CHICAGO, April 27, 2026 — It’s been a busy week of foodservice-related announcements for 7-Eleven, the largest c-store operator in the U.S.
7-Eleven revealed in an investor presentation on April 23 that it intends to remodel more than 7,000 stores by 2030 while opening 1,300 new stores during the period, with foodservice central to those designs.
The chain said it is “betting big” on fresh food in 2026 with the hope of becoming a “flavor destination” and driving an incremental $1 billion push in fresh food sales as well as opening 1,100 new restaurants by 2030.
To achieve those goals, 7-Eleven said it would invest in food quality and innovation, improve food perception, and optimize its value chain to deliver fresher products at lower cost across all stores.
The c-store chain also announced a partnership with catering platform EZ Cater, to expand its restaurant offerings to large-group orders.
Catering is now available at all of 7-Eleven’s Speedy Café and Laredo Taco Company locations, the company said.
Speedy Café offers breakfast sandwich boxes, pizzas, lunch boxes and salads, while Laredo Taco Company’s catering options include taco bars and breakfast taco boxes.
Hey, did you hear consumers are really into protein right now? 7-Eleven apparently did, too.
The retailer said its stores now sell more than 62,000 protein drinks each day.
With that in mind, the chain has expanded its protein-packed sandwiches and wraps to include a new Chicken Sandwich as well as the Johnsonville Dr Pepper Sausage. 7-Eleven added protein callouts to fresh sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches and wraps to drive the point home to consumers.
The retailer also said it is expanding its lineup of grab-and-go protein snacks to include protein packs, fresh protein bars, yogurt and overnight oats.
Heather Lalley is the director of communications for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association. A lifelong journalist, Lalley has previously worked with industry publications including Restaurant Business, CSP Daily News, Supermarket News and Foodservice Director.
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