7-Eleven pop-up store serves up groceries to Dallas hospital

To give healthcare personnel ready access to food and essential products during the coronavirus pandemic, 7-Eleven has opened its first-ever hospital pop-up store at Children’s Medical Center Dallas.

7-Eleven said the food and grocery store, launched yesterday, is located in the Moore Auditorium at Children's Medical Center Dallas and is open to staff as well as patients and their families visiting the hospital.

The pop-up store carries a range of grocery and personal care products — including take-home dairy items, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent and phone chargers — plus an assortment of fresh food options, such as salads, heat-and-eat entrees and take-and-heat pizza and wings, the Dallas-based convenience store giant said.

Children’s Medical Center Dallas is the flagship hospital of Children's Health, the nation’s eighth-largest pediatric health provider and the leading pediatric health care system in North Texas.

“The doctors, nurses and care teams at Children's Health are true heroes,” Joe DePinto, president and CEO of 7-Eleven, said in a statement. “When Children’s Health asked us to provide their team members convenient access to essentials during this unprecedented time, our team rose to meet the challenge, opening this first-of-its-kind store in less than two weeks. We are so proud to serve those on the front line of this pandemic."  

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In line with COVID-19 social distancing best practices, hospital staff can use their employee badges to pay for merchandise at the pop-up store, 7-Eleven said. The store also offers traditional credit/debit checkout with an acrylic sneeze guard at the counter. Also coming to the store is 7-Eleven’s frictionless and contactless Mobile Checkout feature, which will enable customers to scan and pay for purchases via the 7-Eleven mobile app on smartphones.

“Our healthcare team members are on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 every day taking care of the children in our community while their own families are home from school, work and their daily routines,” said Chris Durovich, president and CEO of Children’s Health. “Our work with 7-Eleven allows us to provide more comfort and convenience to those within our facilities by making everyday essential items easy to locate, purchase and take home.”

The Children’s Health foodservice team is working with 7-Eleven to operate the pop-up store, including stocking shelves and checking out customers. The retailer said it’s also assisting stores near the two other hospitals in the Children’s Health system, Children's Medical Center Plano and Our Children's House in Dallas, to have the products needed by health care staff. Through the 7NOW app, items are being delivered free to these workers at their hospitals, according to 7-Eleven.

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“Throughout this public health crisis, we are committed to initiatives that anticipate and fulfill the needs of our colleagues and our patient families,” said Keri Kaiser, senior vice president and chief experience and marketing officer at Children’s Health. “We are thrilled 7-Eleven has answered our call to provide a convenient way for our team members to receive food and groceries while they continue their work to make life better for children and for our inpatient families to access essential items while in our care.”

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