “There is only one way for us to succeed: providing the best value.”
That thinking is reflected in the way Mom’s Touch is positioning its Singapore menu, with chicken patties hand-battered and fried to order.
Burgers start at S$6.95, while breakfast items start at S$3.95.
“While our competitors are great, our goal is to provide even more satisfying food and service, and more delicious food,” Mr Kim said.
Part of Mom’s Touch’s attempt to win over Singapore diners involves not simply copying and pasting its Korean menu here.
Mr Kim pointed out that expanding overseas requires striking a careful balance between standardisation and localisation.
“If you don’t maintain the standards properly, you ultimately can’t succeed,” he said. “But if you become too obsessed with those standards, you can miss the fact that every country and its consumers are different.”
In Singapore, those differences span local tastes, eating habits, and cultural considerations, shaping several items developed specifically for this market.
The most obvious is the limited-time Super Thigh Chicken Burger (Singapore Edition), priced at S$9.95. While Korea has its own version, Mr Kim said the original sauce could not be used here because of halal requirements.
Mom’s Touch therefore worked with its local partner on a new recipe centred on black pepper, a flavour familiar to Singapore diners. But getting there took considerably more work than simply swapping out a few ingredients.
According to Mr Kim, developing the recipes took more than two years of research and development, as the team adapted ingredients to meet halal requirements without compromising the intended flavours.
“Because of standardisation, the taste has to be the same,” Mr Kim explained. “But because of halal requirements, the ingredients all change. And yet you still have to produce the same taste. That isn’t easy.”
The Angus Beef Burger, priced at S$12.95 for a single and S$17.95 for a double, required another rethink.
Mr Kim said the Singapore patty was reformulated as 100% beef instead of the pork blend used in Korea to meet halal requirements.
“Thanks to our partner, I think the quality of the beef burger here is actually better than in Korea,” he said.
Other Singapore-only additions include the Fish Fillet Burger, priced at S$6.95, as well as a dedicated breakfast range available daily from 7am to 11am, with prices starting from S$3.95.
To mark its comeback, Mom’s Touch is rolling out several opening promotions, including a tie-up with K-pop girl group LE SSERAFIM, who have served as the brand’s global ambassador since Sept 2024.
From now till 31 Aug, diners can upgrade any value meal for just S$1, down from the usual S$2.50.
Those visiting from now till 19 Aug will also receive a complimentary Mom’s Touch x LE SSERAFIM Selfie Cut Set with every set meal upgrade, limited to 100 sets daily while stocks last.
There’s also a free Mom’s Touch Photo Booth Experience with a minimum spend of S$10 in a single receipt, limited to the first 100 redemptions each day.
If you’re planning to check out Mom’s Touch for yourself, here’s how to get there and the key details to know:
Mom’s Touch
Address: 181 South Bridge Road, #01-03, Singapore 058743
Opening hours: 7am to 10pm daily
Nearest MRT station: Telok Ayer
For more information and updates, follow Mom’s Touch Singapore on Instagram.
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Featured image by MS News.