7-Eleven Adds New Snack Item to Hot Foods Menu

DALLAS –- 7-Eleven Inc. expanded its hot foods lineup with the addition of Chicken Dippers, pieces of 100-percent white-meat chicken with no fillers that are lightly breaded and served with Ancho Chipotle, Ranch or Honey Mustard dipping sauces.

An order of six Dippers and sauce is priced at $1.99 at participating 7-Eleven stores.

"Since we launched hot foods nationally five years ago, our chicken breast tenders and wings have been top-sellers, so we know our customers love chicken," said Kelly Buckley, 7-Eleven's vice president of fresh food innovation. "Chicken Dippers are flavorful, juicy and can satisfy those who are hungry for a snack or small meal."

Chicken Dippers are part of 7-Eleven's proprietary hot-to-go foods currently available in more than 5,200 of its 7,800 U.S. stores. They were added as a permanent menu item at store operators' request due to their popularity during limited-time, in-store tests, according to the company.

"It's a full-service experience for our guests. All they need to do is choose which sauce they want. Then, they are handed a complete package, ready to go," Buckley added. "We believe this is another product we can offer to meet the huge consumer demand for hot chicken snacks."

7-Eleven began addressing a growing demand for snacks with the launch of Mini Tacos in 2012, followed by Mozzarella Sticks and Breakfast Empanada Bites in 2013. Millennials are a particular target for these items due to their reported snacking and convenience store shopping habits.

"Millennials don't observe a three-meal-a-day schedule, but rather consume a mix of meals, snacks and mini-meals throughout the day as does the generation behind them," Buckley said. "They are busy as kids, and life has gotten no less hectic for them as adults. Kids, teens and 20-somethings are the biggest snackers. Our menu has been evolving to include higher quality, value-priced smaller portions, mini-sizes and snacks that appeal not only to Millennials, but also kids and women as well."