Marilyn Odesser-Torpey

C-store retailers are raking in foodservice profits with chicken programs and finding the versatile protein helps make them a destination for food, while opening the door to easy menu expansion. Chicken is more than a part of the foodservice offering at Fremont, Ohio-based FriendShip Food Stores; it is the crux of it, according to Kirk…

As customers get back into the swing of things after pandemic disruption, they’re hungry for innovative breakfast foods, and c-stores are responding with updated menu offerings. Breakfast is the core of the entire foodservice program at B-Quik’s three convenience stores in Louisiana, and sales have continued to increase month over month, year after year, even…

The packaged beverage category at convenience stores is seeing strong sales growth in 2021, driven partly by ongoing beverage innovation, including new flavor options. Retailers are seeing increased customer demand for ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee, energy drinks and sparkling waters, as customers seek out beverages they perceive as healthier or energy-boosting. Total RTD beverage sales increased…

C-stores are taking a closer look at their foodservice packaging today as they expand takeout and delivery options, ensuring food arrives at its final destination looking as appealing as when it left the store. Delivery was already a growing component of many foodservice programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the past 18 months have…

C-store operators know a profitable foodservice offering hinges on a high-quality coffee program. But after the COVID-19 pandemic paused some workplace commutes, many retailers watched their morning coffee sales plummet. Now, retailers are working to recapture coffee sales as more customers return to life as usual. Here are five ways to become the go-to coffee…

With so many varieties to choose from, determining how much store space should be allotted to candy (chocolate, non-chocolate, gum and mints) grows more challenging every day. Depending on the size of the store, a minimum of 12 to 18 feet of inline display space should be reserved for sweets, which represent the fifth largest…

This summer brought customers back to the cold and dispensed beverage section at c-stores, after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the category in many areas of the country during 2020 and early 2021, from self-service bans to supply disruptions. Many retailers used the disruption as an opportunity to re-evaluate their cold and frozen dispensed beverage section.…

Every season is beer season, each one with its own opportunities for upselling to larger packages of favorite brews. Window, in-store and at-the-pump signage is a retailer’s best friend for persuading customers to pick up 12- to 18-packs or cases so they will have their preferred refreshment on-hand for all occasions. During the pandemic, larger…

Frozen dispensed beverages are more than just kid stuff. Adults also enjoy their favorite (and some new and unexpected) flavors in frozen form, so it is important to keep their tastes and aesthetics in mind when choosing flavors to feature and strategies to promote them. With a bit of extra attention to detail, convenience store…

Driving traffic to the frozen dispensed beverage section in convenience stores begins by making sure customers know they are available in the stores through inclusion in advertising, window signage and regular social media posts. Promotion can be as simple as offering special value pricing for a finite period or a buy so many, get one…