Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. made-to-order
    • ex. The café sells made-to-order meals during lunchtime.
  2. rival
    • ex. Two soccer teams rival for the championship trophy this season.
  3. nationwide
    • ex. The company sells its products nationwide.
  4. popularity
    • ex. The popularity of the new movie grew quickly after its release.
  5. bring about
    • ex. The new law was brought about by the government's decision to improve safety.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Americans might find more and better food choices at convenience stores. Stores like 7-Eleven and QuikTrip are transforming their menus to include fresh sandwiches, made-to-order meals, and coffee options that rival popular coffee shops. These changes hope to attract customers looking for quick and affordable meals. These convenience stores want to become an alternative to fast-food restaurants.

Since the pandemic happened, customer habits have changed. So, convenience stores are now introducing additional services, including delivery. The 7Now app from 7-Eleven will soon be available nationwide and will allow customers to order pizza, Slurpees, and more to their homes. Now, some stores even offer special Japanese foods, like teriyaki chicken, rice balls, and miso ramen.

The rising popularity of convenience store foods is brought about by social media. For instance, many TikTok and YouTube videos feature people eating only convenience store foods for a day. They compare the different dishes from different stores. Anderson Nguyen is one of the famous influencers who features convenience store foods in his videos. He went to different convenience stores to compare the taste of their Krispy Krunchy Chicken foods.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Convenience Store Foods

  • What types of food do you usually find in convenience stores? Discuss.
  • Do you think convenience store foods are healthy? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • On social media, some videos featured influencers eating only convenience store foods for a day. Would it be okay for you to do that? Why or why not? Discuss.

Attracting Customers

  • American convenience stores transformed their menus to attract more customers. Do you think this is a good or a bad idea? Why? Discuss.
  • What types of sales campaigns can attract more customers (ex. special offers and discounts, advertisements)? Discuss.
  • According to the article, social media has brought about the rising popularity of convenience store foods. Do you think social media is an effective way to attract more customers? Why or why not? Discuss.