C-stores have expanded well beyond the typical chicken and pizza offerings in many markets. The breakfast daypart, for example, has become one of the most important mealtimes for c-stores, and breakfast items can be big drivers as a result.
Nouria, with 170 stores in the Northeast, 61 car washes and a wholesale distribution fueling network, offers a breakfast sandwich that started as a limited-time offer (LTO) and is now an everyday item. Known as the Triple Play, the sandwich has three meats — ham, sausage and bacon — with egg and cheese on a carrier, which can be a biscuit, bagel, croissant or English muffin. This has become a top seller for the brand.
Huck’s, which has 130 c-stores in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Missouri, decided to expand its breakfast program, as well. Several items are now on the menu that weren’t a few years ago, such as Monster Biscuits (double the bacon, sausage and egg) and a waffle carrier for sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches and bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches.
“We believe there is still an opportunity for growth in the breakfast category, including sweet and savory options. We are experimenting with additional carriers for our breakfast offers and exploring bulk bakery opportunities,” said Dave Grimes, vice president of foodservice for Martin and Bayley Inc., owner of Huck’s.
Some of Huck’s bakery options include cake balls and puddings.
Dandy Mini Marts, which operates 63 stores in Pennsylvania and New York, also plans to incorporate more sweet items into its menu going forward. Nouria, in the same truck stop location its testing its personal pizza, is also testing fresh doughnuts made on-site daily with raw ingredients.
Louisiana-based Shop Rite/Tobacco Plus, operating 62 total stores in the state, is constantly trying to grab the breakfast customer in some locations, said Angelle Cloud, registered and licensed dietitian nutritionist and foodservice compliance director and dietitian for the company, which has a few breakfast expansions coming soon.
“It’s an area that we can grow in, and it’s sort of perplexing because our offerings are great right now, but there has to be something that we can do to gain the edge,” she continued. “I want to get creative with some ingredients and make some less common matchups to see where that takes us.”
The chain’s proprietary foodservice concept, Bourbon Street Deli, primarily offers non-typical convenience store fare. Its focus is in fresh, custom-made food and variety.
Although the retailer sells plenty of its hot-box, grab-and-go chicken sandwiches, as well as fried or grilled chicken breasts and tenders and panini sandwiches, Cloud noted the chicken, while hard to beat, isn’t the main driver for customers. Instead, top sellers include shrimp po’boys, loaded French fries, burgers and boudin products.
“Our po’boys speak for themselves; the bread is authentic from New Orleans, our shrimp are from the Gulf, our batter is seasoned and the value for our customer is through the roof,” said Cloud.
Bourbon Street Deli has a selection of specialty burgers topped with items such as onion rings, fried jalapeños or a boudin ball. Here, customers can take advantage of the chain’s many sauce and vegetable toppings.
Another local favorite, boudin, is offered through the chain’s boudin balls, egg rolls, links, burgers, fries, omelets and biscuits. Recently, boudin smoked was added to the menu, along with seafood varieties.
“We offer a high-quality boudin, without the fillers that can sometimes be found as ingredients … and this makes me confident that our product is top notch,” said Cloud.
Newer to Shop Rite/Tobacco Plus, the loaded fries are made by taking favorite flavors and dishes and pouring them over a large portion of fries. Different variations include Au Jus gravy, Crawfish Etouffee, boudin and more paired with flavors such as queso, jalapeño ranch and sriracha mayo.
Cloud noted that locally, Louisiana-sourced seafood has gained traction in the foodservice space. And consistent with national trends, customers are caring more about ingredient origins.
