7-Eleven Japan revamps its convenience store pizza, but did it ruin a good thing?

We find out if 7-Eleven delivers on its promise to enhance the size and texture of its pizzas.

7-Elevens in Japan are a cut above those in other places of the world, with hot food so good you’d hardly believe it was from a convenience store. One of the chain’s most popular hot food options is its pizza, baked in dedicated in-store ovens to give it a freshly made texture and flavour.

However, for some reason, 7-Eleven recently decided the pizzas were due for a revamp, announcing that they would be enhancing the chewiness and increasing the size by approximately 30 percent, without changing the price.

The change went into effect on 15 September, so we immediately ordered the new pizza for delivery – yes, 7-Eleven delivers pizzas through the chain’s official 7NOW delivery app – choosing the Margherita (780 yen [US$4.94]) out of the two options, with the other option being Teriyaki Chicken, for 880 yen.

▼  The first thing to surprise us was the box itself, which had changed from a slightly octagonal shape…

▼ …to a plain square one.

If this was one way for the company to cut corners in an effort to revamp the pizza without changing the price, then we had no complaints. The box still looked great, and when we lifted the lid, we found a pizza inside that measured around 23 centimetres (9 inches) across.

Having reviewed the pizza a while back, before the change, this was roughly 3 centimetres bigger than before, amounting to an increase in diameter of around 15 percent, which, when doing the math, equates to an increased surface area of around 30 percent.

▼ Having confirmed that the size increase was no exaggeration, it was now time to give the pizza a taste.

Taking a bite, the flavours of cheese and tomato gently spread through the palate, accompanied by a satisfying chewiness. The flavour and texture were excellent, and we noticed that our teeth seemed to sink further into the dough than before.

According to the chain, a special method has been used to increase the moisture content of the dough, and as you work your way through each slice, the added chewiness becomes more evident, and more addictive, thanks to the extra hydration.

▼ The moisture content comes at no expense to the base, either, as it still has a good thickness.

▼ The crust is nice and chewy too.

Being able to improve the size and texture of the pizza while maintaining the price, flavour and thickness is no easy task, yet 7-Eleven manages to pull it off impressively. When we reviewed the previous pizza, we described it as occupying a position somewhere between a frozen pizza and one from a specialist pizza restaurant, and that position is now even more firmly established in our minds.

In fact, the pizza may now be occupying special territory as a brand in its own right, with a signature flavour, texture and price that reflects 7-Eleven’s commitment to delivering satisfaction for its customers. Like the chain’s highly acclaimed smoothies, the pizzas really are worth stopping by for.

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