Conbini of the Future

And FamilyMart serves Taco Maki

Apr 20, 2025

7-11 is showing off its Conbini of the Future at the Osaka Expo. Customers can look forward to hydrogen-powered smoothie machines, remotely operated robots called Newme to answer questions, and digital price tags. Oh, and they’re going to move the coffee machines away from the counter to reduce traffic at checkout.

I’m not impressed. I don’t want hydrogen-powered smoothies or to talk to a face on a rolling stick.

Here is my top 3 conbini innovation wishlist.

One: Rotisserie

The conbini has pioneered engineering breakthroughs with chicken. The Famichiki is the eighth wonder of the world. Its cobbled mix of dark and white meat, injected with a sea of chicken juice, unleashes an unholy wave of euphoria with every bite. It’s the flavor of a thousand chickens packed into twelve square inches.

Now imagine if the aroma of slow-roasted chicken greeted you upon entry to FamilyMart. Next to the deep fryer, a wall of glistening, golden-brown chicken dripping a waterfall of fat beckons you. Order a whole chicken or a thigh and breast combo and sit it beside a scoop of rice.

Not to mention this is a modular play. Once a week, the conbini could swap chicken for roast beef. Every Sunday is prime rib day at the conbini. Customers could celebrate the day of worship by visiting Conbini Church and buying a slice of a prime rib, sopping with au jus.

Two: Slurpees

Instead of using hydrogen cartridges to power smoothie machines, the 7-11 execs should get them powering Slurpee machines. The Slurpee is the only enviable item American convenience stores have over Japan’s conbini.

This is plug-and-play. The conbini has all the flavors you could ask for: Mitsuya Cider, CC Lemon, and Pocari Sweat! They could run campaigns on Strong Zero, Asahi Super Dry, and Boss Coffee. What could possibly be better than sucking down frozen air powered with enough caffeine to rip your brain out of your skull, and then chase it down with frothy booze so gnarly it leaves you drooling on the sidewalk?

This is a no-brainer.

Three: Weed

I know marijuana is illegal in Japan. But the conbini oligopoly is a corporate force with enough money and cultural sway to lead a policy campaign for legalization. For them, it’s all upside. The munchies would send sales through the roof.

Can you imagine shopping at the conbini with the munchies? I think my stomach would transform into a black hole, creating a snack gravity so strong that not even the nastiest oden item could escape it.

Honorable mention: Buffalo Famichiki

The Japanese aren’t into spicy food. But there are enough foreign tourists to make this viable in the large metros like Tokyo and Osaka. To make this pop, I’d run a week-long campaign featuring it stuffed with blue cheese.

Pair it with a bong load of Gary Payton and we’d all be in heaven.

Items of the Week

FamilyMart is out with two bangers: Taco Maki and Croissant Melon Pan. The Taco Maki is stuffed with taco meat (?), grilled cabbage, and a cheese sauce. While this bears no resemblance to Mexican tacos, it’s a first step in the right direction. I’d swap the cheese sauce for salsa and at least clarify “taco meat”.

While I am not fan of melon pan, these layers are impressive! Who wouldn’t enjoy a light, flaky croissant with a crispy top? I’d eat the whole bag on the walk home.

From the Dumpster

FamilyMart has released konyaku with a miso sauce. Konyaku is strange, jelly-like substance made from the konjac plant. It’s commonly sliced into triangles. It has the consistency of one of those squishy gel blobs a detailer uses to pick up crumbs and dust from the bottom of your car’s cupholder. Konyaku has almost no calories and no flavor. When AI takes over and plugs us into the matrix, the machines will feed us with konyaku to sustain our bodies. I’m sure they’ll be cruel and leave out the miso dipping sauce.