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The Evolution of Foodservice in Convenience Retail

August 25, 2025

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The Evolution of Foodservice in Convenience Retail

“You may fuel your car once a week or once every period, but you fuel your body probably 3 or 4 times a day.”

Frank Gleeson, Board Advisor, Insight Research 

Foodservice in c-stores is a global thing. It has once again evolved – first it was a ‘nice to have’, then it was a ‘growing trend’, and now it's officially become an expected part of every c-store.

Why wouldn’t it? According to data from PDI, 38% of US shoppers visit a c-store twice a week or more. That’s a higher percentage than the amount of people who get fast food more than once a week!

So, what are the experts saying about this evolution, and what should retailers know to stay competitive? Let’s take a look!

 

We asked the experts in the foodservice space ‘what sets the best apart?’ Their answer: your people, your customers, and your operations.“When you build a culture and people buy in, you can overcome anything.”

Jason Lord, Corporate Chef, Alltown Fresh  

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that your store’s staff are an essential component to making your foodservice operation work. The trick though is ensuring that they are operating at the highest level, and that starts with you.

You want to give them a good spot to work in. You want to praise them when they are doing well, and coach them when they aren’t. Taking care of your people leads to better results, and it helps with retaining them as well.

“When you make somebody feel special - if you spend 60 seconds with them, help them with their coffee, talk about the sandwich they had - you make a connection, and they’ll want to come back.” Jason Lord, Corporate Chef, Alltown Fresh

You need customers for your foodservice to be successful, but it doesn’t just end at providing them with good food (though that is extremely important).

Customers want a good experience – they want that friendly neighborhood c-store experience. It’s the same one you want when you stop into one. If you’re not providing them with that, they’re not going to want to come back and be that loyal foodservice customer you want them to be.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to show your foodservice.” Chris Hartman, Vice President of Fuels, Advertising and Development, Rutter’s

Your foodservice should be something you’re proud of, and that should be easily recognizable by your customers. Think about the “top" c-stores for foodservice, their kitchen is open, their chefs are in plain sight. Their customers recognize that.

Good operations also includes consistency, across all your stores. It helps to ensure things are running efficiently, and it also provides your customers with a recognizable experience.

“Take it on bite-by-bite, you don’t have to take it all on in one go.”  Frank Gleeson, Board Advisor, Insight Research

How You Grow as Foodservice Grows

Whether you have an existing foodservice offering that you’re looking to expand, or you don’t have a foodservice offering and you’re looking to add one – start where you can and then layer on things that you can do well.

It’s a marathon, not a sprint. But a marathon still requires you to move forward.

“If you’re not trying to get better, you’re going to fall behind.”

Chris Hartman, Vice President of Fuels, Advertising and Development, Rutter’s


The c-stores with successful foodservice offerings are constantly looking for ways to improve, and that often includes seeing what your competitors are doing. You should never be afraid to look around, because you never know where inspiration might come from.

View it as something to help you get better or as something to provide your customers with what they need.

Here are Frank Gleeson’s top five takeaways for retailers:

  • Foodservice in c-stores is on every single continent, it’s growing rapidly, and retailers are investing heavily in it.
  • People and operations are the foundations of success.
  • The best retailers have about 50% of their gross income coming from foodservice.
  • Think about incorporating multiple dayparts into your offering.
  • Technology has to be at the heart of what you do, and the ROI is definitely there.

And one final piece of wisdom from Chris Hartman: If you go in and your bathrooms are clean; people are going to trust your foodservice more.

 

The information from this blog was first presented at RTC25. See you at RTC26 in Tucson, AZ, get your tickets here.