Musubi and Pork Adobo with a Dash of Gasoline

InIn Hawai’i, gas station convenience stores transform from mere fluorescent-lit stops into vibrant dining spots, serving some of the finest food on the islands, thanks to two leading chains that dominate the scene.

On Oahu, that chain is 7-Eleven, where you can find delights like dark chocolate-glazed mochi doughnuts and warm manapua (bao) filled with lap cheong, wrapped in pillowy dough. While you wait to check out, the construction worker ahead of you grabs a bento of guisantes, a Filipino stew with pork and peas. School kids dash through the aisles snatching up award-winning Spam musubi, and the new tonkotsu ramen, made with fresh noodles, is sold out by midday. (Only one bowl of beef pho remains, garnished with fresh Thai basil and sliced red onions, but you’d better act fast).

On Maui, you'll find Minit Stop, famous for its fried chicken and hefty potato wedges, cut from one-pound potatoes and double breaded in the same batter as the chicken. Nearly 40 years and 17 locations later, locals still flock to Minit Stop for the fried chicken and potato wedges, as well as newer offerings like pork adobo and flying saucers — a beloved 90-year-old Maui Fair treat akin to a Hot Pocket. Minit Stop’s take is more like a hand pie compared to the traditional fair version, which uses two slices of bread with a sloppy joe filling pressed into a clamshell. Their flavors include lobster melt, chicken adobo, and even a vegetarian Impossible cheeseburger. (However, similar to the flying saucers at the Maui Fair, which were discontinued about five years ago, Minit Stop also plans to phase them out soon.)

Gas station cuisine in Hawai’i strikes a balance between nostalgia and modernity, reflecting the unique blend of East and West that characterizes the islands' food culture. These stops are integral to our daily lives — the places where we grab a fried chicken musubi, often dubbed the local-style energy bar, after a surf session, or pick up a longanisa and tocino bento for breakfast on our commute, where we become familiar faces to the cashiers.

In many respects, the exceptional offerings at gas stations mark an evolution of Hawai’i’s longstanding tradition of general stores serving as community hubs. Many of these were true mom-and-pop establishments, some dating back to the late 1800s, providing everything from rubber boots and fishing gear to chili fried chicken bentos and freshly baked peanut butter cookies. Sushi began appearing in Hawai’i’s general stores as early as the 1920s — combine that with some gas pumps, and you have gas station sushi, a punchline elsewhere but a beloved snack here.

The excellence of Hawai’i’s gas station food is also tied to the state’s close connections with Japan, where convenience store snacks are a culinary art. Before Maui local Jimmy Haynes established Minit Stop in 1982, he was an executive at Unocal 76 (now known as 76) and drew inspiration from his travels in Japan, where convenience stores offered items ranging from oden to onigiri. Minit Stop brought self-serve gas to Maui, a novel concept at the time, but the real game-changer was the fresh fried chicken and potato wedges. “People thought he was out of his mind,” recalls Minit Stop’s merchandising manager Kim Robello. “Back then, the old idea of convenience stores was just ‘smokes and a Coke.’ But Jimmy went a step further, focusing on made-from-scratch food. Minit Stop included typical convenience store items like groceries and cold drinks, but its standout feature was a proprietary kitchen for preparing its unique chicken.”

In 1978, Oahu welcomed its first 7-Eleven, initially offering the same selection as others across the U.S.: Slurpees and mediocre sandwiches heated in a microwave. This changed in 1989 when the Tokyo-based Seven-Eleven Japan Co. acquired all of Hawai’i’s stores, and by 1991, it took control of 7-Eleven’s parent company, Southland. “Since then, we've adapted our offerings to align with 7-Eleven Japan’s model,” explains Debbie Lee Soon, senior category manager for 7-Eleven Hawai’i, overseeing its fresh food selections.

This model emphasizes a wide range of freshly prepared food and regular new product launches to keep the stores fresh and engaging. “From the start, 7-Eleven Japan recognized that the people of Hawai’i were quite different from those on the mainland,” says Soon. “We needed to create products tailored to our local customers.” One such product is Spam musubi, which Soon believes may have been the first dish specifically designed for 7-Eleven Hawai’i.

Two early favorites, pork hash and manapua, have become some of the top-selling items at 7-Eleven Hawai’i, with new offerings continually being developed. The company introduces one to three new dishes each week, ranging from kimchi pork to mapo tofu. Soon has even partnered with local culinary schools in Hawai’i to craft innovative dishes, including a sinigang noodle soup inspired by the classic sour Filipino soup and a hearty ’ulu (breadfruit) stew.

While nearly half of Hawai’i’s 65 7-Eleven locations are connected to gas stations, and almost all of Minit Stop’s 17 sites on Maui and Hawai’i islands provide fuel for cars, both brands emphasize their convenience store aspect over the gas station feature. Kim Robello views Minit Stop as primarily a convenience store offering “incredible food,” rather than just a gas station. He puts it succinctly — as many locals would agree — “the gas is secondary.”

Martha Cheng is a writer and editor residing in Honolulu, Hawai’i.Naya-Cheyenne is a multimedia illustrator and designer from Miami, now based in Brooklyn.Michelle Mishina Kunz is a photographer located in Honolulu, Hawai’i.Fact-checked by Andrea López Cruzado