Taco News

New 7-Eleven in Dallas features first-ever taco restaurant drive-thru

You won't have to get out of your car for your Slurpee.

Photo courtesy of 7-Eleven

A new 7-Eleven store opening in Dallas will be the first in the chain where you can pick up a Slurpee through a drive-thru window.

Located at Park Lane and Abrams Road, it's one of the chain's new upscale Evolution stores, which serve as a testing ground for the chain, featuring innovative products such as self-serve, bean-to-cup coffee, espresso, baked goods made daily, a selection of "better-for-you" items, and an extensiver wine selection.

This store also features the first-ever Laredo Taco Company drive-thru restaurant.

Laredo Taco Company is the South Texas quick-serve Mexican concept partnered with 7-Eleven; they opened the first location two years ago at the Evolution Store in West Dallas. This takes the concept to the next level, offering not only indoor seating but also the drive-thru component.

A release notes that Laredo is famous for its tacos and menu items not always seen at other quick-serve restaurants, such as beef barbacoa, chorizo, and carne asada. Their flour tortillas are made from scratch every day, and breakfast tacos are made with fresh-cracked eggs.

Beer, wine, and wine-based frozen margaritas are on tap for on-premise consumption. Margarita flavors include classic, strawberry, swirl, watermelon, sangria, melon and prickly pear.

Drive-thru hours are from 5 am-10 pm, Sunday–Thursday, and until 11 pm Friday-Saturday. Breakfast is served until 10:30 am.

The store is 7-Eleven's third Evolution Store in Dallas and the sixth in the U.S., with other locations in New York, Washington DC, and San Diego. No two are exactly alike. Some of them have murals.

7-Eleven VP and COO Chris Tanco calls the store "delicious news," stating that "7-Eleven is known as a beverage destination, and Laredo Taco Company makes some of the best quick-serve Mexican food anywhere. Throw in the convenience of grabbing a taco paired with a Slurpee drink through a drive-thru, and it's a match made in heaven."

technology

Pastry News

New French bakery Ollio Patisserie brings pastry classics to Frisco

Ollio Patisserie

A shop bearing French macarons and premium pastries is opening in Frisco: Called Ollio Patisserie, it's an artisan French bakery with macarons, croissants, Danishes, cookies, and desserts, and it's opening at 8050 Preston Rd. #104, in a new-ish shopping center a little south of Main Street, where it will celebrate its ribbon-cutting on December 12.

Ollio is from chef Golda Sumpon, who walked away from a 20-year career in corporate IT to fulfill her passion for baking. She attended culinary school then founded the concept in 2019 — first selling her creations at the Frisco Fresh Market before opening a brick-and-mortar location with her family in The Colony in 2021.

The Frisco location will continue their dedication to making high-quality pastries using premium ingredients and providing a delightful experience for customers.

Treats served include

French macarons in more than 20 flavors
croissants
Danishes
puff pastry turnovers
cinnamon rolls
sticky buns

Croissants include plain and chocolate, as well as specialties like an Everything croissant with cream cheese, and a savory croissant with spinach and feta cheese. In addition to sweet Danish, there's a savory Pepperoni Pizza Danish, and she does a puff pastry with bacon and potato. Pastries are about $5 each.

Cookies include snickerdoodles, oatmeal raisin, madeleines, double chocolate, and kitchen sink.

Ollio Patisserie will continue offering custom image-printing on French macarons and sugar cookies as a special-order service. You can get them imprinted with company logos, custom designs, or any personalized message for gifts and special occasions.

The Frisco store will also have seating and feature an espresso station, with cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, and iced coffee drinks — to be paired with pastries or for coffee to-go.

"We’re thrilled to expand our family-owned small business to serve the Frisco community by providing our artisan menu items," Sumpon says in a statement. "We are not strangers to Frisco because we have been at the Frisco Fresh Market every weekend since 2019. While our first brick-and-mortar has been in The Colony, our family lives in Frisco, and being able to oƯer our handmade goodies to our community in this new store gives us great pride."

desserts openings