As c-stores look to grow their foodservice offerings, pizza and chicken programs are helping retailers to drive sales and expand into new dayparts. When Pak-A-Sak convenience stores added a Hunt Brothers Pizza program, the change to its foodservice program was like night and day — literally. While the majority of the chain’s foodservice sales come…

C-store retailers are investing in their coffee bars, upgrading equipment and cross merchandising to recapture sales, which declined during COVID-19. Those efforts appear to be paying off for c-store operators. In its fall “2022 National Coffee Data Trends” report, the National Coffee Association (NCA) stated that while out-of-home coffee consumption has yet to fully recover…

The rise of made-to-order foodservice has presented convenience store retailers with an operations dilemma. While customers have taken to the freshly prepared meals and snacks, they still expect instantaneous service and minimal lines. The pandemic has also created a demand for contactless or at least semi-contactless shopping. A growing number of retailers are meeting these…

C-store chains are doubling down on their lunch offerings as customer demand for foodservice options grows. Tried-and-true c-store fare like chicken, pizza and roller grill remain customer favorites, while limited-time offers (LTOs) keep the menu fresh. Lunch sales are strong and continuing to steadily grow at Beck Suppliers Inc.’s FriendShip Food Stores, which operates 29…

The days of gasoline, Cokes and smokes being enough to support a convenience store are long gone. More and more customers are looking to their neighborhood c-stores for quick and easy mealtime solutions to eat on the go or around the family dinner table. As gasoline prices rise and tobacco products become increasingly regulated, retailers…

With so many foodservice programs to choose from, c-store retailers must evaluate which offering is going to resonate best with their customers. A chicken program is one such option that many convenience store retailers find success with. With both a health halo and great versatility, chicken appeals to a wide range of customers. Americans love…

When Americans are craving something crunchy, nothing satisfies like a bag of chips, pretzels or other salty snacks. Even the more health-conscious consumers are finding better-for-you versions of their favorite munchies to suit their tastebuds and lifestyles. Over the past year, total salty snack dollar sales have risen 13% from $7.4 billion to $8.3 billion,…

Early in the pandemic, without on-site consumption of adult beverages at bars and restaurants, many Americans turned to their neighborhood convenience stores for wine, beer, ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails and hard seltzers. At Rutter’s, which operates 82 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia, adult beverage sales “reached volumes we certainly never even imagined,” said Sean…

Breakfast has long been the strongest daypart for foodservice at Duchess convenience stores. Now, according to Nathan Arnold, director of marketing for Duchess, which operates 120 units in Ohio and West Virginia, the chain is focusing on the afternoon between-meal daypart with an updating of its cold beverage fountain areas and attention to core food…

Cold vault beverage sales at Nouria Energy’s retail stores are strong in both unit and dollar sales year to date, reported Kevin Platt, senior category manager for the chain’s 150 stores in Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. Anticipating fewer out-of-stocks than in 2021 and a significant increase in consumers taking to the…