7-Eleven opening new store in Palmetto with a Laredo Taco Company inside
A new 7-Eleven convenience store, outfitted with a Laredo Taco Company restaurant, is coming to Palmetto.
Although Parrish got one first, the new 7-Eleven with a Laredo Taco Company is still among one of the first in Florida.
The new store at 625 Eighth Ave W. opens Dec. 18, with special activities including a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m., free medium Slurpees all day, and a $711 Project A-Game donation to Palmetto Elementary School.
Various giveaways will continue after opening day, including a free medium coffee, free chips and salsa, a free Big Gulp drink, and 99 cent tacos.
Laredo Taco Company, 7-Eleven’s Mexican food restaurant, is best known for its tacos served on handmade flour tortillas made from scratch on-site daily.
Also available are chorizo, carne asada, carnitas, breakfast tacos made with freshly cracked eggs, and bowls. Each restaurant also has a salsa bar with a selection of freshly prepared salsas and pico de gallo.
The Irvine, Texas-based 7-Eleven opened its first Taco Laredo Company in Florida in November in Inverness. The second opened in Parrish on Dec. 3. By the end of 2021, 7-Eleven plans to have 15 of the restaurants open in Florida.
In a news release announcing the opening of the Palmetto Laredo Taco Company, 7-Eleven also listed protocols in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The company 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 and World Health Organization. Freshly prepared salsas and pico de gallo are served in pre-packed containers at the salsa bar, where customers can select their favorites, the company said.
All store associates are encouraged 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 six feet away from each other in line, and also have access to disposable gloves, tissues, and sanitizer stations while shopping, the company said.
Originally called Tote’Em stores, 7-Eleven was born in Texas in 1927. The company became 7-Eleven in 1946 and moved beyond Texas, to other states, including Florida, in the 1950s.
This story was originally published December 9, 2020 at 2:45 PM.
