The lunch in Chitose this time was rushed, so I went for Hot Chef. Hot Chef really shines in times like this! Lately, Hot Chef has had a lot of "chicken" dishes, but this day I got the pork cutlet curry for 575 yen including tax. The portion was great, the cutlet was tender, and the curry was delicious. It might be retort curry, but it's on a different level compared to others. The taste is just amazing! The rice goes so well with it too. How do they make such a tender cutlet?

Seven-Eleven has Nanaco, and Lawson has Ponta, where you can accumulate points and use them at checkout. But Seicomart's club card (point card) still operates on the old system of exchanging points for prizes. Collecting stamps or stickers and pasting them on a card brings back nostalgic memories. However, there are other benefits too! Seicomart, Hasegawa Store, and Taiyo also accept the card! Wait, Hasegawa Store is under Seicomart? Presenting the card at the register can get you discounts on certain items! The eligible products change weekly, so make sure to check! This time, one of the items is the Mixed Sandwich! Get an 8 yen discount from the original price of 248 yen just by presenting the card! It may be just 8 yen, but it's still nice to get a discount by simply showing the card. I like crispy lettuce, but I also enjoy sandwiches with tuna or ham in them. The Hokkaido pork sauce yakisoba is delicious! The sauce and noodles are different from those in other convenience stores!

Before returning the rental car, I stopped by the convenience store at the airport for dessert - tiramisu and cheesecake. I also picked up pasta and fried chicken for my family's dinner. The prices were surprisingly affordable and the food tasted much better than expected. If you were to buy these items at a 7-11, it would easily cost three times as much. I wish they had these options in Western Japan as well. Thank you for taking care of me during this trip!

"In June 2020, Seicomart, the leading convenience store chain in Hokkaido with the highest number of stores, is known for its high rate of directly managed stores, with about 80% of all stores being directly managed. In Chitose City, there are 13 Seicomart stores, and the one being introduced this time, the "Chitose Hinode Store," was previously operating as the "Morichi Store" until the end of March. It closed for about a week from April 1st for renovations and reopened as the new "Chitose Hinode Store." Seicomart actively converts aging franchisee stores into directly managed stores, so this store may have undergone the same process. After the renovation, there were some slight changes in product placement, but overall, the product lineup remained mostly the same. The staff who had been working there previously are still present, with a few new staff members added. Personally, while I claim to be a Seicomart fan, there are stores within Seicomart that I resonate with more than others. Looking back, my favorite stores in Chitose City are the "Fukumiya Store," the old "Morichi Store," and now, the newly renovated "Chitose Hinode Store," where I feel a slightly different sense of discomfort compared to before. Looking back, I felt the same way when the "Chitose Ume Gaoka Store" was renovated a few years ago, and I realize now that the biggest factor is the transition from franchisee stores to directly managed stores. Franchisee owners are like lords of their own castle, willing to sacrifice their own rest and meals to dedicate themselves to the store's management. On the other hand, directly managed stores are operated by employees, with strict management of working hours and cost control. The biggest change I noticed after the transition to a directly managed store is the issue of product assortment. There are more instances where the items I want, such as perishable goods and Hot Chef products, are not available when I need them, possibly due to strict cost management to minimize losses. Reflecting on this, I have a newfound respect for the franchisee owners who have been pushing themselves to manage their stores. In this light, I am unsure whether Seicomart's high rate of directly managed stores is necessarily a good thing. Perhaps, Seicomart was better off when it was recognized as a chain that was kind to its customers, the community, and franchisee owners, with each store retaining its unique flavor as a franchisee store. ============================== ◆ Food/Taste 3.0 / Service 3.0 / Atmosphere 3.0 / Value for Money 3.0 / Drinks 3.5"

Seicomart's new products are constantly coming out, and here are just a few of them. From onigiri to snacks and drinks, the variety seems endless. - Kinpira Gobo Onigiri: A slightly unusual onigiri filling, with a taste that may divide opinions. - Chestnut Daifuku: While it contains chestnut paste, the chestnut flavor is a bit lacking. Adding finely chopped chestnuts to the red bean paste might have been a better choice. - Yamaimo Okonomiyaki: Quite delicious, with sauce and mayonnaise included, making it a perfect snack. - Matsumae Pickled Onigiri: A strong flavor similar to tsukudani onigiri. - Pumpkin Daifuku: A combination of pumpkin paste and whipped cream, quite tasty. - Ginger Salt Ramen: Strong ginger flavor but lacking in ingredients, giving a cheap impression. Increasing the price for more volume might have been better. - Pumpkin and Red Bean Paste Skewered Dumplings: Pumpkin-flavored dumplings with red bean paste, visually appealing. Seicomart Morichi store is one of the personally frequented stores, and is a franchise store among the increasing number of directly operated Seicomart stores in recent years. In older style stores, the parking lot is relatively spacious and convenient.

"In February 2021, what is commonly known as 'bag bread' refers to bread produced by local manufacturers such as 'Nichiro Seipan' or 'Robapan' in the past, or by major bread manufacturers such as 'Yamazaki Seipan' in factories and then packaged in bags for sale in stores and supermarkets. Of course, they are also displayed in convenience stores, but in recent years, it has become common for them to be sold as original private brands, and conversely, products from major manufacturers are sometimes pushed to the corner. However, in convenience stores such as '7-Eleven,' 'Lawson,' and 'FamilyMart,' the same bread is often displayed, with very few varieties, and it is not uncommon for customers to not find the bread they want to eat. In this context, the bag bread at 'Seiko Mart' is amazing! How many varieties of new products are released in a year? This time, I reviewed several that caught my attention among the recent ones I received. Here are some of them: - Rich Apple Tart: A tart-like cookie dough topped with castella dough, with diced apple compote mixed in. It's more like a sweet treat than bread, and would go well with tea or coffee. - Chocolate Whip & Chocolate Cream Danish: Two types of cream sandwiched inside Danish pastry dough. - Croissant (Whipped Cream): Although it's called a croissant, the bread itself doesn't have much croissant taste, but it goes well with the cream. - Thick Slice Roll Cake (Double Strawberry): One of the "strawberry items" sold during the January "Strawberry Fair." A roll cake with normal dough rolled with strawberry dough, and strawberry jam in the strawberry cream inside. It's quite thick and satisfying. - Melon Pan Sandwich (Custard): Custard cream in a cut melon pan. The sweetness is somewhat subtle, and it's quite delicious! - Chicken Gratin Danish: Seiko Mart also has a wide variety of deli-style bread, and this one is quite tasty. - Chocolate Flavored Churroki: Churros with a chocolate flavor. As a donut lover, it's quite tasty. Overall Ratings: - Food & Taste 3.5 / Service 3.0 / Atmosphere 3.0 / Value for Money 3.5"