"Convenience store coffee" has greatly moved the Japanese coffee market, such as being selected as No. 1 in the "Best 30 Hit Products of the Year" (announced by Nikkei BP) in 2013. While there are many convenience stores that you can enter by yourself, Lawson has announced that it will strengthen its "MACHI cafe," which specializes in "face-to-face services."


The feature of face-to-face service is that it can respond "customized to the customer". To that end, Lawson is focusing on its own qualification system, "Fantasista," which certifies "magical coffee" professionals.

This system is a test that asks for knowledge of coffee, which can only be taken by staff with a particularly high level of customer service. The pass rate is about 16%, and currently (as of the end of October 2013) 505 people are active in 411 stores.


The staff who are qualified as fantasistas wear a black apron with golden embroidery on the left chest, and the store will also have a plate of "a store with fantasistas". Perhaps the staff of "that store" that I often go to is a fantasista.

In addition, the abundance of menus with about 10 types at all times is also a point, and you can enjoy not only blended coffee and latte, but also seasonal flavors such as soup and tea. Seasonal toppings such as jelly and marshmallow will be added.

There are stores that sell baked goods that make you happy during cafe time, and some stores have eating and drinking spaces, so it seems that you can use it just like a cafe.


Lawson said that it would like to promote "cafe conversion" with a focus on face-to-face service and quality, such as expanding the number of stores that have introduced gusset cafes from the current 5,500 stores to 8,000 stores in February 2014. There will be more ways to enjoy convenience store coffee.