After introducing several new better-for-you salads, snacks and mini-versions of consumer favorites, 7-Eleven Inc. turns its attention to heartier fare with the addition of two new premium sandwiches – the Steakhouse Roast Beef and Bistro Deluxe. During March, consumers have an added incentive to buy the sandwiches– a free 16-ounce bottled Pepsi drink with purchase.
The introduction continues 7-Eleven stores' march toward a more fresh-foods-focused product mix to compete not only with other food retailers but also with quick-serve restaurants. The two new flavorful sandwiches feature prime deli meats, fresh produce, specially blended spreads and premium breads:
• Steakhouse Roast Beef Sandwich: Sliced roast beef with blue cheese crumble, mayonnaise, baby spinach and tomatoes on marble rye bread
• Bistro Deluxe Sandwich: Black forest ham, Genoa salami and Swiss cheese with lettuce and Dijon mustard on Asiago bread
7-Eleven's Fresh To Go sandwiches are made with fresh ingredients each day in local FDA-inspected kitchens and delivered fresh daily to participating stores.
"Eating on the go or buying food to eat later are trends that are here to stay, but people are less willing to give up quality for convenience, nor should they," said Kelly Buckley, 7-Eleven vice president of fresh food innovation. At 7-Eleven, we have broadened our menu appeal for customers who want a premium, deli shop-quality sandwich. The Steakhouse Roast Beef and Bistro Deluxe sandwiches follow current food trends for top-quality ingredients with an unexpected flavor twist."
Besides the new sandwiches, salads and snacks in the deli case, consumers might notice fresh, new graphics that feature a contemporary, dot-grid pattern in shades of lime green on sturdy, clear plastic packaging. The new sandwich graphics are the first step toward a storewide overhaul of packaging to call attention to the quality of 7-Eleven's prepared foods and beverages. The retailer worked closely with a color consultant to develop a pallet of hues that has been shown to appeal to millennial consumers.
"The packaging serves as the stage for the food and needs to convey freshness, quality and the 7‑Eleven brand image," Buckley said. "It also needs to make the food easy to eat on the go. We have added a packaging engineer to our staff who worked closely with our marketing agency and a graphic designer to create the new look."
To let consumers know about 7-Eleven's menu additions, the company will use its recently released 7-Eleven app available on the Apple and Android platforms to call attention to the new sandwiches and the free-Pepsi-with-sandwich-purchase offer. An aggressive outdoor campaign in select markets, online and mobile-display media, and social media posts on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare also will support the launch.
"Ours is a holistic fresh-food plan, with the primary goal of building an all-day menu of delicious foods that gives hungry customers what they want morning, noon and night," Buckley said. "That's what differentiates 7-Eleven from most prepared-food providers. At 7-Eleven, you can get a slice of pizza for breakfast or a breakfast sandwich in the middle of the night and, of course, one of our new sandwiches any time of day."
