The problem in the US will be to convince people that the ânewâ 7-11 will have high quality food. In the moment that chain is associated with some of the crappiest quality
And provide the same high quality food consistently, which most similar chains here donât seem to be able to accomplish.
Never mind the prices â although theyâd likely be in line with whatâs coming for us.
I was impressed with the 7 11s in Miami. Some of them carried Cuban pastries that were pretty good.
There have been some indie convenience stores in Toronto modeled after Japanese 7 11s and Lawson. I think itâs hard to make the business model work in Toronto with the current economy.
I, for one, will not be buying sushi at an American 7-11 . . . .
I wonât even buy the hotdogs, that been rolling on the cooker for the last two daysâŚ
Supply chain is different in Japan as the article mentions. Itâs concentrated in urban areas and way less miles to cover. Thatâs going to be the biggest challenge. Central commissary (or a few) model could work in California since thereâs about 1,800 storesâŚbut then thereâs the food. Theyâre going to have find food that Americans like. Egg salad sandwich and ramen could work in California but to what extend and not a slam dunkâŚthen thereâs the rest of the country. Theyâre going to have to find or birth a âkiller appâ, something or many things that will draw people in that they canât get elsewhereâŚand make it available everywhere. Of course I have no idea what but maybe they have an idea. Maybe something like a very good BLT? In any case, I hope they can pull it offâŚfresh and decent food would be good.
Agreed - will may be in the right place, but itâs going to be difficult to get that consistency across all locations. Even locally here in MA where I am and where Dunkin Donuts (or just Dunkinâ these days) is a staple, the quality of each store varies a lot. Iâm sure they must have a central donut supplier within state, where they can get product to the stores same day.
I have a friend who thinks 7-Eleven hot dogs are just about the best food money can buy. I have learned pretty quickly not to trust his judgment when it comes to food!
As for whether 7-Eleven could successfully change the US business model to mirror that of Japan, thatâd be a HUGE culture shift, and I donât know if the company would be able to weather the losses theyâd sustain in the time it would take to attract a different clientele.
itâs going to require a huge cultural shift⌠which more likely than not will never happen.
in USA 7-11 is a convenience store - someplace to pick up on/two items faster than doing the âitâs all in the backâ grocery store routine.
the stores are not typically located in cities with a large walk-in crowd.
more urban sites - car required, easy parking required . . .
most of that bunch will do a McFastFood before even thinking about a 7-11.
You reminded me of an executive at a former company whoâs lunch was often 7-11 hot dogs. He was a remote employee but he loathed the typical catered lunch sandwiches we would bring in for meetings. If he was in town and had sandwiches for a lunch meeting (which was fairly often), he would run down to the nearby 7-11 and grab a hot dog. This was our top sales exec! Youâd think he would have appreciated better food options than hot dog.
I do believe all the Dunkin branded stores make the donuts âin houseâ -
obviously from mixes, with procedures reduced to skill levels achieved by high school drop outs . . . so the ingredients may be âthe sameâ but the skills at frying/filling/frosting . . . no guarantees there.
a number of gas station âmartsâ have Krispy Kreme donuts âunder glassâ - there are no KK stores within miles and miles of us - like pushing 100 miles . . .
so either they have a plain brown wrapper donut making facility with no on-site sales, or the donuts are not really all that fresh.
Maybe technology is the way, but wonât come cheap. However if fresh is desired, maybe. Speaking of donuts, thereâs Dutch Door Donuts, in Carmel, CA, that sells a $5 dollar donut but itâs made to order fresh, by hand in regular fryer. If you could make fresh donuts in small batches using tech, like a safe all contained fryerâŚmight work. These already exist but have no idea if itâs feasible. (I think Krispy Krunchy Chicken uses one.) In any case, theyâre going to have to think outside the box to get fresh and tasty food to 7-11s. I think theyâll need some kind of draw that get people in, like the Costco $1.50 hotdog, which is a lost leader. On a side note, Iâm sure the egg salad sandwich is good but Iâd never stop at a store for that but I never stopped for the roller hot dogs either.
I donât think many of them make them in house any more. Most likely come from a central delivery. Most of the Dunks (not the little huts in a station, or drive through) donât have anything more than a microwave and/or toaster oven for sandwiches. Finding a place that does make them in house though is like a treasure hunt!
well, youâre right - I am way out of date , , ,
Exactly few places make donuts in the same place except mom and pop places. But thereâs nothing like a fresh hot donutâŚand I actually heard that walking into a donut shop in SF around midnight. As I walked in, two cops were walking out, an older cop and a. younger cop. Older cop says to the younger cops, âEver have a hot fresh one?â Younger cop says no. Older cops says in a dreamy voice, âthereâs nothing else on earth like it.â In any case, my point was 7-11 is going to need some kind of draw that people will stop for. I think a fresh hot donut and coffee or tea for $5 might do it. I donât think egg salad sandwiches will do it but I could be wrong.
If they really want to differentiate and draw in customers, offer the same reliability, speed, and security of the Yamato delivery services, which you can get (or its equivalent) at every convenience store in Japan! And then also offer some delicious food too (Iâd take their oden, their onigiri, and even the curry fish balls and/or tripe in the HK 7-11s).
I think the only way for 7-11 to make this sort of shift is to take its cues from the Sheets/Wawa sort of setup that seems to work so well on the east coast. Many 7-11âs are already gas stations. That is where America wants its convenience stores. Sure, urban ones in dense, walkable downtowns (NYC, etc) wonât need it, since they live off foot traffic. But as a nation, thereâs not a whole lot thatâs going to get us out of our cars any time soon. Given current trends (ugh) we wonât be a nation of EVs for a good while yet, so gas stations arenât going away. Krispy Krunchy chicken has gotten some (inconsistent) success. If they can nail down the processes and logistics, I could see it working.
Quik Trip is regional .
Fresh food prepared at their regional commissaries .
I live in a dense suburb that is more urban than not, so while the gas stations in the area do have a few areas for snacks and essentials, most of them are pretty dead. Lottery seems to be the big seller there. I can see store+gas being mainstays off highways and major routes.
The strange phenomena near me - and in US cities Iâve visited - is that pharmacies have filled some of those gaps in lack of better convenience stores. My cousins overseas are always bewildered by this. Forgot to get milk, run to the CVS or Walgreens. Thirsty and want a drink, pop into Rite Aid. Many of them do have small sections of ready to go food too - not just the small selection of frozen foods. Couple that with they are generally cleaner and better maintained, where I am I would rather pop into a CVS than 7-11.
I do like WaWas though, and would welcome them popping into New England.
