Beyond Convenience: Why Food Quality, Beverage Pairings and Mix-and-Match Meals Will Shape the Next Chapter of C-Stores

 

Convenience stores have earned their place in America's food and beverage landscape by doing one thing exceptionally well: making it easy for consumers to get what they want, when they want it. But convenience alone is no longer enough to capture the next generation of foodservice growth according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® and Founder of Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions®.

New research from Acosta Group suggests that value, food quality and freshly prepared offerings could help convenience retailers win more eating and drinking occasions from fast-food restaurants, grocery stores, mass merchandisers and coffee shops. The study surveyed 775 U.S. convenience store shoppers from August 26–31, 2026, examining how consumers choose among competing channels.

The findings reinforce a central principle of the Grocerant Guru®: Consumers do not think in retail silos. They think about the meal, the snack, the beverage, the price and the convenience of getting everything together.

For convenience store operators, that creates two distinct but connected growth opportunities: food that earns repeat visits and beverages that increase purchase frequency and basket value. The next opportunity is to connect the two through flexible, mix-and-match meal solutions.

The broader industry numbers demonstrate why this matters. According to the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), foodservice represented 28.5% of U.S. convenience-store in-store sales in 2025 and generated 38.9% of in-store gross profit dollars. Prepared food accounted for 73.9% of foodservice sales.

The message is clear: Foodservice is no longer simply an amenity attached to a fuel purchase. It is a central part of the convenience retail business model.

1. The Food Sector: Freshness, Quality and Value Must Work Together

Acosta Group's research identifies a significant opportunity to improve the food proposition. Asked what would make them more likely to purchase food and beverages from convenience stores in the future, 53% of respondents cited better value for their money, 47% cited higher-quality food, and 35% cited more freshly prepared meals and snacks.

These are not three unrelated requests. Together, they describe the consumer's expectation of a worthwhile meal.

A low price will not necessarily overcome concerns about freshness. Freshness alone may not persuade a price-conscious shopper to purchase. And a quality product that takes too long to obtain can lose to a competing quick-service restaurant or a nearby grocery deli.

The Grocerant Guru® perspective is that successful convenience food programs must balance all three.

Prepared Food Is Already Doing the Heavy Lifting

The industry's sales mix supports a food-forward strategy. NACS reported that prepared food accounted for 72.6% of convenience-store foodservice sales in 2024, increasing to 73.9% in 2025. The category includes familiar favorites such as pizza, chicken, burgers, sandwiches, wraps and salads.

That mix offers retailers a practical starting point. Rather than trying to build a restaurant menu overnight, operators can strengthen core categories, improve consistency and make it easier for customers to assemble a complete meal.

Consider the possibilities:

·       Breakfast: A breakfast sandwich, fresh fruit and coffee.

·       Lunch: A sandwich or wrap, a side and a cold beverage.

·       Dinner: Hot chicken, a salad or another side, and a drink.

·       Afternoon snack: A protein-forward item with coffee, tea or a flavored beverage.

·       Travel occasion: A portable entrée, a shareable snack and a beverage suited to the journey.

These combinations address different occasions without requiring every customer to purchase the same predetermined bundle.

Freshness Is a Competitive Signal

Fresh food also helps establish trust. In a separate 2025 NACS Convenience Voices survey, 45% of respondents said they would shop at convenience stores more frequently if higher-quality, fresher food were available. NACS also reported that some customers planned to buy food elsewhere shortly after leaving a store because they could not find enough healthy options or did not consider the food fresh enough.

For operators, that is a warning against confusing availability with appeal. A sandwich in a cooler is an available product. A well-presented sandwich with clear freshness cues, a credible ingredient proposition and an appealing companion beverage is a more complete offer.

Freshness must be supported operationally, too. Production schedules, holding times, temperature controls, replenishment and product rotation all influence whether a retailer can consistently deliver the promise made on its packaging and menu boards.

Better-for-You Food Should Complement, Not Replace, Indulgence

Acosta's findings also point to demand for freshly prepared foods, fresh fruits and vegetables, and high-protein options. This does not mean convenience stores must abandon pizza, fried chicken, candy or other indulgent favorites.

Instead, the opportunity is to broaden the range of choices. A consumer who wants a hot sandwich today may want yogurt, fruit, eggs, cheese or a protein-forward snack tomorrow. Giving that shopper meaningful options can help the retailer remain relevant across more occasions.

Circana's eating-patterns research similarly identifies protein as a high-priority consumer interest and notes that snacks increasingly serve as additions to main meals.

The strategic lesson is straightforward: A broader food assortment can increase the number of reasons to visit without requiring a complete reinvention of the store.

2. The Beverage Sector: From Add-On Purchase to Traffic Driver

Beverages deserve their own strategic focus because they can serve different needs throughout the day: morning energy, lunchtime refreshment, afternoon indulgence, hydration, travel and an accompaniment to dinner.

Coffee shops compete for specialty coffee and indulgent drinks. Quick-service restaurants compete through meal deals and fountain beverages. Grocery stores compete through assortment and multipack value. Convenience retailers can compete across these occasions, provided their beverage offerings are relevant, visible and priced appropriately.

NACS 2025 industry data show that packaged beverages accounted for 18.7% of convenience-store in-store sales. Cold dispensed beverages also represent an important category in convenience retail. These figures demonstrate why beverages deserve active merchandising rather than a supporting role.

Three Beverage Opportunities Retailers Should Consider

1. Build the Morning Occasion

Coffee paired with a breakfast sandwich, pastry, fruit or yogurt gives shoppers an easy way to complete breakfast in one stop. Clear bundle pricing can simplify decisions for commuters who prioritize speed.

2. Own the Portable Meal

Water, flavored water, sports drinks and other cold beverages can complement sandwiches, wraps and hot prepared foods. Position the drink next to the relevant meal components to make the combination easy to find.

3. Create an Afternoon Reason to Return

Iced coffee, tea, specialty drinks and an accompanying sweet or savory snack can give customers a reason to visit outside traditional meal periods. Rotating limited-time combinations can provide variety without overcomplicating the core menu.

The Beverage Should Make the Whole Offer More Attractive

Acosta's research reinforces this point: 62% of shoppers selected a sandwich paired with a beverage as the most appealing convenience-store food-and-drink combination tested.

That is a useful merchandising signal. The customer is not necessarily shopping for a sandwich and then separately deciding whether to buy a drink. The customer may be looking for a complete, portable solution.

Retailers should therefore evaluate beverages not only by their individual sales but also by their role in meal attachment, basket size, daypart coverage and repeat visits.

A well-designed beverage strategy can help turn an isolated food purchase into a more valuable transaction.

3. Mix-and-Match Meal Component Building: The Next Grocerant Opportunity

The most actionable opportunity may be the space between a traditional restaurant combo and a collection of unrelated grab-and-go products.

The Grocerant Guru® has long emphasized that consumers assemble eating occasions across channels. They may buy an entrée from a convenience store, add a beverage they prefer, select a side based on appetite and budget, and finish with a snack. Retailers that make this process easy can compete for more of the consumer's food dollar.

Acosta's finding that 62% of shoppers favored a sandwich-and-beverage combination offers a starting point. Its finding that 84% of surveyed shoppers had purchased prepared food from a convenience store during the previous three months indicates that the category already has an established customer base.

The challenge is to help those customers build more complete baskets while preserving choice.

Five Mix-and-Match Meal-Building Opportunities

1. The Everyday Lunch

Choose a sandwich or wrap, add fruit or another side, and select a cold beverage.

Marketing objective: Increase side and beverage attachment without forcing an oversized meal.

2. The Hot-Food Meal

Combine chicken, pizza or another hot entrée with a side and a beverage.

Marketing objective: Compete more directly with quick-service restaurant meal deals.

3. The Lighter, Protein-Forward Meal

Offer combinations built around eggs, cheese, yogurt, lean protein, fruit or other suitable options.

Marketing objective: Serve customers seeking alternatives to traditional hot meals.

4. The Breakfast Builder

Let customers pair a breakfast sandwich with coffee, fruit or a bakery item.

Marketing objective: Make breakfast selection fast while encouraging complementary purchases.

5. The Travel and Shareable Occasion

Combine portable entrées, individually packaged snacks and multiple beverages for road trips, work breaks or shared eating occasions.

Marketing objective: Increase the number of products purchased per trip by serving a defined occasion.

The Food Marketing Data Behind the Strategy

The following findings from Acosta Group's 2026 C-Store Occasions study help explain why mix-and-match meal building deserves attention.

·       53% of respondents said better value would make them more likely to buy convenience-store food and beverages. Retailers should make the total meal price clear and demonstrate what the customer receives.

·       47% cited higher-quality food as a reason to buy more. Value messaging should be supported by freshness, product quality and appealing presentation.

·       35% cited more freshly prepared meals and snacks. Retailers should build around dependable core items and expand preparation where demand supports it.

·       62% preferred a sandwich-and-beverage combination among the tested meal pairings. Complementary food and beverage combinations deserve prominent placement.

·       84% had purchased prepared food at a convenience store in the previous three months. Retailers should focus on converting existing prepared-food customers into more frequent and complete-meal buyers.

These figures represent survey responses, not guaranteed sales increases.

Additional industry evidence supports the strategy. Circana reported in 2024 that 86% of U.S. eating occasions were sourced from home over the preceding year, illustrating the importance of the at-home food economy even as consumers continue to purchase food away from home.

For convenience retailers, that broader shift reinforces the importance of competing with grocery stores as well as restaurants. Prepared meals, snacks and beverages can serve consumers looking for something to eat immediately, something to take home or individual components to complement food already available.

Five Practical Ways to Merchandise Mix-and-Match Meals

1. Use Good-Better-Best Pricing.

Offer an entry-level meal, a more substantial option and a premium combination. This provides a clear value ladder without assuming every customer has the same budget.

2. Price the Combination Transparently.

Show the individual prices alongside the bundle price when appropriate. Customers should be able to recognize the value rather than having to calculate it themselves.

3. Make Substitutions Easy.

Allow a customer to exchange a drink, side or entrée within defined price limits. Flexibility can make a bundle relevant to more preferences and appetites.

4. Merchandise by Occasion and Daypart.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner, late-night and travel occasions require different products and messages. Organize the offer around what the customer is trying to accomplish.

5. Measure the Incremental Purchase.

Track beverage attachment, side attachment, average transaction value, gross profit per transaction, waste and repeat purchases. A bundle that increases revenue but erodes margin or creates excess waste may not be a successful program.

One important distinction: Higher basket value is not automatically incremental growth. Operators should measure whether bundles encourage customers to buy an additional item or simply shift an existing purchase into a discounted combination. That distinction determines whether the promotion creates profitable new demand.

4. The Competitive Landscape: Convenience Stores Are Competing for Share of Stomach

Acosta's research makes clear that convenience stores operate in a highly competitive environment. Among surveyed shoppers, 81% purchased food or beverages from fast-food restaurants, 78% from mass merchandisers and 77% from traditional grocery stores.

These figures are not mutually exclusive market shares. They show that the same consumers use several channels, giving convenience retailers opportunities to win occasions currently served elsewhere.

The competitive implications vary by channel:

·       Fast-food restaurants compete through recognizable menus, hot meals, meal bundles and established expectations of service.

·       Grocery stores compete through assortment, fresh foods, family meals and the ability to combine prepared food with household shopping.

·       Mass merchandisers compete through perceived value, broad selection and multiproduct trips.

·       Coffee shops compete through beverage specialization, customization and daypart loyalty.

·       Convenience stores can differentiate themselves through proximity, speed, extended availability and food-and-beverage solutions that require little planning.

The challenge is to translate physical convenience into perceived value. A nearby store does not automatically win if the food is unappealing, the price seems excessive or the shopper cannot identify a complete meal quickly.

This is where the Grocerant perspective becomes particularly relevant. The strongest retailers will not simply ask how to sell more sandwiches, beverages or snacks. They will ask how to satisfy more eating occasions with a coordinated assortment of products.

Three Insights from the Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson

Insight 1: Sell the Occasion, Not Just the Item.

The sandwich, beverage and side are individual products, but the consumer often sees them as one meal. Organize the offer around breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacking and travel, and make it easy to buy the combination that fits the moment.

Insight 2: Value Is the Equilibrium of Price, Quality and Service.

A low price cannot compensate indefinitely for disappointing food. Freshness, reliable execution, portability and a transparent total price all contribute to perceived value. Convenience retailers must deliver the right balance, not simply discount their way into competition.

Insight 3: Mix-and-Match Meal Building Can Create the Next Growth Opportunity.

Consumers do not necessarily want a fixed combination or a traditional restaurant menu. They want to choose the entrée, side and beverage that fit their appetite, schedule and budget. Retailers that make those choices easy—and measure the incremental profit they generate—can compete for more share of stomach.

The Bottom Line

Convenience stores have a substantial foodservice foundation, and the latest Acosta findings point to clear opportunities to build on it. The next phase of growth will depend on delivering more than speed: Shoppers want food that tastes good, looks fresh, feels worth the price and fits the occasion.

For the food sector, that means strengthening prepared meals, improving freshness cues and expanding relevant choices. For the beverage sector, it means treating drinks as both standalone destinations and essential meal components. For merchandising, it means connecting these categories through transparent, flexible mix-and-match combinations.

From the perspective of Steven Johnson, the Grocerant Guru® and founder of Tacoma, Washington-based Foodservice Solutions®, the opportunity is not limited to selling more products inside a convenience store. It is about helping consumers assemble the food and beverage solutions they want—wherever and whenever they want them.

The retailers that make that process easier, more appealing and more valuable will be better positioned to turn convenience into a lasting competitive advantage.

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