7-Eleven allows customers to drink inside stores

Next time you visit a 7-Eleven in the Canadian province of Ontario, you may well want to ask for the best drinks pairing with a Big Bite Hot Dog.

In total, there are 59 7-Eleven stores in Ontario, and 58 of these have now been granted liquor licences – the one outlier, according to Toronto’s City News, is the store at Toronto Pearson International airport, where alcohol sales are forbidden. At present, two locations in Ontario currently serve booze (as do 20 in Alberta). It is understood that this new feature will be rolled out across Ontario from next month and over the coming year.

These licences permit alcoholic drinks to be served to customers seated in special new ‘dining sections’ of the stores from midday until 11pm. It is understood that a range of alcoholic drinks will be served, including beer, hard seltzers and wine.

According to Marc Goodman, vice president of 7-Eleven Canada, it is a canny move by the chain to adjust to changing consumer habits.

The Drinks Business