7-Eleven is opening a taco drive-thru

New York (CNN Business) 7-Eleven wants to get in on the growing popularity of fast food drive-thrus. So it's opening one for its taco restaurant.

The convenience store chain said Tuesday that it is opening a Laredo Taco location with a drive-thru in Dallas. Typically, Laredo Taco locations can be found in 7-Eleven stores themselves. This is the first drive-thru for the taco chain, as well as the first drive-thru at a corporate-owned 7-Eleven store. Customers can order Slurpees in addition to items from the Laredo Taco menu, which include an assortment of tacos, side dishes and aguas frescas.

During the pandemic, drive-thrus have emerged as a key way for fast-food restaurants to sell to customers. Chains that have relied on them for years, like Taco Bell, McDonald's and Burger King, are unveiling innovative new concepts designed to get more customers through faster. Others, like Chipotle and Shake Shack, are rapidly adding drive-thru locations or opening them for the first time.

"Customers looking for socially distanced ways to grab breakfast, lunch and dinner will really appreciate [the drive-thru] now," said Chris Tanco, 7-Eleven's chief operating officer, in a statement.

The new drive-thru is attached to one of 7-Eleven's Evolution stores, where the chain debuts new beverages and offers unique flavors. Customers who go inside will find self-serve specialty coffee, freshly baked pastries and a selection of wine and craft beers, as well as mobile checkout for rewards program users.

Over the past several years, 7-Eleven has gotten more serious about its culinary offerings. It has launched private-label meal kits and tested keto and paleo snacks. It acquired Laredo Taco locations in its 2018 deal with Sunoco.

— CNN Business's Nathaniel Meyersohn and Rachel Metz contributed to this report.