Hungry Consumers Migrating to C-Store Fresh Food

By-By restaurants, hello C-stores in 2019.  Consumers are choosing to get meals, meal components, snacks at C-store as chain restaurants price increases rise and customer counts continue to decline according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®. 

A new report from GasBuddy revealed “More Americans Moving Beyond the Pumps and Into the Stores Americans are spending more time at gas stations, venturing into the convenience store and purchasing items including fresh food, beverages”

The report continued finding “More than half (55%) of consumer visits to fuel and convenience retailers lasted for longer than five minutes during Q1. This exceeds the average two to three minutes it takes to refuel a vehicle and reflects the industry’s emphasis on quality in-store offers”

Most important Gas Buddy found “that 60% of consumers purchase food and beverages at convenience stores.”   So where are they shopping?  Let’s see what the report found:

1.       Costco Claims the Top Spot captured the most foot traffic per station of any brand in any segment—more than four-and-a-half times the industry average.

2.       Ohio-based Speedway,

3.       Kentucky-based Thorntons,

4.       Texas-based Buc-ee’s

Foot traffic is a clear indication that consumers like your stores and sales are growing according to Johnson.  All of these stores offer grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food most of which is hand-held food for immediate consumption according to Johnson.  Wonder why your customer counts are falling?  We don’t we know.  C-store ability to focus on grocerant mix and match meal bundled options are the differentiator according to Johnson.

For international corporate presentations, educational forums, or keynotes contact: Steven Johnson Grocerant Guru at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions.  His extensive experience as a multi-unit restaurant operator, consultant, brand / product positioning expert and public speaking will leave success clues for all. For more information visit www.GrocerantGuru.com , www.FoodserviceSolutions.us or call 1-253-759-7869

Thorntons Takes Foodservice Offering on the Road

One after another Convenience stores are taking a page out of the restaurant marketer’s tool kit.  This time it is Thorntons who is thinking outside the four walls of the store to build the brand and bringing its food menu to its customers.

In our Omni-channel retail world where strategic relationships edify the brand building process allowing brick and mortar retailers to evolve faster Thorntons  has teamed up with Johnson Sausage LLC to hit the road with its Bourbon Kitchen food truck during the Kentucky Derby horseracing season, according to the Louisville Business Journal. 

The branded mobile marketing truck will serve “Thorntons' Bourbon Ball Donuts and Thorntons' Bourbon Vanilla Latte — menu items the retailer brought back on a limited-time basis earlier this month. The truck will also offer Johnsonville's Bourbon BBQ Sausage.”

Tagged “The Bourbon Kitchen on wheels” will travel “around Louisville over the next few weeks leading up to the Kentucky Derby on May 6 at Churchill Downs. Customers can find the truck at the Kentucky Derby Festival's Great Balloon Glow on April 28 at the Kentucky Expo Center and the Pig & Swig barbecue event at Fourth Street Live on April 29.”

Foodservice Solutions® specializes in outsourced business development. We can help you identify, quantify and qualify additional food retail segment opportunities or a new menu product segment and brand and menu integration strategy.  Foodservice Solutions® of Tacoma WA is the global leader in the Grocerant niche visit Facebook.com/Steven Johnson, Linkedin.com/in/grocerant/ or twitter.com/grocerant