Most Ontario 7-Eleven’s to offer booze for takeout and in-store drinking

CITYnews halifax / By Richard Southern and John Marchesan

Not only are almost all Ontario 7-Eleven stores going to sell beer wine and coolers starting September 5th, when the Ford government allows convenience stores to start offering alcohol, but most locations will soon allow consumers to drink the booze inside its stores.

LIQUOR LICENCES

7-Eleven has won approval for liquor licences at nearly every one of its locations in the province, allowing them to serve alcohol for consumption in store, however, only two locations currently offer this option, one in Leamington and the other in Niagara Falls. The chain tells 680 NewsRadio that it will soon roll it out to most of its over 50 locations in “a phased approach in 2025 and beyond” with potentially a handful of stores allowing in-store drinking before that.

“We look at ourselves as a restaurant first that sells convenience store items,” says Marc Goodman, 7-Eleven Canada’s vice president and general manager, who points out that the chain has expanded its food offerings to include things like chicken that is breaded in-store. “Traditional convenience store items like cigarettes and other products have continuously declined year after year,” explains Goodman. “And so as an industry, we need to go and re-shape ourselves”

HOW IN-STORE DRINKING WORKS

The licences will allow 7-Eleven to serve alcoholic beverages with food at tables in a dining section of each store. Customers are not permitted to take any drinks off the premises. The liquor licence states that a section of the store be converted to at least a 10-seat restaurant space that is separated from the rest of the store by a metre-high wall. Wine and beer would be served in the designated area daily from noon to 11 p.m.

“It’s exactly what you would expect in any other restaurant that’s licensed,” says Goodman who adds after it’s confirmed a customer is of age, the alcohol of their choice is then poured into a glass and served to them at the table inside the 7-Eleven.

7-Eleven also has licensed locations in 11 stores in Alberta and tells 680 NewsRadio that it will expand the concept not only through Ontario starting next year but through other provinces as well.

BOOZE FOR TAKEOUT

Fifty-eight of the 59 Ontario 7-Eleven locations will offer beer, wine, cider, and ready-to-drink cocktails starting September 5th. The lone Exception being the 7-Eleven location at Toronto Pearson International where alcohol sales are not allowed.

“We hope it will become a traffic driver,” says Goodman, who tells 680 NewsRadio that 20 per cent of 7-Eleven fridges in each store will be dedicated to alcohol in addition to six feet of room temperature space.

“Our plan is to be competitive with the marketplace, the Beer Store, the LCBO,” says Goodman when asked about what price the booze will be sold at. “Working with the government actually has been quite a pleasure with this process,” he added.

Under the provincial plan rollout, convenience stores, supermarkets, and gas stations that are fully licensed to do so will be able to sell beer, wine, and ready-to-drink cocktails by the end of October.