Fueling Flavor, Loyalty & Lifestyle: How C-Stores Are Becoming America’s New Grocerant Destination

 

As the Grocerant Guru®, I’ve long championed the evolution of convenience retailing into a dynamic grocerant experience—where fresh food, frictionless tech, and brand relevance converge. The latest 2025 Convenience Store Trends Report from Intouch Insight confirms what we’ve been tracking for years: the grocerant niche is not just growing—it’s redefining the retail landscape.

Intouch Insight’s data-driven analysis reveals six key trends shaping the future of convenience stores. Let’s explore how each aligns with long-standing grocerant growth patterns and consumer brand migration behaviors.

 

1. Made-to-Order (MTO) Goes Mainstream

Intouch Insight Data:

·       85% of U.S. shoppers have tried MTO food at a convenience store

·       Hot-meal purchases rose from 29% in 2024 to 35% in 2025

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Customization is King: Grocerants thrive on personalization. MTO offerings mirror the grocerant model of fresh, fast, and flexible dining, meeting consumers’ desire for control over their meals.

·       Meal Migration: Consumers are shifting from traditional grocery aisles to prepared food zones. MTO meals accelerate this migration by offering restaurant-quality options without the wait.

 

2. Value Parity with QSRs

Intouch Insight Data:

·       72% now view c-stores as viable QSR alternatives, up from 56%

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Price-Perception Pivot: Grocerants have always competed on value. As c-stores match QSR pricing, they reinforce their role as affordable meal destinations.

·       Share-of-Stomach Strategy: Grocerants aim to capture more meal occasions. Value parity ensures they’re not just a snack stop but a full-fledged dining option.

 

3. Loyalty as an Engine

Intouch Insight Data:

·       72% of shoppers are in loyalty programs; 85% would join if rewards were personalized

·       Yet 65% of cashiers failed to mention loyalty

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Digital Dining Journeys: Grocerants increasingly rely on apps and digital touchpoints. Loyalty programs deepen engagement and drive repeat visits.

·       Personalization Power: Grocerants succeed when they treat every customer like a regular. Personalized rewards mimic the neighborhood diner experience—digitally.

 

4. Retail Media Turns Screens into Salespeople

Intouch Insight Data:

·       47% noticed digital ads on-site (up from 27%)

·       Over one-third made a purchase because of them

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Visual Merchandising Evolution: Grocerants have long used visual cues to drive impulse buys. Digital screens amplify that strategy with dynamic, targeted content.

·       Brand Storytelling: Retail media allows grocerants to showcase local partnerships, seasonal specials, and chef-inspired items—building brand identity in real time.

 

5. EV Charging Drives Incremental Visits

Intouch Insight Data:

·       20% choose stores for EV chargers; 45% of millennials over-index

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Dwell Time = Dining Time: Grocerants benefit from longer visits. EV charging creates a captive audience primed for food, drink, and discovery.

·       Lifestyle Integration: Grocerants are lifestyle hubs. Offering EV charging aligns with sustainability values and positions c-stores as forward-thinking destinations.

 

6. Clean Stores, Trusted Food

Intouch Insight Data:

·       70% say cleanliness influences food freshness perception

Grocerant Alignment:

·       Freshness First: Grocerants win when they look and feel clean. Cleanliness is a proxy for quality—and a non-negotiable in foodservice.

·       Trust Building: Consistent cleanliness builds brand trust, encouraging trial and repeat visits—especially for fresh-prepared items.

 

Grocerant Guru’s Three Steps to the Future (Beyond the Report)

1.       Hyperlocal Menu Innovation:
C-stores must embrace regional flavors and seasonal ingredients to differentiate and deepen community ties.

2.       Seamless Cross-Platform Ordering:
Integrating mobile, voice, and in-store ordering systems will create frictionless experiences that mirror top-tier grocerants.

3.       Experiential Zones:
Adding seating, music, and interactive food demos transforms c-stores into social spaces—where people come to linger, not just refuel.

 

Convenience retailing is no longer about speed alone—it’s about satisfaction, personalization, and lifestyle alignment. Thanks to Intouch Insight’s robust data, we see clearly how the grocerant niche is driving this transformation. The future belongs to those who blend food, tech, and trust into every visit.

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Don’t Drive by Wawa Now Drive-Thru

 

At one time Wawa self-described itself as a ‘fast-casual’ restaurant. That may have well be true if you were to look at average ticket size, menu mix, and customer base.  However according to Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® whether you call it a convenience store, fast casual restaurant or a fresh food fast grocerant one thing’s is true top-line sales growth and bottom-line profits that continue to propel Wawa’s success is driving change at the customer focused brand.  

Wawa Inc. is again expanding its drive-thru store format to Florida with the opening of a new location in Largo. That city recently issued a development order authorizing the redevelopment of the property at 2530 East Bay Drive. In a odd twist of fate site previously housed a Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant (Early Grocerant retailer that somehow lost is its footing within the niche).

This new Drive-thru Wawa will be, 2,036-square-foot convenience store will be constructed following the demolition of the existing, vacant building, according to the development order.

In case you did not know or are not a regular reader of this blog, Wawa's first standalone drive-thru store opened its doors more than two years ago in Morrisville, Pa. The concept offers drive-thru service and curbside pickup only, and can serve 12 cars at a time from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. It was designed to offer extra convenience and focuses on fresh food while retaining key Wawa design elements such as its trademarked canopy, according to the company.

The fresh food fast expansion of Wawa's drive-thru store format comes as the convenience store retailer also expands to new markets. In recent months, Wawa broke ground on its first stores in Alabama and North Carolina. Additionally, earlier this year Wawa announced plans for its first stores in Ohio and Indiana, and shared plans to grow its network in the Southeast as part of the company's efforts to its double footprint within the next decade.

The official opening date for Largo's drive-thru Wawa will be announced at a future date. The store is expected to cater to both busy commuters and customers who want a convenient foodservice experience while on the go. Drive-thru’s are not a new ideation they are however where more meals are served daily than any other single format.

Don’t over reach. Are you ready for some fresh ideations? Do your food marketing ideations look more like yesterday than tomorrow? Interested in learning how Foodservice Solutions® 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 us on our social media sites by clicking the following links: Facebook,  LinkedIn, or Twitter

Foodservice Drives Wawa’s Winning Ways

 

Success does leave clues and Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® believes, “one company has picked up more clues than any ‘right’ clues than any other and the numbers prove it out.  That company Johnson says is convenience store / restaurant Wawa.”

Currenlty operating in only seven states, Wawa is the East Coast chain many local consumers think of when they are looking for fresh fast food with flavor.  Even though the company has been on the top of the convenience store food chain for a while, with gourmet publications Food & Wine and Saveur extolling the chain’s culinary offerings, the past few years have seen its popularity soaring.   

How much so, when Wawa is one of 10 brands with a winning strategy for 2023, according to Placer.ai, which tracks retail foot traffic and provides location analytics.

Although inflation, rising gas prices and the threat of recession made 2022 a tumultuous year for retail, the changing economic and consumer landscapes are also creating new opportunities for businesses.

Now according to the new white paper "10 Top Retail Brands to Watch in 2023," which draws on layers of geospatial, psychographic and foot traffic data, Wawa is the "c-store darling of dining" as the channel itself appears to be taking market share from quick-service restaurant locations.

Not only has Wawa's foodservice program been praised by gourmet publications like Food & Wine and Saveur in recent years, the convenience store chain's popularity with customers is also soaring. Overall foot traffic to Wawa is on the rise, with average visits per store growing across all seven states in the retailer's footprint, Placer.ai pointed out.

Check out these numbers! The largest increases in average visits per store from July to November 2022, compared to the same time period in 2019, occurred at Wawa stores in New Jersey (up 48 percent), Delaware (up 42.2 percent) and Washington, D.C. (up 50.1 percent). The remaining states in Wawa's operating area all saw average visit per store grow between 34.3 percent and 41.2 percent.

This growth may be a contributing factor in Wawa's growth plans, which include entrances into multiple new states and the opening of new stores in areas adjacent to existing markets.

Wawa is also a brand to watch based on its loyal customer base, which includes "Wawaholics." Some Wawa fans have gone as far as to get married at the Wawa where they met or to get an arm tattoo of the Wawa goose from its logo, according to Placer.ai.

Similar to foot traffic, Wawa loyalty is on the rise compared to 2019. Between July and November 2022, the share of loyal customers (those who return to a Wawa store more than twice in a given time period) increased by 4.5 percent vs. the same time period three years ago.

Do you want a Larger Share of Stomach?

Mix and Match Meal 

Bundling Drives Top-Line Sales

and Bottom-Line Profits 

This juxtaposition of strong loyalty, expansion plans and food that is celebrated by both foodies and regular joes can help position the Wawa brand for success into the new year, according to the report.

Wawa operates nearly 1,000 c-stores with sales now averaging $5,000,000 per store according to recent reports. Are your customer counts year over year growing.  Is your fresh food garnering rave reviews?  Are you selling fresh food fast?

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information. 

Wawa Keeps Brewing Up Success

 

Success does leave clues and Wawa has picked-up a lot of them and shared many of them. The team at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions® and our Grocerant Guru® Steven Johnson believes Wawa is one of if not the best run C-store chain in the U.S. at driving new electricity into it brands and customer base.

So, now Wawa is toasting the grand opening of its newest beer store with the release of Shore Tea, its latest collaboration in partnership with Cape May Brewing Co. Ok, what is Shore Tea?

Here you go, Shore Tea is made with Wawa's signature Peach Iced Tea and Cape May's iconic adult libations, Shore Tea is a hard tea beverage that is "lip-smackingly refreshing with just the right amount of sweet kick," according to the convenience store retailer.

All the ingredients are naturally gluten free and the beverage has 4.5 percent ABV and contains no peach juice.

Wawa Senior Manager of Concept Development Michael McLaughlin, stated, "We're excited to stretch our wings and fly south to the New Jersey Shore to partner with Cape May Brewing Co. to produce our first-ever hard tea with a customer favorite: Wawa's Peach Iced Tea,"… "Wawa's Peach Iced Tea captures the aroma and flavors of biting into a freshly picked peach at the height of ripeness, and pairs it perfectly with the warm carmelic tones of our Signature Black Iced Tea. Fragrant, juicy and sweet with just the right amount of acidity and a sweet tea finish."

Garnering A Larger Share of Stomach

Wawa Continues to Drive Success

As part of the celebration, Wawa and Cape May Brewing Co. will have a "tea-shirt" giveaway for the first 100 guests while supplies last. Customers will also have the chance to meet the brewers, including McLaughlin and James Fox, director of brewing operations for Cape May Brewing Co.

Fox stated, "We approached the process of making this tea similar to how we make our seltzers. We kept it simple, just like if you were going to make tea at home. Fortunately, we were able to use the same ingredients that Wawa uses in their peach tea," … "After the alcohol was added, we had several benchtop trials to dial in the ratios and flavors. We are really happy with how this turned out; it's easy to forget that it's hard tea."

Limited quantities of Shore Tea are available in six-packs containing 12-ounce cans for $12.99. The brew will be sold exclusively at the following Wawa beer stores starting July 21:

A launch party for Shore Tea was held on July 23 at the Cape May Brewing Co. Tasting Room. The event will include live music, a Wawa and Cape May Brewing Co. "tea-shirt" giveaway, and Wawa pretzels and Wawa Peach Iced Tea non-alcoholic pint giveaways, while supplies last.

Note: Shore Tea will be available at select retailers starting July 25.

Ryan Krill, CEO and co-founder of Cape May Brewing Co, stated, "We were excited when Wawa reached out to us with the possibility of collaborating. We're huge fans, and many of our crew members make Wawa a regular part of their routines," said "We're thrilled that we have the opportunity to continue to expand into the hard beverage space with an incredible partner to bring fans a product that they'll love."

Customers and fans can also enter a social media sweepstakes for a chance to win a VIP brewery tour of Cape May Brewing Co. Two winners, for up to four guests, will receive Wawa swag and access to Cape May Brewing Co.'s production facility, which features a newly redesigned canning line and automated tray former, expanded cellar, and more. The tour is guided by one of the brewers who will give an extensive overview into the entire brewing process, from milling and raw materials to crafting beer, centrifuging, canning and kegging, and testing finished product in the lab.

How is your brand driving new electricity?  According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, smaller footprint, developing brands, fresh flowers, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable according to Johnson.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information.