This interview is brought to you by International Food Solutions.

Foodservice is an ever-growing category in c-stores—and is increasingly important. Do you have any advice for retailers who are looking to expand their sales during the dinner daypart?

First, figure out a way that works in your community and your organization. There’s no cookie-cutter plan that’s going to work in every location or every company. 

Second, the company has to put together a plan and marketing strategy that helps drive the business. Retailers need to educate their customers to make sure they know that dinner is available. One idea would be to use a loyalty app to send out texts or emails with messages like, “Hey, what’s for dinner tonight? We’ve got a great idea: tangerine chicken and fried rice for the family.” 

What are today’s consumers looking for from their meals?

People’s palates are changing, so what we ate 10, 15, 30 years ago is not what consumers are looking for today. What they are looking for is high-quality global foods that make them go “wow.” They want food that is going to spark their taste buds. 

You mentioned global foods. Why should retailers offer international foods and flavors as part of their foodservice programs?

I think the number one reason is that customers are demanding it. According to the 2024 NACS Convenience Voices survey, 37.9% of consumers wanted food that the convenience store did not offer. And the national foodservice leakage rate in 2024 was 28.7%, which means nearly 30% of shoppers who left a convenience store planned to purchase quick-service food within 30 minutes. Of those shoppers, 18.0% said they planned to go to a Mexican fast food chain and 10.4% said they were going to an Asian fast food chain. 

If the convenience store doesn’t have that international offering, the consumers are going to go places that do have them. Offering international options can be a great way to get customers inside the store from the forecourt—and buying items with a higher margin. 

From your perspective, what are the current trends in international meals and global flavors?

Overall, the No. 1 and No. 2 categories for growth are Asian and Latin, and so any flavors from those two regions are immensely popular. Indian food is also gaining popularity across the United States, especially along the East and West Coasts—it’s in what I would call the infancy stage of a flavor trend. 

For us, our top seller in the country is our tangerine chicken, especially when paired with fried rice. Other items that we have that are also growing in popularity are chicken tinga and mole chicken, which operators can incorporate into their own menu. For example, I know of one that is making a chicken tinga breakfast sandwich. 

What should retailers consider when creating the best menu for their stores? Do you have any advice for operators looking to incorporate these dishes into their existing menus?

First, think about what dishes you order when you go out to an Asian, Latin or Indian restaurant. Don’t be afraid to ask your customers the same question. 

Then, decide how to roll out the offering. Is it an offer once a month, once a week or an everyday menu item? Many of our customers have started the offer as a once-a-week special and it has evolved into an everyday menu offering.

Retailers also have to understand their customers. Maybe they’re close to a factory that runs three shifts, and at 10 p.m., they get hit by people that are coming in to work that graveyard shift and the retailer needs to have grab-and-go meals for people that they can take and reheat. Our product works well for that.

What are some of International Food Solutions’ top priorities over the next couple of years?

We want to help convenience retailers break into global food flavors and become leaders of flavor trends in their communities. We’re always projecting. Our owners recently came back from a trip overseas. They spent two weeks looking at flavor trends, what’s going on over in Bangkok and Vietnam and some other areas.

There are always things on the horizon for our company. We have one unique item, yucca steak fries, that can be baked or deep fried and are a really hearty fry. And with dipping sauces or a cheese sauce, it’s a great product to have for dashboard dining. 

What are some of the most popular items from International Food Solutions?

I’ve mentioned our tangerine chicken and fried rice. That’s by far and away our No. 1 and No. 2 meals. My favorite is our Japanese cherry blossom chicken—it’s a play on sweet and sour and it’s a real bold flavor. 

Our mole chicken is a great product that does well, especially since it’s so versatile for retailers. Another meal that does really well is our tikka chicken masala with our naan bread. It has such a great flavor, and it’s so bold, and it’s very much on trend and growing right now.