Renowned character Clark Griswold may not have held gas station sandwiches in high regard, but a lot has changed since he declared, “I’m so hungry I could eat a sandwich from a gas station,” in the 1983 movie “National Lampoon’s Vacation.” Some 38 years later, many convenience stores are now held in high regard as…

Today’s consumers want to be able to customize their food to their specifications, and market research firm Datassential confirms this is a real opportunity for c-stores. “Consumers love customization,” said Datassential trendologist Mike Kostyo. ” … Overall, 66% of c-store consumers say customization motivates them to visit a c-store over a competing foodservice location.” One…

The Wall Street Journal got it right in its recent look at the growing importance of mobile apps in foodservice headlined The Future Is Everything in About an Hour. And the pandemic didn’t help any. Convenience store shoppers have always wanted things fast, and when you add to that the desire to avoid in-person contact…

For generations, cigarettes benefited from the textbook definition of brand loyalty. Smokers rarely switched from one brand to another once they landed on a product they preferred. The smokeless tobacco segment also enjoyed a similar level of customer consistency. What’s more, smokers and smokeless tobacco users traditionally represented two distinct customer demographics. Although brand loyalty…

For small and independent convenience store chains, today’s competition is steeper than ever. These stores often find themselves competing against large chains with greater resources to implement the latest and greatest programs, especially when it comes to foodservice. But despite the competition, small chains have a big opportunity to grow food sales, if they’re willing…

A growler beer program can help position your convenience store as a destination for beer, but growler programs aren’t right for every c-store. The first step would be to determine if a growler program is even legal at c-stores in the areas where you operate, and if they are, what other rules are required. For…

Roller grill is a tried and true c-store subcategory, but that doesn’t mean the offer should be stale. There’s plenty of innovation in this space, drawing on top consumer trends like spiciness and bold flavors. According to market research firm Datassential, specific flavor trends right now include sweet-and-spicy, such as hot honey, as well as…

There are a host of excellent cutting-edge labor scheduling programs available for convenience store retailers today, but they can’t do the job all by themselves. Labor scheduling programs need to be part of an overall human resources strategy designed to minimize lateness, absenteeism and turnover while fostering responsibility and punctuality among employees who too often…

Today’s beer customers love to sample an array of different craft beers, including local and seasonal brews. To position themselves as a destination for beer, many convenience stores have added growler beer programs. Growlers are usually 32-ounce or 64-ounce jugs that are filled with on-tap beer. Customers usually purchase the growler for a set fee…

Electronic cigarettes first arrived on the U.S. retail scene in 2006, and since then, this other tobacco product (OTP) segment has gained a substantial customer base within the convenience store channel. The addition of open-system vaporizers and pod devices further expanded inventory selection of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS). Early on, ENDS of all types…