7-Eleven Introduces Artisanal 'Melt' Sandwiches
DALLAS — 7-Eleven Inc. has added two to-go "Melt" artisan sandwiches to its menu after building 50 potential varieties to find the perfect recipes.
The Italian Melt and Chicken Bacon Ranch Melt varieties won in a "landslide," according to 7-Eleven's Kelly Buckley, vice president of fresh food innovation.
The Italian Melt is made with Genoa salami, pepperoni, premium sliced ham, provolone cheese, pepperoncini peppers and creamy Italian sauce on an artisan, herbed ciabatta roll. The Chicken Bacon Ranch Melt is made with sliced chicken breast, smoked bacon strips, cheddar cheese and ranch sauce on a tender artisan Italian bun.
The new sandwiches are available in the fresh foods case at participating 7-Eleven stores that carry hot foods for $2.99 each. They are toasted in-store in typically less than a minute and served warm to-go.
"Hot foods are really hot at 7-Eleven, both figuratively and literally," stated 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."
Development of the Melt sandwiches took nearly a year, during which time every ingredient, each recipe and the packaging were researched, sourced, tested and, if necessary, refined to improve taste and quality.
"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," Buckley said. "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."
As with 7-Eleven's 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."