Slurpee or beer: licensed Ness Avenue 7-Eleven preps for alcohol on menu

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/06/2024 (492 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg 7-Eleven location has been green-lit to serve beer and wine on site.

The convenience store chain will announce a launch date in the coming weeks, as it finishes preparing 3031 Ness Ave.

Currently, bistro tables and cardboard boxes occupy an aisle closest to the entrance. There’s an indoor countertop facing the company’s gas pumps outside.

The store/gas station will soon add a dine-in restaurant with seating for 10 customers. Beer, wine, cider and ready-to-drink beverages “will complement … an extensive menu” made in 7-Eleven’s commercial kitchen, a spokesperson wrote in an email.

The spokesperson highlighted chicken strips, wings and sandwiches, alongside taquitos and pizza.

Once in operation, the liquor-licensed 7-Eleven will be the first of its kind in Manitoba.

The St. James store sported a notice in June 2023 advising customers it had applied to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba for a dining room liquor service licence.

The provincial body issued such a licence on June 3, 2024, spokeswoman Lisa Hansen confirmed in an email.

A general service licence allows for alcohol to be served and consumed on site. It can also be sold with delivery or takeout food orders, Hansen noted.

Alcohol will not be sold on store shelves.

“Minors can be inside (the) premises,” Hansen clarified, adding it’s illegal for customers younger than 18 years old to buy and drink alcohol.

Three patrons the Free Press spoke to Friday voiced safety concerns.

“I just hope that everybody stays safe and it doesn’t cause problems,” said Shahram Hakimelahi.

He lives in the area and has become friendly with 7-Eleven’s staff. He’d hate to see employees and customers facing threats upon the introduction of alcohol, he relayed.

However, drinking in public areas is the norm in countries like Taiwan, Hakimelahi noted.

Beer and wine will be locked away and only accessible to employees, a 7-Eleven spokesperson wrote in an email.

Alcohol will be available for purchase from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and a hazard assessment will be completed “so that risks are identified and mitigation measures are in place,” the spokesperson continued.

All staff serving, selling or delivering alcohol must complete liquor service training, the LGCA said.

Such training focuses on legal and safety obligations, like checking for identification and not serving intoxicated people, Hansen said.

For now, Ness Avenue will be the only Winnipeg street with a liquor-licensed 7-Eleven — the company hasn’t applied for any new licences, a 7-Eleven spokesperson said.

“Our licensed restaurant locations have been well-received in Alberta and Ontario,” they added. “We’re excited to bring this new service to our adult customers in Winnipeg.”

Canada’s first 7-Eleven alcohol-serving restaurant opened in Alberta in December 2022. The western province has since gained another 10; two have opened in Ontario.

In February, the City of Winnipeg issued a permit allowing for the creation of a restaurant within 3031 Ness Ave. It’s in addition to existing retail and fuel sales, the permit outlines.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com