Several New York-area convenience stores are delving into the sale of pizza cones. Three gas station chains in the New York metropolitan-area are selling new Cono Italiano Inc. “pizza conos” at their c-stores. Exxon, BP and Gulf Gas Stations are now selling pizza conos and empanadas to consumers. The pizza cono is a drip-free, cone-shaped…
Capturing Lunch and Dinner Customers
When it comes to foodservice, convenience store operators must develop the expertise to make smart choices and deliver winning mealtime solutions. By John Lofstock, Editor People need food, and convenience stores need people to like their food, which is why keeping lunch and dinner menus fresh, new and exciting is so important. The food itself…
Pizza Gets Personal
C-store retailers can expect to see continued growth in the pizza category in 2012. “Pizza has good hold times, is a consumer favorite and is relatively easy to prepare. Sales will be up in 2012,” said Tim Powell, director for Chicago-based research firm Technomic. Trends to watch in 2012 include an increase in take-and-bake pizzas,…
New Food Technology is Hot (and Cool)
Convenience stores are embracing the latest equipment as they look to keep up with QSRs and fast casual restaurants. By Marilyn Odesser-Torpey, Associate Editor. In the summer, customers line up from morning until evening at Maverik convenience stores to take the f’real machine for a spin. From the time the North Salt Lake City-based chain…
Emphasizing a Strong Breakfast Business
Given that the morning daypart is such a high-growth segment, it should be no surprise that the industry’s leading retailers are focusing a lot of effort on solidifying their offerings. By John Lofstock, Editor. Americans are more amenable to buying meals at convenience stores, but won’t budge when it comes to quality, price or convenience…
C-Store Foodservice Grows To $11.5 Billion
The number of stores with dedicated foodservice personnel has nearly doubled since 2007. In a sign that convenience store operators are successfully ramping up their foodservice efforts, industry consultants Technomic found that average unit volumes for c-stores offering prepared food and dispensed beverages (“true foodservice”) jumped to more than $136k in 2011, up from $123k…
Breakfast Battle Brewing
Bundling with Bakery Rick Lawlor, vice president of retail sales and marketing for Hess Corp., said his company began growing breakfast sales when it added an old favorite for customers who want a sweet with their coffee: doughnuts. “There are a number of ways we’ve been growing our breakfast business, the most significant being our…
C-stores, Starbuck’s Most Affected By Ongoing Coffee War
As the coffee war continues between QSRs, coffee franchises and c-stores may be feeling the pinch more than the local Dunkin’ Donuts, Reuters reported. Although McDonald’s has tried to undercut competitors on price, Dunkin’s market share in coffee is steady and growing, Mark Nunnelly, managing director at Bain Capital, said at the Reuters Private Equity…
Quiznos Looks To Grow Within C-store Channel
Quiznos sandwich chain has plans to increase its presence within convenience stores in 2010. In the recession, customers are busier and thriftier and have been increasing their visits to convenience stores while reducing their visits to restaurants. Restaurant visits began slowing in 2007 and then fell 3% last year while trips to convenience stores to…
Frozen Sales Heating Up
Since its invention about half a century ago, the frozen dispensed beverage has become a convenience store tradition, with three out of every four U.S. convenience outlets housing a frozen beverage bar. While frozen dispensed beverages are not a huge portion of the typical store’s overall sales, the product is profitable, thanks to a gross…