CHICAGO, August 21, 2025 - With a merger off the table, 7-Eleven is counting on a stronger presence in the food-away-from-home business to help maintain its dominance of the U.S. convenience-store market.
The chain’s parent, Japan-based Seven and i Holdings, has set a goal of adding 1,100 restaurant-equipped c-stores in the U.S. by 2030. About 1,080 of 7-Eleven's domestic c-stores currently sport an interior restaurant, according to the company.
In the process, 7-Eleven will strive to counter the perception of its food as being less than fresh, or what Seven and i identified as a key detriment for the c-store leader.
Executives of the parent company did not divulge how they would counter that image, but they promised to make significant investments in kitchen equipment and the development of “distinctive” food items.
The expansion plan calls for adding 200 more c-stores that don’t feature an internal restaurant.
The funding is expected to come in large part from a previously announced plan to spin off the North American operations of 7-Eleven via an initial public offering (IPO) in the U.S. next year.
Significant investments will also be made in 7Now, the c-store chain’s delivery operation, the parent company said. The service promises delivery of items from a participating store within 30 minutes of an order being place.
Seven and i did not reveal what brand names the new restaurants might use. 7-Eleven has experimented with an array of concepts, the largest in the U.S. being 600-store Laredo Taco Co. and 60-unit Raise the Roost, a fried-chicken operation.
The new strategy was aired three weeks after the parent company of 7-Eleven's main U.S. rival, the Circle K c-store chain, dropped its plan to acquire the Japanese-owned operation for $47 billion, one of the largest takeover bids ever tendered within the FAFH business.
The negotiations appeared to be less than harmonious. The would-be buyer, Alimentation Couche-Tard (ACT), accused Seven and i's leadership of dodging “constructive engagement,” while the 7-Eleven parent maintained that any marriage would have brought considerable anti-trust problems and potential restructurings.
Foodservice has emerged as a key area of growth for c-stores as sales of cigarettes and gasoline, the sector’s traditional stocks in trade, have eroded.
As Managing Editor for IFMA The Food Away from Home Association, Romeo is responsible for generating the group's news and feature content. He brings more than 40 years of experience in covering restaurants to the position.