7-Eleven unveils latest Evolution Store in Dallas

7-Eleven’s next-generation Evolution Stores have always included a restaurant component, and the newest location in Dallas is no different.

The Irving, Texas-based convenience store giant on Friday unveiled its fifth Evolution Store in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, located at the corner of Preston Road and Alpha Road in Dallas. The new store boasts a Laredo Taco Company restaurant, the popular south Texas concept known for its authentic flavors of the Texas and Mexico border, and features customizable beverage options, a premium cigar humidor and the latest digital innovations, according to the company.

Laredo Taco Company serves tacos on fresh-made flour tortillas, and its signature salsa bar with a wide selection of salsas and toppings, such as salsa roja, salsa verde, creamy cilantro and habanero. Specialty dishes include fajitas, chorizo, carne asada, carnitas and breakfast tacos made with fresh-cracked eggs. And there’s another reason the new location inside 7-Eleven should appeal to customers who can’t get enough Tex-Mex cuisine: Unlike other Laredo Taco Company restaurants, this one offers an extended covered patio for customers who like outdoor seating, frozen margaritas and beer on tap.

“We’re excited to unveil the next iteration of the 7-Eleven Evolution Store in Dallas, offering an assortment of curated products, services and features that are customized to the neighborhood and customers we serve,” Molly Long, vice president of store evolution and design at 7-Eleven, said in a statement. “The customer is getting the convenience they expect from 7-Eleven coupled with a delicious, restaurant-quality dining option and unique and innovative beverages.”

Related:7-Eleven expands foodservice push with dual-restaurant store

Customers of the new 7-Eleven Evolution Store also will find The Celler, an area offering an expanded selection of wine and craft beer, plus a second self-serve espresso machine, which will test specialty items such as Cold Foam, Caramel Macchiato, Dirty Chai (a Chai Tea Latte with added double shot of espresso), White Mocha and Horchata Latte. Organic smoothies and shakes and vitamin-infused sparkling water are also available.

Digital services include mobile checkout, ordering and delivery. With 7Rewards, the loyalty program in the 7-Eleven app, in-store customers can skip the checkout counter and pay for their purchases directly from their phone. The 7NOW delivery app lets customers order from more than 3,000 products to be delivered to their door.

The new Dallas location marks 7-Eleven’s ninth Evolution Store store nationwide. The first opened through a beta test in 2019, also in Dallas, followed by stores in metropolitan Washington, D.C., and San Diego. Other locations include New York City and North Texas. Most recently, 7-Eleven opened its eighth Evolution Store in Manassas, Va., which houses the second outlet of 7-Eleven’s Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuit restaurant and debuted a new concept, Parlor Pizza, which offers hand-tossed, made-to-order pizzas

Related:7-Eleven ups the ante on foodservice with more ‘Evolution Stores’

7-Eleven has noted that the Evolution Store concept serves as an experiential testing ground for customers to try the retailer’s latest products and innovations.

“These lab stores give us an opportunity to test, learn and scale successes into our new store standards, which ultimately allows us to continuously improve the experience for all our customers,” according to Long.

Overall, 7-Eleven Inc. operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 convenience stores in the United States and Canada under the banners 7-Eleven, Speedway and Stripes.