Convenience Store Drive-Thru’s are Made-to-Order

While Quick Service Restaurants after 35 years of utilizing drive-thru’s are selling close to 68 percent of sales via the drive-thru, adoption within the convenience store sector has been slow.  That is about to change Gina Hazelet a district manager with Sheetz in Pennsylvania.  

Today Sheetz has 44 stores that have a drive-thru.  With 450+ stores in the system that very close to 10% of total stores. According to Hazelet, 10 percent of the company's sales come through the drive-thru window at installed locations.

Sheetz has become known as a restaurant that sells gas as opposed to a traditional C-store.  That notion has been driven by the success of Made-to-Order fresh prepared food. Each of the menu items are completely customizable a using touchscreen ordering system and then make each to order. Very much like many fast casual restaurants and quick service restaurants.

While convenience stores have been slow to embrace the drive-thru window Foodservice Solutions® Grocerant Guru™ believes that more and more drive-thru C-stores will add a drive-thru.  The ability to mix and match fresh prepared food with legacy CPG necessities can prove to be a competitive advantage for the convenience store sector. 

Are you trapped doing what you have always done and doing the same way.  Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions 5P’s of Food Marketing can edify your retail food brand while creating a platform for consumer convenient meal participation, differentiation and individualization? via Email us at: Steve@FoodserviceSolutions.us or visit:  www.FoodserviceSolutions.us for more information.