Taco ’bout delicious! 7-Eleven, Inc. is expanding its love for tacos with its opening of its very first Laredo Taco Company restaurant in Florida—the first of more than 15 planned for the state. The inaugural taco restaurant is located at 1007 Highway 41 North in Inverness, with two more scheduled to open later this year in Palmetto and Parrish. The rest are anticipated to open throughout the state by the end of 2021.
Laredo Taco Company, the retailer’s quick-serve Mexican food restaurant, is famous for its tacos served on handmade flour tortillas made from scratch in on-site kitchens each day. Tacos and meals include specialties not always seen in Mexican fast-food chains, such as chorizo, carne asada, carnitas, breakfast tacos made with hand-cracked eggs, and the newest item on the menu, protein-packed bowls. Each restaurant also has a salsa bar where customers can spice up their meal, including a wide selection of on-site, daily prepared salsas and pico de gallo.
“We think Florida is really going to love our Laredo Taco Company restaurants and its delicious food, all made from scratch, with carnitas being my personal favorite,” says 7-Eleven Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Chris Tanco. “Whenever we open Laredo Taco Company restaurants, the lines of enthusiastic customers have been out the door. We are excited to offer the same great experience and delicious handmade tacos to customers in the state of Florida.”
As the world continues to respond to the shifting pandemic, 7–Eleven has enhanced its standards and procedures for hygiene, handwashing, sanitation, food handling and preparation in stores, including increased frequency of cleaning high-touch surfaces. The company’s quality assurance and food safety teams have implemented enhanced food-handling and cleaning practices following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO). Freshly prepared salsas and pico de gallo are currently being served in pre-packed containers at the salsa bar, where customers can select their favorites.
All store associates are required to wear masks and gloves when serving customers. Acrylic shields have been installed at checkout registers as added protection for customers and employees. Customers are asked to practice physical distancing in stores by standing 6 feet away from each other in line, and also have access to disposable gloves, tissues and sanitizer stations while shopping.
Every item on the Laredo Taco Company menu is available in stores or via contactless delivery through Postmates. Laredo Taco Company restaurants, along with Stripes convenience stores in Texas, were part of the company’s 1,000-store acquisition from Sunoco in 2018.
