A 7-Eleven store in west Winnipeg is looking to quench customers’ thirst with more than just Slurpees.
The company has applied for a dining room liquor licence for its location on Ness Avenue at Sturgeon Road, as part of a planned revamp into a licensed eatery.
“Plans are underway to remodel the location at Ness and Sturgeon with an eating area furnished with tables and seating,” a spokesperson for 7-Eleven Canada said in a statement.
“This location has also applied for a dining room liquor licence allowing our adult guests to enjoy a glass of beer or wine alongside their meal.”
The concept isn’t new, with licensed 7-Eleven restaurants already available in Alberta and Ontario, but it would be a first for Manitoba.
The company said if it gets the go-ahead for the licence, several safety controls will be in place.
“All staff will complete mandatory Smart Choices training for the safe service and sale of beer and wine. In addition, our Smart Choices trained staff will oversee service in the licensed dining area and ID anyone who looks 30 years old or younger.
“Beer and wine will be safely stored under lock and key, with employee access only.”
Shaun Jeffrey, executive director of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, told 680 CJOB’s Connecting Winnipeg that Manitoba’s liquor laws are lagging behind legislation in other provinces.
“It’s being done by 7-Eleven in Ontario and in Alberta,” Jeffrey said, “but I’m quite surprised (by the Manitoba application) because those provinces have very progressive liquor statutes and setup. Their liquor models are a lot more updated.
“Currently, in Manitoba, we don’t have that, and so it makes it very hard to try to make a business case out of it when we’re paying the same amount of money at the liquor store as the consumer is for booze.”
Manitoba, Jeffrey said, is often one of the last provinces to adjust its liquor laws.
The application is currently being reviewed by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba.