7-Eleven Canada is upping its food game beyond Slurpees and reheated taquitos.
Driving the news: 7-Eleven’s tamago sando is coming to Canadian stores next month. Now normally, the launch of a new rest-stop sandwich wouldn’t be headline news, but the tamago sando is a marquee item of the chain’s superior Japanese stores and has a cult following.
The sandwich itself is simple — an egg salad made with Kewpie mayonnaise between two slices of cushy crustless milk bread — but has won legions of fans who try to get it past customs on return trips from Japan. Even Anthony Bourdain loved it.
Big picture: The sando is just one plank in 7-Eleven’s five-year Canadian expansion plan, where it will look to make the leap from convenience store to quick-service restaurant (the industry term for a fast-food joint), complete with better food options and a franchise model.
The 550 7-Elevens in Canada are all corporate-owned, but franchisors could be used to grow in Ontario and set up the company's first shops in Quebec and the Maritimes.
Why it matters: 7-Eleven’s expansion reflects the state of Canada's restaurant sector, which is shaky but projects growth in certain areas. According to a Restaurants Canada report from last fall, lunchtime traffic at quick-service eateries surpassed pre-pandemic levels last year.
Meanwhile, it found that 65% of Canadians (particularly Gen Zs and millennials) were replacing a traditional meal with a snack at least once a month — perhaps that snack can be a tamago sando?
Zoom out: Canadian competitor Couche-Tard, which you’ll recall mounted a failed takeover bid of 7-Eleven’s parent company last year, is also planning to invest more in food.—QH