7-Eleven hires industry veteran to spearhead fresh food
7‑Eleven has hired Richard Guidry as senior director of fresh foods for its convenience stores in the U.S. and Canada, Guidry announced Wednesday on LinkedIn.
Guidry most recently served as senior vice-president of foodservice for GPM Investments, where he helped launch the retailer’s Fas Craves food program last year. He brings roughly two decades of c-store operations and foodservice leadership experience to the role, according to his LinkedIn bio.
At 7-Eleven, Guidry will work alongside the retailer’s foodservice team and collaborate with the company’s store support centre, franchisees and corporate store teams. His appointment comes as 7-Eleven continues its multi-year push to build more food-focused convenience stores across North America to boost its foodservice reputation and profitability.
“It is an incredible opportunity to help shape the future of convenience across a massive footprint of approximately 13,000 stores and with the #1 c-store chain worldwide,” Guidry said in his post.
Guidry steps into the role about a month after Benjamin Lucky was dismissed as 7-Eleven’s senior director of fresh food development after roughly 14 months in the position.
Guidry joined GPM in October 2023 and departed last July. As SVP of foodservice, he oversaw kitchen development and execution across more than 1,500 corporate stores and over 3,000 total locations including QSR's, Grab N Go, MTO, and dispensed beverage business platforms, according to his LinkedIn profile. The Fas Craves program at GPM features hot and cold grab-and-go items, including crispy chicken biscuits, potato wedges, mozzarella sticks, jumbo chicken wings, chicken sandwiches and burgers. GPM has also rolled out a bean-to-cup coffee program.
Earlier in his career, Guidry spent more than 15 years in operations and marketing roles at RaceTrac, followed by four years at Casey’s General Stores, where he began working in prepared foods.
