Convenience Store Sandwiches: Lawson offers satisfying sandwiches and collaborates with famous restaurants…Seven offers original eggs and new technology!
The three companies are competing in a three-way battle for the lifeline of convenience store sandwiches: FamilyMart, which focuses on eggs, Lawson, which pursues satisfying sandwiches, and 7-Eleven, which is the king of convenience store sandwiches, with its original eggs and new technology!
Five years ago, a French journalist visiting Tokyo to cover the Tokyo Olympics posted a post on a social networking service, and the “egg sandwich” became a major topic of conversation. Since the Tokyo Olympics, I have the impression that convenience stores have also started to focus on egg sandwiches.
LAWSON’s “Tamago Sandwich” has a Japanese taste with a little more dashi (Japanese soup stock) than other companies’ products. LAWSON’s sandwiches are excellent in their use of mayonnaise. As you can see from the “Ham Sandwich” (343 yen), the sour spicy mayonnaise sauce balances the hearty ham and textured cucumber well,” said Shinji Taya, a convenience store researcher.
Original Eggs
Another of LAWSON’s strengths is its high-priced sandwiches made in collaboration with famous restaurants. Hiroaki Watanabe, a consumer economics analyst, spoke about this.
The “Sangen Pork Cutlet Sandwich with Tonkatsu Maizumi Sauce” (495 yen for two sandwiches), a collaboration with Tokyo’s famous “Maizumi” restaurant, is proving to be very popular. The sandwich is prepared in the restaurant’s backyard, and depending on the time of day, can be eaten fresh out of the oven. The fruity and refreshing special sauce supervised by Mai-izumi is also delicious. Convenience store sandwiches are not always satisfying, but one of these sandwiches is enough to satisfy you.
FamilyMart is particular about its eggs, while Lawson pursues a more satisfying meal. While the two rivals are trying to gain supremacy by leveraging their respective strengths, Seven-Eleven, the champion, continues to lead the industry by controlling the two lifelines of its business.
The eggs used in our sandwiches are our own original eggs. By mixing marigolds and other ingredients into the chicken feed, the richness and flavor of the eggs is enhanced.
Seven-Eleven was one of the first to introduce the cold chain in 2005, and the freshness of the lettuce is outstanding. The “Shakishaki Shaki Lettuce Sandwich” (400 yen) is a typical example of this,” says distribution journalist Tadako Ishibashi.
The term “cold chain” refers to a system for distributing products that require temperature control, such as perishable foods, by keeping them at a low temperature from the place of production to the consumer’s doorstep. Normally, lettuce is transported to the market at room temperature after harvesting, but Seven-Eleven controls the temperature from the harvesting stage and transports the lettuce to stores at around 5°C, thus maintaining its crispy texture. Mr. Taya, mentioned above, says, “The introduction of the cold chain and the development of a dedicated slicer are significant.
Even if the vegetables arrive at the factory in fresh condition, if they cannot be cut cleanly, the texture will be lost. That is why Seven-Eleven was the first company to create a dedicated slicer and popularize the “Shakishaki-Shaki-Lettuce Sandwich. Today, two other companies are following suit, but even so, Seven-Eleven is probably the best in terms of the quality of its lettuce sandwiches.
The most recent product using vegetables is the “BLT Sandwich” (464 yen). You can enjoy the crispiness of the lettuce, bacon, and tomatoes with two different sauces, mustard and ketchup.
Five years after the “egg sandwich” boom, Seven-Eleven’s “fruit sandwich with plenty of whipped topping” (430 yen) and other fruit sandwiches are now showing signs of popularity among foreign tourists.
The improved slicer technology developed for vegetables has made it possible to cut fruits such as strawberries and kiwis into uniformly sized, beautifully cut pieces. Onigiri (rice balls) have the same appearance on the shelves, but sandwiches can make the shelves more colorful with different ingredients and breads. It is likely that new fruit sandwich products will be released one after another by various companies in the future.
The development battle among the three convenience store operators over sandwiches will continue.
From the March 27/April 3, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY