7-Eleven

I know it’s a chain and they really don’t warrant reviews but this place is a little different.
They guys that work here are really very nice. They genuinely appreciate your business. When I walk in here I don’t feel that impersonal vibe that you get from other chain establishments — other 7-Eleven’s included.
I actually walk by other 7-Eleven’s in Manhattan to get on the train to go home to Astoria and wait to buy something at this place. Take that for what its worth.

Better service, more friendly, helpful… putting out coffee/​tea making supplies. They are making an effort. Convenient location. They have more healthy fast food selections. I just am a little grossed out to see those hot dogs rolling around the cook top at 5 am!

I can’t give any 7 eleven more than 3 stars. They sell coffee (I won’t drink theirs), lotto (with no personality) and bad food as well as beer, one good thing. You have to accept some places for what they are and all 7 eleven’s are 3 stars or worse.

Decent 7 – 11. Average in every way.

I have been holding off on reviewing this place because, good or bad, I stopped here every day when I was in Astoria and didn’t want anyone mad at me. Now that I’m living elsewhere, I thought I’s share the good, the bad, and the ugly.
The good: The employees here are lovely. Very friendly, always smiling or ready to make small talk. Good looking, too. I don’t blame them for the basic mediocrity of the place.
The bad: Whoever is responsible for stocking the place is simply not doing a good job. As I said, I visited almost daily. I began to play a game with myself to guess what they would be out of that day. Routinely they would be out of basic 7-​Eleven items at the coffee counter including but not limited to: milk, half-​and-​half, Splenda, Stok, various sized cups, lids, stirrers, and those little cardboard sleeves that keep you from burning your fingers. Coffee is what 7-​Eleven is known for, and i can’t remember a time when SOMETHING wasn’t missing. Same went for food items, groceries, cigarette brands– you name it. It’s constantly understocked.
The ugly: As I said before, coffee is what 7-​Eleven DOES. It is inexcusable that this 7-​Eleven makes no effort to keep the coffee fresh. They have 12 or so urns available to them but I have rarely seen more than 3 or 4 in use at a time. Moreover, no matter what time of day, the little countdown timers are flashing «0:00» or not working at all. And you can taste it. Old coffee is easy to spot. It’s not that busy a store so I don’t understand why they are not following SOPs and replacing the coffee on a regular basis.

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty upset when I found out a 7-​Eleven was opening in my area of Astoria. One of the things I love the most about Astoria is all of the mom-​and-​pop shops and restaurants, and I hated to see a big chain take away business from them. But since they’ve opened I’ve stopped in here a few times and I’ve since become less critical!
It’s a standard 7-​Eleven. Clean, well-​stocked, with a good variety of drinks, snacks, and food. They usually don’t have much of a line which is good to when you need to grab something quick. I also will confess to having bought their $ 1 slice pizza on more than one occasion. The pizza slices are tiny and taste like the cheap-​o frozen store bought kind (I’m reminded of Ellio’s in particular) but damn does it hit the spot when you just need a cheap slice! Most of the food here is pretty unhealthy, but it’s yummy. They do offer some healthier options (hummus & pita chips, apples & caramel) but of course they are wayyy more expensive than all the unhealthy snacks. I noticed have sandwiches as well, but I have never tried any.

Oh thank heaven. Open 24 hours and stocked with Six Point Brewery products. Good for a late night beer run and snacks.

What the train stop & neighborhood needed! I’m surprised no one had Unilocaled this yet. They lose a star because of misleading signs for specials. Sometimes they’re still up although they shouldn’t be and they’ll honor it. Other times, they deny your cheapness.