Southampton 7-Eleven Hailed for Selling Most Coffee in U.S.

The franchisee of the 7-Eleven in Southampton on County Road 39 was honored Friday for selling more cups of coffee than any other 7-Eleven in the country.

Lorie DeFelice was named the “Coffee Queen” as 7-Eleven celebrates the 50th anniversary of to-go coffee, a concept 7-Eleven first introduced in 1964. It was started on Long Island, and Long Island still buys the most 7-Eleven coffee compared to any other region. Internationally, 7-Eleven sells 1 million cups of coffee daily.

The convenience store on County Road 39 accounts for 1,400 of those million cups. It also sells 400 doughnuts every day on average, according to Laura Gordon, the vice president of marketing for 7-Eleven, based in Dallas, Texas.

The Southampton store gave out free doughnuts and coffee for all customers on Friday between 7 and 11 a.m., and DeFelice was presented with a crown, robe and scepter.

“My store is different because I have absolutely outstanding employees and a great community,” DeFelice said.

Officials including the mayor of Southampton Village, plus fire and ambulance volunteers joined in marking DeFelice’s achievement.

The franchise belonged to her father, Thomas Souhrada. He is now retired, and she has been running the store for 17 years. It is her sole franchise.