While the pandemic has wrought widespread disruption and uncertainty to U.S. consumers for nearly a year, candy lovers are finding refuge in sweet treats, manufacturers are working to find new ways to satisfy them, and retailers are seeing sales like never before. Chocolate sales in the convenience channel saw a healthy 5.6% increase for the…
Wawa Introduces Dinner Platform With Chainwide Burger Launch
As Wawa kicks off its new dinner platform, the convenience retailer is introducing its new burger at 920 convenience stores across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington, D.C. The all-natural Angus burger is completely customizable with choice of cheese, endless fresh toppings, sauce and bacon. Already a customer favorite, Wawa’s burger is…
TA Express Expands Into California
TravelCenters of America Inc. announced the signing of a new franchise agreement to bring a TA Express site to California. The new TA Express site will be located in Baker, Calif., on Interstate 15, exit 221, and is expected to open later this year. In addition to the Baker location, TA expects five other franchised…
Best Store Design Awards: Davis Oil
After decades of serving customers, most legacy c-stores need a refresh. When the time came to raze-and-rebuild its Emmett Street C-Store convenience store in Battle Creek, Mich., Jon Davis, co-president of Davis Oil, sought a clean, modern design that incorporated new departments, as well as an updated logo. Embarking on a rebuild can bring challenges…
Biden Administration to Extend, Expand Nutrition Assistance Programs
On Jan. 22, President Joseph Biden signed an executive order calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand and extend federal nutrition assistance programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Biden has indicated that addressing hunger and food insecurity will be a priority for his administration. The order comes just after Congress…
Best Foodservice Launch Awards: Dash In
Dash In’s neighborhood store concept incorporates an open kitchen in the center of the c-store, where a wide variety of made-to-order, fresh and grab-and-go items are prepared for hungry guests. Amid the pandemic, the La Plata, Md.-based chain has continued to reevaluate and upgrade its existing foodservice offers while adding high-quality, diverse menu items and…
How Physical Retail Is Evolving for an Omnichannel World
Remember credit card imprinters? A few months ago, I rented an AMC theater and took my family to see Christmas Vacation. I always get a good laugh at the establishing shot for the department store scene about 15 minutes into the film. One swipe after another, viewers are treated to clips of credit card imprinters…
Best Store Design Awards: Tri Star Energy
In 2020, Tri Star Energy introduced a refreshed look for its Twice Daily/White Bison Coffee integrated stores. By increasing the prominence of the White Bison Coffee area, the concept now features more balance between the Twice Daily c-store section and the White Bison Coffee café, while providing a cohesive layout with a natural flow and…
Where Does Foodservice Go From Here?
Remember when bean-to-cup coffee was the hot new trend? Five years ago, while visiting a Ricker’s convenience store in Indiana (later acquired by Giant Eagle’s GetGo), my attention was drawn to a row of bean-to-cup machines gleaming from underneath a sign about fresh-brewed coffee. It wasn’t every day that you encountered that kind of equipment…
Americans Ate a Record 1.42 Billion Chicken Wings This Super Bowl Sunday
Americans were projected to eat a record 1.42 billion wings while watching the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle for the Lombardi Trophy. This figure is up 2% from last year, according to the National Chicken Council’s annual Wing Report. There are several reasons for the uptick, said National Chicken Council spokesman Tom…