Fueling Up is a column from C-Store Dive offering a fresh perspective on the top news and trends in the convenience store industry.
It’s been about a year since 7-Eleven started rolling out its “new standard” convenience stores, the food-focused, large-format prototype that the company is hoping will boost its profits and reputation in the U.S. That means I’ve spent the past year anticipating a visit to Texas — where these locations first launched — to get a look inside one of these bad boys.
I finally got the chance earlier this month during my trip to the Refuel USA forum in Dallas. The day before the conference began, I hit the road to visit a few c-stores in the area. Earlier stops included an immaculately clean Urban Value Corner Store and a RaceTrac where employees were ecstatic about its Potbelly acquisition.
After these visits, it was time to hit 7-Eleven’s first-ever new standard location in Allen, a suburb about 27 miles north of downtown Dallas.
I didn’t really know what I would find, although my expectations were admittedly low. Despite 7-Eleven spending the past year touting the QSR-style setup and increased offerings of these new stores, I couldn’t get myself to buy in. In my mind, this was either going to be the best 7-Eleven I’ve seen or another addition to the “Why are most 7-Elevens so sketchy” Reddit thread.
Although the store wasn’t perfect, the former rang true. This was by far the nicest 7-Eleven I’ve ever visited.
Foodservice takes the focus
As I expressed in my virtual tour of the store earlier this week, 7-Eleven delivered on its promise of making foodservice the star of the show. It was apparent the second I walked in, when I immediately encountered seating for up to 15 people and multiple coffee machines with premium hot and cold options (including on-draft cold brew, which I love).
Towards the back of the store is the chain’s Laredo Taco Company QSR — which I ate for the first time and thoroughly enjoyed — as well as freshly made cold grab-and-go offerings, including its famed egg sandwiches from Japan. Given that the food at 7-Eleven’s Japanese stores is insanely popular, I think these items are going to be a hit in its new standard stores.
But the store wasn’t perfect. A c-store industry consultant who joined my visit pointed out multiple flaws with the structure, notably the front entrance’s clunkiness. Specifically, they noted that the table and shelves of snack and toy limited-time offers that were set up just a few feet past the front door felt overwhelming. This expert added that the placement of these LTOs disrupted any sort of queue for customers to follow upon entering the store. In other words, there was no direction as to where to go, he said.
Additionally, this expert said that although the store’s focus on foodservice was strong, the center store aisles took a hit because of it. He pointed to the narrowness of the snack and candy aisles, saying that it’s a design flaw that these aisles aren’t even wide enough to fit two people at once.
But the products and setup weren’t the only elements of this store that stood out. The staff was incredibly friendly and attentive, even if they were wondering why I asked to take pictures. The store’s manager showed us around and answered any questions we had. Friendly or unfriendly staff can make or break a c-store visit — and future trips — and the associates at this store knocked it out of the park.
It’s not clear how many new standard sites 7-Eleven has opened to date and how the company is progressing towards its goal of 600 by the end of 2027. A 7-Eleven spokesperson did not share a straightforward answer when asked this question, only noting that the rollout is ongoing across the country.
“We are continuing to expand the development of our new store standard pipeline into all of our markets nationwide as we build new stores giving customers access to larger, food-forward locations with more fresh food, beverage variety and digital conveniences,” the spokesperson said.
I’ll be closely watching the rollout as 7-Eleven debuts more and more of these sites across the U.S. Is it possible that not all locations will be as compelling as the one in Allen? Sure. But if they’re anywhere near its level, 7-Eleven will be onto something good with its new prototype.
