DALLAS – 7-Eleven Inc. has rolled out two 7-Eleven Melt artisan sandwiches—the Italian Melt and Chicken Bacon Ranch Melt.
The convenience-store retailer evaluated 20 different bread options, measured 1,000 different buns, created 75 prospective sauces, tested multiple cheese varieties for “meltability,” built 50 variations and performed many taste tests to find what it considered to be the perfect recipe.
The Melt sandwiches were in development almost a year, during which the company researched, sourced, tested and refined every ingredient, each recipe, even the packaging to improve taste and quality.
The Italian Melt and Chicken Bacon Ranch Melt won by a “landslide,” according to Kelly Buckley, 7-Eleven's vice president of fresh food innovation. Sold at participating 7-Eleven stores that carry hot foods, the Melt sandwiches' introductory retail price is $2.99.
Available in 7-Eleven stores' fresh-foods case, the new sandwiches are toasted to go in the stores for each purchaser. A Melt sandwich typically takes less than a minute to toast and is served warm.
The ingredients for each sandwich:
- Italian Melt. Genoa salami, pepperoni, premium sliced ham, provolone cheese, pepperoncini peppers and creamy Italian sauce on artisan, herbed ciabatta roll.
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Melt. Sliced chicken breast, smoked bacon strips, cheddar cheese and ranch sauce on a tender artisan Italian bun.
“Hot foods are really hot at 7-Eleven, both figuratively and literally,” said Buckley. “Hot pizza, chicken wings and tenders and mini-tacos are all extremely popular with our customers. We wanted to round out our menu to offer a toasted-on-order alternative to our fresh-made cold sandwiches that customers can grab for lunch without taking too much time from their lunch hour. Our parameters were simple--toasted, fast and delicious.”
He continued, “At 7-Eleven, a customer looking for a quick lunch can easily build a fresh meal in just a few minutes that's more than a bag of chips and a soft drink … although we certainly can fill that need. Our stores offer many more options for beverages and sides, like fresh-cut fruit, a salad, hummus and cut veggies and a decadent brownie for dessert.”
Like its fresh bakery goods and cold sandwiches, the Melt sandwiches are made fresh daily in local kitchens and delivered daily to stores.
“People don't really have much of a lunch hour anymore,” Buckley said. “It's more of a lunch half-hour. A hot lunch almost seems like a luxury, and we want to give customers craving a hot and hearty meal a quick and easy option.”
7-Eleven, Dallas, operates, franchises or licenses nearly 10,500 7-Eleven convenience stores in North America. Globally, there are more than 55,100 7-Eleven c-stores in 16 countries. During 2013, 7-Eleven c-stores generated total worldwide sales close to $84.5 billion.
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