Cold lunch woes: How Japan’s konbini gets meal deals right
A chilled sandwich, a bag of crisps and a bottle of fizzy drink is a combination of choice many Britons pick at convenience stores out of habit.
The quintessential food culture has existed for nearly four decades but the experience can be as stale as the stone-cold bread for some, especially during wintertime.
The pharmacy chain Boots is hailed as the pioneer of the concept, first offering the affordable combo nationwide in 1985.
38 years since its creation, however, a meal deal set looks more or less the same, with the minor difference being an expansion in the list of ingredients supermarket conglomerates put between two slices of sandwich loaf.
Why can’t we improve our meal deals when the other side of the world has put years of innovation to make lunch break the highlight of the day? Convenience stores in Japan, also known as konbini, by contrast, offer a much wider selection of mains and sides.
While they have similar cold food such as sandwiches and onigiri - fillings wrapped in rice balls which are shaped in triangles, many people are more attracted to ready-to-eat meals that can be prepared hot by popping the dishes into the microwave inside the store for 45 seconds.
Those nutritious and fulfilling packed lunches, also known as bento, are also affordable. Chicken katsu curry with steamed white rice is sold for 591 yen (£3.47), roughly the same price of a Tesco meal deal with a Clubcard nowadays.
Next to the food aisle are often racks of hot bottled tea and canned coffee stored in a warmer for 138 yen (£0.81) each, perfect in freezing temperature.
“I felt like a kid in a candy store the first time I went into a konbini, which is very conveniently located at the arrival hall at Tokyo Narita Airport,” says Jay Allen, a software engineer who used to live in Seattle, United States, but now more frequently in the Japan’s capital.
“After the pandemic, in October last year, me and my wife came back [to Japan] literally the day after the country opened up and I’ve put on several pounds of weight because of the konbini.”
Familymart, Lawsons and 7-11 are the most common household names in the Japanese convenience stores market. Together, they represent the majority of the 56,000 shops from the southernmost Okinara to Hokkaido up north.
Jay recalls: “Ah, it was so good, especially the pancakes with maple syrup in the 7-11 and their seasonal-limited snacks.
“I remember American celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain once told a famous story that the first thing he would do when he got into the country was to head to a Lawsons and buy an egg salad sandwich.”
To hear a person enthusiastically recounting food and drinks they enjoy at convenience stores is rare in western countries where it is often seen as a little pickup shop on the side of the road selling marked-up items for people in a hurry.
“These pre-made food actually do not suck,” Jay said, “They don’t look like those you see in Sainsbury’s in the UK or 7-11 in the US, where you look at the hotdogs and they look like they have been deserting on the shelves and roasters for seven days.”
“They are like fossils,” he says.
“Seven days? More like seven years to me,” Noah Oskow, a professional translator who also co-authors Unseen Japan, a website documenting current events, history and culture of Japan, with Jay, says.
Noah continues: “ I’m a big proponent of egg sandwiches in combini as well, for good reason. It’s really delicious.
“I can’t remember the first time I walked into a konbini.The first time I came to this country, I was just 16 years old but I have no memory of it, but I can’t tell you when the last time will be because I’ll keep on going back.
“I also appreciate the staff voluntarily asking whether you want them to help you to reheat bento as you pay for your food.
“My love for combini is perhaps well-known. The only word I can describe the experience is amazing.”
While food to go in the UK may not be as glamorous as the Japanese counterparts in terms of variety, British supermarkets are still making an effort to improve their offerings to serve the widest group of customers.
Jack Lawal, a part-time biology research assistant in London, says: “There are certain vegan meals like salad for main and fruits as snacks that my vegan friends enjoy.
“I follow Kosher guidelines strictly because I’m Jewish. The Sainsbury’s Local near UCL sometimes has sandwiches that fit my needs.
“We have a traffic light system warning customers conscious about health if the food item has a high amount of sugar or fat, but the label is not present in konbini bento.”
The big supermarket chains have been offering international food in recent years, including sushi, pakora and bhaji as part of a meal deal. Tesco also launched premium meal deals in partnership with Asian-inspired brands such as itsu and YO! Sushi just two months ago.
Jack adds: “I’m not too bothered about cold food because I’m not very picky.”
“When I go to university, I could also ask the staff at the Students’ Union building to reheat my sandwiches and toasties anyway.
“I notice some smaller grocery store chains like Budgens have hot pastries like sausage rolls and steak bakes in their stores. It’s just the large supermarket chains that don’t have it.”
He also believes Britain has a better retail strategy to attract people to buy meal deals, saying: “You can get normally expensive protein shakes, energy drinks or smoothies at a much cheaper price as part of the meal deal.”
Worryingly, the British Sandwich & Food to Go Association found meal deal business is still 20% lower than 2019 level, signalling a decline of the staple culture.
As The Grocer pointed out, post-Brexit labour shortage, cost of living crisis and rivalry in hot lunchtime alternatives of Ginsters and Pret have made meal deals potentially “on life support”.
It is now up to the big supermarkets to take note of what Japan has been doing to win back customers. Introducing microwaves at small-sized grocery stores and a wider variety of choices can be the first small steps to the right direction.
It is no longer 1985 anymore.
