Dive Brief:
- 7-Eleven is offering a free large cup of coffee to workers from rival convenience store and restaurant chains on Long Island, New York, until April 11, according to a company announcement.
- The promotion aims to celebrate the 60th anniversary of 7-Eleven’s first to-go cup of coffee. It began April 7 and will end on Thursday. Baristas can only get their free cup of joe between 4 a.m. and 7:11 a.m. EST.
- This comes as 7-Eleven continues to roll out its modernized coffee program, which as of last summer had arrived in nearly 5,000 of the company’s more than 13,000 locations in North America.
Dive Insight:
When it launched last year, 7-Eleven’s revamped coffee program featured new bean-to-cup coffee machines, specialty machines and iced coffee options, as well as numerous flavorings to help shoppers personalize their drinks. At the time, Managing Executive Officer and CFO Yoshimichi Maruyama said the program should be in all eligible 7-Eleven locations by 2026.
By offering free cups to its competitors this week, 7-Eleven is not only building momentum for its new coffee program, but also displaying confidence that its coffee is just as good as any other brand’s.
The promotion applies to any employee of one of 7-Eleven’s competitors on Long Island that are wearing their uniform, not just coffee workers.
“As we celebrate this anniversary, we want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal coffee customers who have made us a part of their daily routine over all these years — as well as the baristas who fuel us daily,” Dennis Phelps, senior vice president, merchandising, vault and proprietary beverages, for 7-Eleven, said in the announcement.
7-Eleven is focusing its latest coffee promotion only on Long Island because that’s where it sells the most coffee, the company said. With about 600 stores in New York as of last summer according to ScrapeHero, the state is one of 7-Eleven’s larger markets in the U.S., trailing only California, Texas, Florida and Virginia.
Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven operates, franchises and/or licenses more than 13,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada. It also operates and franchises Speedway, Stripes, Laredo Taco Company and Raise the Roost Chicken and Biscuits locations.
