7-Eleven is opening a drive-thru in Dallas that will sell Slurpees and tacos on the go.- Drive-thrus have been important to
fast food and quick service restaurants' survival this year. - The drive-thru is part of 7-Eleven's Evolution store format.
A new 7-Eleven store in Dallas, Texas will have a drive-thru and be connected to Laredo Taco Company. The location will also have indoor dining.
This location marks the first-ever 7-Eleven drive-thru. The first combination 7-Eleven and Laredo Taco Company opened two years ago, the company says.
"Throw in the convenience of grabbing a taco paired with a Slurpee drink through a drive-thru, and it's a match made in heaven," 7‑Eleven executive vice president and COO Chris Tanco said in a statement.
The location will serve tacos on handmade tortillas with chorizo, barbacoa, and carnitas, along with a fresh salsa bar and breakfast tacos through 11:30 a.m. While many regular 7-Elevens are open 24 hours a day, the drive-thru will operate from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and through 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
The drive-thru will have more than 30 drink options, including Slurpees and hot and iced coffee. 7-Eleven Evolution stores are where corporate tests new drinks before they make their way to the rest of the country, so customers can try ginger beer, black cherry, pineapple coconut, diet key lime, and diet cherry vanilla flavored sodas. Inside, wine-based frozen margaritas are on tap.
This new store will be the sixth 7-Eleven Evolution store, and the third in Dallas. The Evolution stores are designed as "experiential testing grounds" for new ideas and foods. In February, 7-Eleven listed one of these stores as a Playstation gaming experience available to rent on Airbnb, Brittany Chang reported.
This new location will also have other unusual features, including a wine cellar and beer cave, skin-care and makeup brands, and other novelty products.
Fast food and fast-casual brands across the country have optimized drive-thrus over the last year as they became crucial in the age of COVID-19. Drive-thru orders have grown across the fast-food industry since the pandemic closed many dining rooms.
Drive-thrus have been up industry-wide because they are perceived as a "safe way to use the brand" Kalinowski Equity Research founder Mark Kalinowski told Insider.
Even chains that aren't typically associated with drive-thrus are hopping on the trend. Drive-thrus have been a "lifeline" for Krispy Kreme, the chain's CMO told Insider, and salad chain Sweetgreen plans to open its first drive-thru this year.
This location is the first of its kind for 7-Eleven, but there could be more as the chain continues to experiment with the evolution concept.