Growing Steak Chain Pepper Lunch Is Coming to 20 Cities (Should Outback Worry?)

The Japanese fast-casual restaurant chain Pepper Lunch is expanding into the U.S. and has announced 20 new locations expected to open through 2025. Pepper Lunch operates in 15 different countries but only has five restaurants in America, spread across California, Texas, and Nevada. 

Pepper Lunch focuses on affordable steak dishes, which could help diners stretch their restaurant budget further while still enjoying steak dinners. Learn what lucky cities will see a Pepper Lunch soon. 

Pepper Lunch was launched in Japan in 1994 as an affordable solution to expensive steak restaurants — but there's a gimmick. No chefs are preparing your order.

 Instead, an induction cooktop metal plate is served with the food on it so customers can cook it themselves to be precisely as rare, well-done, or any temperature in between that they please. 

Calling the restaurant a steak franchise is accurate, but it may bring to mind places like Outback or Texas Roadhouse — which is very different from the Japanese version of a steakhouse. 

The do-it-yourself cooking style is more reminiscent of Melting Pot, but instead of sizzling cheese, a hotplate cooks your meal. Average-sized entrees typically are priced between $17 and $23, but the price varies by location. 

This announcement indicates 20 new locations will be coming to Southern California and Las Vegas, with the first two planned to open within the next nine months. 

A previous announcement from August indicated North San Diego would be seeing more locations and new restaurants in Arizona, Florida, and Hawaii. 

The specific locations have yet to be announced, and due to widespread hurricane damage, there could conceivably be delays in expanding into Florida. 

East Coast fans of Japanese-style food will have to wait longer for the quickly growing chain expansion to reach Eastern states, but the expansion will benefit those in Western states and could increase brand recognition enough to push into East Coast markets. Fans of Melting Pot who also like Japanese cuisine will want to try out Pepper Lunch. 

Tackling high grocery costs can make squeezing restaurant dining into the budget difficult, leaving the higher quality food of fast-casual restaurants more appealing than typical fast-food chains.