Pink’s Hot Dogs is opening its first Japan location in Tokyo by year’s end.
The iconic Los Angeles hot dog stand, a Hollywood fixture since 1939, announced it will launch its Japanese flagship through a partnership with Sunpark, a franchise operator that runs more than 100 restaurants throughout Japan. The company disclosed the timeline and partnership details to NBC LA earlier this month.
“Our Japanese partner, Sunpark, operates more than 100 restaurants throughout Japan and brings extensive experience in restaurant operations,” the company said LA. “We are confident in Sunpark’s ability to maintain the high standards of food quality, atmosphere, and service that have defined Pink’s for generations.”
The Tokyo opening represents Pink’s most ambitious international expansion yet. The company plans to offer approximately 15 hot dog varieties tailored to local Japanese tastes, alongside burgers, drinks and desserts, according to multiple reports. This curated menu stands in contrast to the original location’s sprawling roster of more than 40 hot dog combinations.
Richard Pink, co-owner of the family business, told the LA Times that Japanese customers have long been among the stand’s most devoted visitors. “We have so many Japanese customers coming to Pink’s and they hear about it, and many of them come with their suitcases, and they’re either coming from the airport or going to the airport,” he said. “They stop off at Pink’s and want to try a chili dog. It’s fascinating.”
The company has made clear that Tokyo is only the beginning of its Japanese expansion. Pink said plans call for opening five to 10 additional stores in the country after the flagship debuts. Japan Up Magazine reported that the broader vision includes reaching 20 locations in the greater Tokyo area.
“It will be unique and different in Japan, and hopefully, they like hot dogs as much as Americans do, and they like the authenticity of Pink’s, the history, the Hollywood connection,” the company said. “And so for all those reasons we felt very confident that this was the right move to make.”
The expansion into Japan continues a busy period of international growth for the brand. Pink’s currently operates three locations in Manila, Philippines, and has a Seoul, South Korea outpost slated to open in November at the Hyundai Seoul Department Store. The company has also signaled intentions to enter Singapore, Australia and Mexico markets in coming years.
Domestically, Pink’s maintains eight locations across Southern California and Nevada, including its original stand, Universal CityWalk, the LA Zoo, and two water parks in the Las Vegas area. The family-run business has built its reputation on a distinctive menu that includes celebrity-named creations honoring figures from Rosie O’Donnell and Carl Reiner to Shaquille O’Neal.
In the viral moment that cemented Pink’s status as a Hollywood institution, the original hot dog stand near La Brea Avenue and Melrose Avenue has served more than a thousand hot dogs and hundreds of hamburgers daily for decades. Paul and Betty Pink launched the operation in 1939 with a $50 pushcart purchased with borrowed money, selling dogs for 10 cents apiece and leasing the land for $15 per month. The couple later secured a $4,000 Bank of America loan to buy the property when rent spiked 67 percent, and the small stand that replaced their cart in 1946 still operates today. Richard Pink, his wife Gloria, and sister Beverly took over in 1985 when Paul and Betty retired at ages 73 and 75.
The dining room’s celebrity wall of fame, started as a place for aspiring actors to hang photos for producers to discover, now displays more than 200 signed pictures of stars who have eaten there. Pink’s has been featured in movies, television shows and travel programming, with the family describing their operation as “the little hot dog stand that could.”
The company has not announced a specific date or Tokyo neighborhood for the flagship opening.