7-11 outdoes Central Market?!?!?!

[LonghornGal]

Crazy, but true!

Y'all need to stop by the 7-11 on 51st and Lamar. Holy smokes, does this place rock.

Today, on my way to Central Market for a produce binge, I stopped at my favorite 7-11 to get a drink - thereby making my tummy full and my hands less likely to pick up a stray chocolate concoction...

There are 3 reasons I already loved this 7-11

1. They have super-friendly staff.

2. The free coffee upgrade materials that let you make a treat out of a regular price cup - including miniature marshmallows! :D

3. The best of all - the soda machine where you can add vanilla, cherry, or lemon to any fountain drink. There is nothing better than a Vanilla Diet Dr. Pepper!

But today... They've been remodeling so I hadn't been in a while. Today, they were handing out awesome samples of these pressed grilled chicken and roasted red pepper foccia bread sandwiches - you pick your sandwich out of the fresh case, and the employee grills it right in front of you! They also had a wide selection of fresh cut veggies with flavored hummus dips, tuna and chicken salad, and my favorite pickle-in-a-bag snacks.

And samples of their new bakery selections. Instead of prewrapped, 4 month old, smashed Little Debbies, they had a fresh bakery case - which included 7 layer bars, marshmallow chocolate moon pie things, and even single-serving pineapple upside down cakes!

I sampled happily, wished I hadn't already eaten lunch because I really wanted one of those sandwiches, got my personalized Big Gulp, and headed down to CM.

Now, I did purposely choose 1:30 on a Wed because I knew there would be less crowds, lunch would be over, and I might get to chat with some coworkers. But there were no samples. None! Ok there was fruit but that doesn't count. Not even bread in the bakery, just sad empty baskets. I did get to sample chocolates in the bulk section, but that wasn't the same as my freshly grilled 7-11 sample!

My world has shifted on its axis.

Edited July 15, 2004 by LonghornGal (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Strange, is this some sort of special test market 7-11?

[fifi]

Ummm... and in what city is this marvel of marketing genius?

[Richard Kilgore]

Cool! That's Austin for you.

[LonghornGal]

Austin...

I have no idea if it's a special 7-11. They always have "gourmet" chocolate goodies there too. But it's not in a ritzy area or anything - it is only 1 mile from the N. Lamar Central Market. But it's also only one mile from the Yellow Rose.

[joiei]

a gourmet 7-11, wait until Quik Trip finds out about this. Maybe they will upgrade also.

[Mabelline]

More power to someone with somethin' between their ears! Rock on, 7-11!! Our favorite teenage hangout!!

[spoonbread]

When I worked in Austin, I used to buy alot of stuff from that 7-11 ( ya know, the usual bevvies) and that IS strange they should do that. Gotta be an Austin thang!

[LonghornGal]

I've gone back and confirmed my impression of the new 7-11 format. They have awesome sandwiches and a good-looking baked good selection. This time I noticed several fresh fruit baskets with several types of apples, bananas, oranges, etc.

oh, and I discovered that you can simultaneously add cherry and vanilla to your soda with that wonderful magical fountain machine.

I also went to the 7-11 on Lake Austin Blvd. It also had these wonderful items, and it had a selection of 6 types of Slurpee. Now I'm definitely hooked.

Edited July 19, 2004 by LonghornGal (log)

[theabroma]

I wandered in to that store this weekend ... not having read this post. And I can second the observation. I thought I'd been suctioned off the planet.

But, hey. That's Austin. Remember the GM steakhouse downtown on Congress Ave between 4th & 5th? Ted added souvlaki, Greek salad, taratoor sauce, and gyros before they were the latest thang. Had the highest sales for all of the GM stores - but chain mgmt didn't like him dancing his steps and so threatend him with a sacking. He bought the store, renamed it Ted's, kept the GM menu, and ran, for years, the best Greek restaurant in Austin. Ted was, of course, Greek. He became a wealthy Greek with his restaurant.

It's people like that and the wonderful outta step things they do that really make Austin cool.

Just as I was missing Ted, along comes some more innovation. Maybe 7-11 really did wake up and smell the coffee. Although I save the marshmallows for my hot chocolate!

Theabroma

[joiei]

I am going to be passing through "Austin next week, now how exactly do i find this place? The last time I was in Austin it was probably 1953 and I was very young.

so I know nada about this city. I plan to over nite here before heading to dallas for the

Rob Walsh booksigning.

[LonghornGal]

Take I 35 to the 38 1/2 street exit. Head west on 38.5 street - it turns into 35th. Turn Right on Lamar (this is the corner with Central Market and the Heart Hospital) Go North on Lamar to 51st, the 7-11 is on your right just after the light. They're doing work on the gas tank but there's still parking.

--LG

p.s. I went again this morning and had a lov-er-ly custom gourmet Pecan Nut coffee with chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut additions, topped with the freeze dried mini-marshmallows. Thankfully, I again resisted the bakerey case (although it is getting tougher and the foods are now screaming "LonghornGal come eat me now!!!"

[foodie52]

7-11 has been bought out by a Japanese company.

[memesuze]

That's right across the street from my work site - in days of yore some of the folks who couldn't wait until they went to lunch for a cocktail would go for a quick one in a little brown bag for break - lately I just see the Slurpee and cigarette crowd crossing the parking lot - guess I'll have to go exploring....

[joiei]

Thanks Longhorn Gal for the great directions. I will be in Austin on Wednesday afternoon and staying through until thursday when I head to Dallas for the Robb Walsh booksigning. Did they ever decide to go to dinner and where?

I am looking forward to doing a basic drive through to get the lay of the land, but i will be checking out that pastry case I have not decided where to eat dinner yet, but hopefully it will be someplace delicious.

[crankyyankee]

We really are a weird city, aren't we? I'm only surprised that such a 7-11 isn't a) deeper into the boozhie northwest or b) out in Westlake Hills, where one expects to find things to bizarre extremes of consumption.

The question is: are the snazzy baked goods high quality, or are they just convenience store decoration? Coming from Philly, I remember when people actually seemed excited by the thought that they could pick up a hoagie at Wawa. Took a while for them to realize how grody all of Wawa's prepared foods were. (I remember all too clearly how unappetizing that stuff was. I once worked in a Wawa.)

Cranky Yankee

[memesuze]

I'm wondering if this will take over the corporate model and when we're driving on the interstate we'll be able to have something a bit more tasty and healthy than slimjims....

[caroline]

What about the Thai dishes? My understanding is that 7-11 is soon going to be offering some pretty high quality items.

Rachel

[coolranch]

Wow, I will definitely head there for lunch tomorrow. I wonder if the 7-11 at MLK and Guadalupe has the same stuff--that's on my way home.

Last time I had a Slurpee, they only had 2 flavors: coke or cherry.

But, hey.  That's Austin.  Remember the GM steakhouse downtown on Congress Ave between 4th & 5th?  Ted added souvlaki, Greek salad, taratoor sauce, and gyros before they were the latest thang.  Had the highest sales for all of the GM stores - but chain mgmt didn't like him dancing his steps and so threatend him with a sacking.  He bought the store, renamed it Ted's, kept the GM menu, and ran, for years, the best Greek restaurant in Austin.  Ted was, of course, Greek.  He became a wealthy Greek with his restaurant.

Speaking of Ted's, I was missing them last week when we decided to try McCormick and Schmick's (had a gift. cert.) in the new Frost bldg.

Terrible! Bad service, salty food, and Mr. Tuesday found a piece of Saran wrap in his ceviche. Maybe Ted or one of his ex-patrons put a curse on this place.

[spoonbread]

7-11 and Thai? Somehow that seems bizaare.

[NewYorkTexan]

Holy crap, 7-11 got serious about food.

I finally made it there and was impressed. I had a very good Cuban sandwich. They press it for you on a panini type grill after you purchase it giving the bread the right amount of crunch. It was a classic cuban sandwich with roast pork, ham cheese and pickles.

Waiting for my sandwich to leave the grill press, I sampled one of their mini sandwiches. They have several types of sandwiches made on tiny potato rolls. The ham and cheese sandwich was made with quality swiss cheese and ham along with a nice spicy honey mustard. The sandwich was about the size of a white castle and cost $.79 They make a nice snack or get 5-6 of these and you have a respectable meal.

All of the sandwiches were clearly marked when they were made/delivered to the store. They seem to emphasize freshness and quality.

If 7-11 can maintain this initiative, I think they will be become an attractive alternative to standard fast food fare.

[joiei]

I did stop in when I was in town. If they can keep it up, they can change the entire market of convience stores. We are getting a new brand since 'Get n Go' went under. It is called 'Kum n Go'. I do not know where they are from, but the name is awfully suggestive. Now if someone in Tulsa could figure out how to make a real cuban. I have memories of the Silver Ring in Tampa back in the early 70's.

[claire797]

They fixed up the corner store

Like it was a nightclub

It's permanently disco

Everyone is dressed so oddly

I can't recognize them

I can't tell the staff from the customers

Sorry guys, every time I see this thread the They Might Be Giants song gets stuck in my head

[LonghornGal]

Yes, I am obsessed.

Last Friday I went to the 7-11 on Burnet and (I think) Justin lane. It also is new and wonderful.

I purchased a Chicken and Roasted Tomato on Foccia Bread sandwich and a pickle-in-a-bag (redneck I know!) along with my usual flavored soda. The sandwich was so good - they grilled it for me there at the counter (takes about 2 minutes) and even cut it in half! The bread was perfectly toasty and crisp and warm on the outside, the cheese was melty, and the bread, tomatoes, and chicken were all fundamentally good on their own. Soooo good.

The only weird part is that they toast the sandwich inside the paper wrapper. I guess that prevents cross-contamination but I wasn't expecting that!

Editing to add that the sandwich was a good size - I saved the pickle for later!

A much better deal than anything at Subway or Quiznos - except that you can't custom order.

--Longhorngal (aka the 7-11 Luva!)

Edited September 6, 2004 by LonghornGal (log)

[foodie52]

I feel another Austin egullet event coming on.....