Taking steps to promote innovative products and value pricing can elevate the whole roller grill experience. By Heather Henstock, Contributing Editor. When consumers think of convenience store food, roller grill hot dogs are top of mind. Roller grills have developed a mixed reputation over the years, but they remain a staple of c-store foodservice programs…
QuikTrip Adds Blackhawk Gift Card Mall
“Our partnership with Blackhawk Network will provide consumers with a quick and easy solution for all their gifting and telecom needs,” says QuikTrip spokesperson. QuikTrip Corp. has partnered with Blackhawk Network, a provider of prepaid and financial payments products for consumers and businesses, offering its award-winning Gift Card Mall in over 500 QuikTrip locations nationwide.…
Investing in a Foodservice Future
It’s time for all convenience store owners to recognize the overall value of a good deli program. By Jim Callahan. While a solid deli program is part of the convenience store industry’s present, it is destined to play an even larger and more critical part of our future. Whether you are a small chain or…
Building Better Beer Sales
While many trends impact the beer category, the one that will most directly influence how marketers do business is the continued demand for more choices by the consumer. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. It’s been two years since Walgreens jumped back into the beer and wine business, and at least three convenience store operators in…
Is Big Oil Losing its Drawing Power?
For many, many years the power of the Big Oil brands was indisputable. They owned the refineries, the stations and the credit card networks to boot. While my father was an Exxon dealer and jobber for more than 30 years I distinctly remember seeing Shell and Texaco credit cards lying around the house. In those…
Facebook Marketing for Convenience Stores
Convenience store chains, like most retailers, pay close attention to transaction counts and sales per customer. Until recently, getting to know your customers as individuals might have seemed costly and out of reach for all but the largest of companies. Having the opportunity to communicate with your customers and getting to know their friends and…
Foodservice Equipment Opens Doors for C-Stores
More and more operators are embracing bakery production and merchandising challenges to create fresh-baked opportunities. By Heather Henstock, Contributing Editor. With tobacco sales in decline and gasoline prices volatile, convenience stores are looking to other categories to draw more customers and improve profitability. Foodservice in its varied forms—from simply hot coffee and frozen beverages to…
XYIENCE Launches Summer Sweepstakes
QuikTrip and independent retailers join XYIENCE in text message-based summer promotion. XYIENCE, maker of Xenergy, the official energy drink of the UFC, is teaming up with its retailers to launch a series of text message-based summer sweepstakes, including one with QuikTrip (QT) Convenience Stores and a second with hundreds of independent convenience stores throughout the…
Roller Grills Grow Up
Thanks to a surge of new products focused on ethnic diversity, the roller grill—the original anchor for most convenience store hot food programs—is hotter than ever before. And the one thing c-store operators like and appreciate most about roller grills is that you hardly notice they’re there. Grills don’t take up much room and can…
Looking Good in the Neighborhood
A clean, consistent, upscale image and outstanding service isn’t enough to distinguish your brand anymore—it’s the bare minimum to stay competitive. By Jim Callahan. It’s February and I’m not quite sure about the official name for this dismal season, but this much is certain: I prefer the dog days of summer. This winter has seen…