7-Eleven forgoes its free Slurpees on 7-11

DALLAS — The coronavirus pandemic has taken away another summertime tradition in the U.S.: No free Slurpees at 7-Elevens on Saturday — July 11 — to hail a date that doubles as an abbreviation of the convenience store chain’s name.

7-Eleven has been giving away its slushy beverage to all customers for nearly 20 years on July 11, but it scrapped the promotion this summer to reduce the risk of people flocking to its stores and risking contracting the coronavirus.

The Dallas-based chain instead decided to donate 1 million meals to Feeding America, a hunger relief group.