WINNER: Cumberland Farms
EG America’s new Ria’s Pizzeria concept offers its Cumberland Farms customers new foodservice options, from specialty whole pies to pizza by the slice to proprietary sweet and savory snacks.
Foodservice programs at convenience stores are increasingly expanding, to the point where many are starting to rival the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space. With economic uncertainties affecting many consumers’ spending habits, it’s important for c-stores in 2023 to offer foodservice programs that will appeal to their shoppers’ needs.
EG America has continued the proprietary foodservice trend with its newly opened Ria’s Pizzeria.
CStore Decisions is recognizing Ria’s as one of the best new foodservice programs for its authenticity and innovative offerings.
With three locations up and running at Cumberland Farms sites, the new pizza concept debuted a variety of distinctive offerings.
U.K.-based EG Group, parent company of EG America, owns over 6,200 sites in Europe, the U.S. and Australia.
Ria’s Pizzeria first opened at a Cumberland Farms in Adams, Mass., in early November 2022, and its second site is located at the Cumberland Farms in Norton, Mass., at 60 West Main St.
Ria’s most recent location opened at a Cumberland Farms in East Providence, R.I., which also operates a drive-through.
“We worked closely with a trusted consumer research company, using internal focus groups and company surveys to select the name for Ria’s Pizzeria from ideation lists,” said Cindy Rantanen, senior vice president, food and franchise business at EG America.
The new foodservice concept borrowed from several other successful proprietary offers EG already implemented in its stores in the Northeast.
“Our premium pizza offer in the Fastrac banner was the catalyst for our new varieties at Ria’s,” said Rantanen. “We drew inspiration from some of our existing fan favorites while curating brand-new offerings to give our Ria’s guests a fresh, new pizza experience with outstanding and reliable quality.”
Authentic Pizza Offerings
EG’s highly experienced culinary team created Ria’s pizza options with proprietary dough and quality ingredients.
Consumers have their choice of traditional pizzas such as the chain’s four signature menu items — Cheese, Over the Top Pepperoni (topped with 80 pepperoni slices), Veggie and Ultimate Meat — as well as specialty pizzas, including Nashville Hot Chicken, Chicken Bacon Ranch and Loaded Baked Potato. Other specialty pizza offerings are Buffalo Chicken, Steak & Cheese, Supreme, BBQ Chicken and Hawaiian.
The whole pies are the traditional thin-crust variety and come in a 16-inch size cut into six slices.
Customers can also order pizza by the slice or choose to receive their pizza made to order.
Ria’s Pizzeria offers breakfast pies for its morning commuters from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., with options ranging from Veggie, Egg and Cheese to Bacon, Egg and Cheese or Sausage, Egg and Cheese.
Apart from its pizza offerings, the chain serves snack-sized strombolis (Bolis) and Ninos, which are bite-sized dough snacks that come in a four-pack. The ninos are available in Pepperoni & Cheese, Garlic Parmesan and Cinnamon Sugar.
“Ninos and Bolis were driven by the need for a portable, easily consumable snack that could be maintained on a hot slide and eaten in the car or on the go,” said Rantanen.
Daily Operations
Ria’s uses sleek red branding in a move to signify a stark differentiation from the rest of the store, “marking Ria’s as a deliciously competitive pizzeria and separate establishment optimized to craft craveable pies,” Rantanen explained.
Larger store layouts allow for indoor seating, but smaller formats do not have the space for it.
The restaurant operates with two to five team members throughout the day, however
that number can fluctuate based on guest volume.
EG leveraged on-site trainers and computer-based learning to train its store team members using a program that runs parallel to existing food training. A soft launch for friends and family served as a practice event for the restaurant team.
The Ria’s team utilizes industry-standard ovens.
“Replicating the equipment we use in our Fastrac locations, we decided on a brand that delivers on quality and is widely trusted in the pizza business,” noted Rantanen.
In the future, the brand plans to implement a by-the-slice loyalty program to thank and reward its guests.
With the newly added Ria’s Pizzeria to EG’s family of restaurant brands, the c-store chain has furthered its opportunities to reach customers in a time when consumers are thinking more carefully about where and how they will spend their money.
“(Ria’s) serves as a best-in-class elevation of our existing offers and makes us, not just ‘great for a c-store,’ but the best pizza offer in any town we operate in,” said Rantanen.
WINNER: Kum & Go
Kum & Go is rolling out a fresh, healthy menu to its current and new markets to appeal to ongoing trends in the foodservice arena.
New opportunities are arising for Des Moines, Iowa-based Kum & Go, and with expansion currently underway and on the horizon, the c-store chain decided to revamp its foodservice program.
Starting in its own backyard in Des Moines, Iowa, Kum & Go began rolling out the new, healthier menu in conjunction with its remodel efforts in the area in 2022. The launch followed a successful pilot program in the Little Rock, Ark., and Omaha, Neb., markets in 2021.
The drive to create a wide-ranging menu specifically geared to guests’ needs is the reason CStore Decisions is recognizing Kum & Go for having one of the best new foodservice programs.
“Kum & Go has identified food as a differentiator within the convenience channel, something we can own and create excitement around,” said Jac Moskalik, vice president of food innovation for Kum & Go.
Kum & Go presently operates 400-plus stores across 12 states, with sites in new markets Michigan and Idaho to come in 2023.
“The new menu is a step toward becoming a food destination for our customers, which mirrors the efforts that are being made throughout the store in assortment and merchandising,” said Moskalik.
A Healthy Refresh
Kum & Go’s new menu consists of a made-to-order (MTO) program offering stackers and bowls. Grab-and-go burritos for both breakfast and lunch; premium, fresh-baked pastries for the bakery; and local, craft roasters for the coffee program are also available to customers.
“The menu itself was launched to offer a healthy, but craveable meal for our customers … We continue to innovate around the MTO program as well, identifying different shopper segments within our stores and how to cater to them,” said Moskalik.
The menu items can be ordered on Kum & Go‘s app or via kiosk and can be customized.
The new menu is catered around customers’ needs, both by category and daypart. In the morning, in addition to the MTO options, burritos and pastries, customers can enjoy Kum & Go’s egg bites, parfaits or a slice of breakfast pizza. Lunch-goers have the additional options of refrigerated sandwiches and a focus on pizza slices, while the evening menu shines a spotlight on whole pies.
“In 2023, our food team’s focus is to grow both food and beverage sales for the evening daypart through innovation and promotions,” said Moskalik.
As of now, half of the chain’s sales take place in the morning.
According to Moskalik, the falafel bowl is one of the items among the popular stackers and bowls that Kum & Go most hears about, despite it not being the highest-volume item. Additionally, the newly added pastries and burritos show the store is gaining traction in multiple food categories.
Kum & Go is also planning for limited-time offers to boost the year-round items.
“We will have LTOs in most categories (in 2023) and our promotional strategy will be to grow our afternoon and evening dayparts, while highlighting all the fun and innovative changes that are taking place across the store,” said Moskalik. “We have multiple pilots (this year) within dispensed beverage as well, as that’s a category we will be refreshing (during 2023).”
Behind the Scenes
All MTO food items are cooked and/or heated fresh by Kum & Go’s food teams. They build the bowls fresh according to customer specifications, and the stackers are double toasted. The store’s pizzas are made with fresh dough and then hand stretched, pressed and topped.
The new foodservice program’s pastries are fresh baked throughout the day, and the burritos are made fresh and hand rolled every day.
“The quality of the products we sell is a direct correlation to how much our food teams in the stores care about what we sell to our customers,” said Moskalik.
Kum & Go’s food teams make use of conveyor ovens and vector ovens in-store.
When the new program was rolled out, Kum & Go’s food and beverage team at the corporate office was responsible for product development and distributing training documents.
“Our team works closely with our partners in operations and learning and development while developing the programs and documents for hand-off on training,” said Moskalik. “Within operations, our food execution managers are a crucial extension of our team as they provide hands-on training and development for current and future rollouts. We involve them throughout the process to help identify gaps in process prior to launching.”
Kum & Go is intent on its new menu differentiating it from other foodservice options in the markets where it operates.
“Kum & Go’s approach to investing in the future of convenience and striving to provide the best food options for our customers is what truly stands out,” said Moskalik. “I have been in the food industry for over 20 years, and it is amazing to work for a retailer who understands that a best-in-class food offering can absolutely set us apart from the competition.”