Sushi in the c-store cooler? Burritos in the food warmer? Mediterranean sandwiches on the menu? Exotic foods are here to stay and becoming more mainstream, spicing up the foodservice section and appealing to a wide audience. With the growth of the Internet consumers today are exposed to new foods they may not be used to…
Vying for Customers with Value Meals
McDonald’s has it. Dunkin’ Donuts has it. And if your c-store doesn’t have it, you’re likely losing customers to the QSR down the street. In 2010, featuring a value meal with your foodservice offering is essential to driving new customers through your doors and securing them as regular visitors. C-stores with foodservice programs are facing…
Empowered by Energy Efficiency
With energy costs soaring and customers rewarding sustainable behaviors, many convenience store chains are realizing the need to upgrade stores to be more energy efficient. World marketed energy consumption is projected to increase by 44% from 2006 to 2030, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The increase could hit c-store retailers especially hard…
Kwik Trip Adds Blockbuster Express
Kwik Trip is adding NCR’s Blockbuster Express kiosks in more than 300 of its locations throughout Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, increasing Blockbuster Express availability in the Midwest in addition to existing presence in markets such as Chicago, Detroit and Indianapolis. Kwik Trip customers will be able to rent their favorite new and classic DVD titles 24…
Social Networking Takes Retail by Storm
Speedy Personalized DealsChristianna Frizzell, customer relationship manager for Speedway SuperAmerica, said the best online responses will come from email blasts and text message campaigns if you know your demographic and keep contact timely and relevant. It can also be helpful to look at how customers are contacting you. For example, are they emailing or calling…
Flexibility Fuels Chicken
TOP FIVE U.S. Chicken producers Average Weekly Production (in million pounds) Market Share % Pilgrim’s Pride 146 20.30% Tyson Foods 144 20.00% Perdue Farms 55 7.60% Sanderson Farms 42 5.80% Wayne Farms 34 4.70% Investing in foodservice is a big step for any c-store chain, but if it’s done right, the…
Turning a Profit at the Roller Grill
TOP PERFORMERS Oscar Mayer (Kraft) Ball Park (Sara Lee) Hillshire Farms (Sara Lee) HONORABLE MENTIONS Ruiz Food Products Johnsonville Sausage Don Miguel Roller grills, the backbone of many convenience store foodservice programs, continue to provide chains with an inexpensive, labor-friendly foodservice concept that allows store operators to expand their fresh food offering at a time…
Poultry Pushes Food Sales
TOP PERFORMERS Tyson Brakebush Broaster HONORABLE MENTIONS Chester’s Chicken Krispy Krunchy Pilgrims Pride Chicken’s economical price and inherent flexibility gives convenience store retailers a myriad of opportunities for growing their foodservice business without sacrificing quality and value. More importantly, chicken offers retailers a host of branded and unbranded options for creating everything from a fresh…
Controlling Operating Costs
From escalating utility costs and credit card fees to labor and looming PCI deadlines, retailers have their hands full with a host of issues that are impacting their businesses. No issue is as complex and timely as PCI compliance. The stakes in the PCI game are high and, as 2010 approaches, c-store operators need to…
Organic Growth Drives Kwik Trip
In 2004, CSD awarded La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. with the Chain of the Year award recognizing a company that values people and forays into new technology, combining business and energy intelligence to save dollars. CSD also was impressed with Kwik Trip’s use of vertical integration to control the products and support functions that…