Nutritional eats and natural drinks might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of 7-Eleven.
But the world's largest convenience store chain today will roll out a test in Southern California with an eye on changing that. Some 104 stores in the Los Angeles market will begin to sell a line of what the chain calls "nutritionally balanced" fresh sandwiches, wraps and salads — and even cold-pressed juices — under the banner of fitness guru Tony Horton Kitchen.
Horton is the health and fitness executive whose DVD home workout series P90X has sold more than 4 million copies. More recently, he's delved into better-for-you foods.
For 7-Eleven, it's not about getting rid of other stuff in order to sell better-for-you items. It's about offering both. It still will sell beer and cigarettes and Twinkies and hot dogs, but as Millennials and other core customers demand more better-for-you offerings, the chain is eager to expand its lineup of fresh foods and drinks. Health and wellness, after all, is a $50 billion category in the U.S., and growing.
"We can provide a convenient way for healthy and fitness-oriented consumers to fuel their daily lives," says Raja Doddala, senior director for innovation at 7-Eleven.
The new menu includes two sandwiches (including Grilled Chicken with blueberry mustard on a whole-gain sub); two salads (including Spicy Quinoa Salad with Chimichurri dressing); two wraps (including Spicy Black Bean Hummus & Vegetables); and four cold-pressed juices (including one that combines apple, celery, beet, ginger, parsley, spinach and lemon).
The sandwiches and wraps cost $4.75 to $6.50, and the juices go for $4.99. Average calorie count on the food items: 360. And most of them are packed with dietary fiber and protein. The Golden Roasted Turkey Breast Wrap with Chipotle Black Bean Hummus, at 410 calories, has 31 grams of protein and 10 grams of dietary fiber. But it also has 880 milligrams of sodium.
The driver for 7-Eleven: Consumers can't get enough fresh food that they perceive to be better for them. At 7-Eleven sales of fresh products are up 30% over the past year, says Doddala. Healthy food options are the second-most requested items from 7-Eleven customers across all social media, the Internet and toll-free phone calls to the company, says Doddala.
(OK, the top request is for new Slurpee flavors.)
But 7-Eleven sells seven times more bananas than it sells Snickers, its top-selling candy bar, says Doddala. It's all about finding new ways to reach more "fitness-oriented" customers, he says. While that's not exclusive to Millennials, they are the most critical market that the chain is chasing.
If the new product line is a hit, it could be extended further throughout Southern California and maybe even go national, says Doddala.
But one nutritional expert — who says she's never heard of Tony Horton — is skeptical.
"If Tony Horton is a big fitness guru, what gives him the right to dictate a food menu to 7-Eleven instead of a chef with a well-rounded profile?" poses Robyn Flipse, a registered dietitian and author of Fighting the Freshman Fifteen. But, she adds, "I applaud anything they can do to expand the fresh food section of the store."
Horton, in a phone interview, calls the new menu "transformational" for 7-Eleven. "It gives people a new reason to walk into 7-Eleven."
But Flipse worries that some folks who walk in for the sandwich or wrap may also walk out with a bag of chips and a cookie. "Then," she says, "you've lost your balance."