Gift link I'm really excited about 7-11 bringing elements of the Japanese Konbini experience to the US. There are technical and logistical challenges. I hope Mr. Dacus succeeds. If he succeeds in...
I'm really excited about 7-11 bringing elements of the Japanese Konbini experience to the US.
Leading the push to expand Japanese-quality fresh food to 7-Eleven in North America is Stephen Dacus, a Japanese American former Walmart executive who started as chief executive of Seven & i Holdings, the 7-Eleven parent company, three months ago.
There are technical and logistical challenges.
The sandwiches are made with the fluffy Japanese “milk bread,” and a team in Texas worked with Japanese suppliers to learn how to produce it in the United States. Milk bread and Japanese mayonnaise give the egg sandwiches “the heavenly pillow thing,” Mr. Dacus said.
In the United States, Mr. Dacus said, fresh food often means hot food that can be frozen and cooked on site, eliminating the need for multiple daily deliveries. He added that the company could draw on a Japanese-style model of having closer ties to its food suppliers to improve products in response to what customers want.
I hope Mr. Dacus succeeds. If he succeeds in making convenience food fresh, healthy, cheap, and readily accessible—and convince other American companies that this is a real shift—then he will make seriously positive social impact on the American food landscape. I want to see a future where Americans can just easily and cheaply reach for a healthy rice ball or sushi roll as they can for a burger or hot dog.
The only place that has food within a mile walk of my house is a 7/11. I would love if I actually wanted to eat something from there, but 10,000 kinds of 1/4 full potato chip bags are not...
The only place that has food within a mile walk of my house is a 7/11. I would love if I actually wanted to eat something from there, but 10,000 kinds of 1/4 full potato chip bags are not interesting to me.
The closest thing in my general area to what’s being described are those creepy Amazon stores that track what you pick up and charge you through their app instead of some kind of checkout. They have a ton of fancy fresh food.
It’s another Asian convenience store chain that’s known for its prepared food, so it seems like at least partial competition? They have big stores too, though.
It’s another Asian convenience store chain that’s known for its prepared food, so it seems like at least partial competition? They have big stores too, though.
I wouldn't describe H Mart as a convenience store: it's a full-service grocery store on the level of Safeway or Whole Foods, with a bakery, meat and seafood counter, deli, produce, etc. They...
I wouldn't describe H Mart as a convenience store: it's a full-service grocery store on the level of Safeway or Whole Foods, with a bakery, meat and seafood counter, deli, produce, etc. They definitely have a very good and relatively healthy prepared food section. A roll of kimbap is always a delicious, nutritious, and cheap lunch option.
These kinds of businesses open to serve existing Asian American communities, but they end up attracting non-Asian shoppers too.
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I'm really excited about 7-11 bringing elements of the Japanese Konbini experience to the US.
There are technical and logistical challenges.
I hope Mr. Dacus succeeds. If he succeeds in making convenience food fresh, healthy, cheap, and readily accessible—and convince other American companies that this is a real shift—then he will make seriously positive social impact on the American food landscape. I want to see a future where Americans can just easily and cheaply reach for a healthy rice ball or sushi roll as they can for a burger or hot dog.
The only place that has food within a mile walk of my house is a 7/11. I would love if I actually wanted to eat something from there, but 10,000 kinds of 1/4 full potato chip bags are not interesting to me.
The closest thing in my general area to what’s being described are those creepy Amazon stores that track what you pick up and charge you through their app instead of some kind of checkout. They have a ton of fancy fresh food.
H Mart doesn’t have nearly as many locations, but they seem to be expanding pretty rapidly in the US and getting positive press when they do.
I’m not sure what H-Mart has to do with this story, exactly.
It’s another Asian convenience store chain that’s known for its prepared food, so it seems like at least partial competition? They have big stores too, though.
I wouldn't describe H Mart as a convenience store: it's a full-service grocery store on the level of Safeway or Whole Foods, with a bakery, meat and seafood counter, deli, produce, etc. They definitely have a very good and relatively healthy prepared food section. A roll of kimbap is always a delicious, nutritious, and cheap lunch option.
These kinds of businesses open to serve existing Asian American communities, but they end up attracting non-Asian shoppers too.