7-Eleven is letting customers drink alcohol in-store, but there’s a catch

7-Eleven stores are going to look more like bars once the convenience chain begins selling alcohol in Ontario this September.

Canadian beer and wine fans are going to be allowed to buy alcoholic drinks from convenience stores thanks to the province’s new laws, but 7-Eleven is taking things a step further.

The chain won the approval for liquor licenses at all but two of its stores in Ontario and as a result, customers looking to have a seat and crack open a cold one will be able to at most locations.

7-Eleven locations will add special dining sections with at least ten seats each, but with 32-foot walls separating them from the rest of the stores. Beer and wine would be served from noon to 11 PM.

Customers won’t be able to leave the stores with their drinks, but they’ll still be able to buy beer and wine to go if they don’t want to consume their liquor indoors.

7-Eleven Canada’s vice president and general manager Marc Goodman told 680 NewsRadio that while they’re starting with Ontario, they plan to expand this program to other provinces in the country.

“We hope it will become a traffic driver,” he said. “Our plan is to be competitive with the marketplace…Working with the government actually has been quite a pleasure with this process.”

Although the idea of grabbing a beer at 7-Eleven has been enticing for many, some are concerned about alcohol consumption at corner stores.

Nothing screams "I need a life" more than grabbing a table and a beer at a 7-Eleven.

— Larysa Dub (@LarysaDub) August 8, 2024

“Get ready for Waffle House style brawls Ontario,” one X user said about the news.

“Nothing screams ‘I need a life’ more than grabbing a table and a beer at a 7-Eleven,” remarked another.

However, there have been plenty of counterpoints, too. “People whining about alcohol in 7-Elevens actually have lost faith in Ontarians. Japanese and Korean 7-Elevens do just fine with it,” one user added, defending the decision.

This isn’t the only exciting update planned for 7-Eleven. The chain announced back in July that its Japanese food menu would be coming to US stores in a massive revamp.