Joining a growing trend of gas stations and convenience stores opening in-house restaurants, 7-Eleven says it plans to open 500 "food-forward" locations between 2025-2027.The locations will include fresh food offerings, in addition to other innovations and "frictionless shopping."7-Eleven is in the process of opening 115 of these locations this year, with 125 new stores opening in 2025. The company then plans on adding 175 food-forward locations in 2026 and 200 in 2027.RELATED STORY | Where did Wawa, Buc-ee's and Sheetz rank among top US convenience stores?"From a product perspective, affordable, high-quality foods are becoming more important in the United States for our customers," said 7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto. "In fact, food service recently overtook cigarettes as the largest category. At 7-Eleven Inc., we have the right brands, the right assets and the right products, along with the right team to take advantage of the changing U.S. convenience store landscape."In recent years, 7-Eleven has installed two restaurant concepts in some of its stores in recent years. It has opened numerous Laredo Taco and Raise the Roost Chicken locations at some locations.RELATED STORY | 7-Eleven drawing on inspiration from stores around the worldDePinto also noted that other locations will undergo food modernization, with expanded offerings of prepared foods."This food and beverage modernization program includes bake-in store products, self-serve roller grills, grab-and-go cases, and specialty beverages such as espresso, cappuccino, ice coffee, and lattes," he said.DePinto said there are 5,000 locations already with a wider assortment of hot food and specialty beverages. The company is expanding food options at 1,900 locations this year and 650 stores during the first quarter of 2025, the CEO said.