Jason Lord entered the convenience industry by a “happy accident.” He spent decades working in high-end restaurants in Boston and a farm-to-table catering company before the pandemic changed his career path. That’s when he joined Alltown Fresh, a fresh food convenience concept from Global Partners, as the corporate chef. He calls it “one of the best jobs in the world.”
“The convenience store food space is really new, so it’s such a fun space to be in. And the hospitality aspect in c-stores is much different than working in a restaurant kitchen. … We’re kind of like the Disney World of quick serve,” he said.
Jason spoke with NACS about:
Why he loves working in the convenience industry
One of the most fun things about being at Alltown Fresh is just blowing people’s minds when they come into the store. We have guests who get gas and have never been inside, and then when they do, they’re like, ‘Wow, what’s going on in here?’ They’re blown away to see an open kitchen with cooks in chef coats making fresh food.
I am really proud to be part of the industry’s foodservice growth and the focus on nutrition and better food at convenience stores. Many brands across the industry are pushing each other to be better, learning from each other and trying to raise that bar for cleaner ingredients, better ingredients and having a healthier spot to eat. I’m proud of the industry as a whole and that I get to be a part of it.
What he finds fulfilling about his job
In this industry, you build up regulars a lot easier, and you also have a much wider reach of people whom you’re influencing with your food. Similarly, I also love having reach with training team members. We have 16 Alltown Fresh locations, and let’s say each has an average of about 10 people in the kitchen. I get to influence that many people’s behaviors. Not just food safety and so forth, but I’m really big on hospitality. I love teaching them hospitality, seeing them understand it, seeing them practice it and then smiling when they know they’re getting that interaction back from a guest. We’re changing the world day by day with that.
One of his favorite moments at work
There are so many, but there was one in particular when we were making a sandwich for a woman with a child who was maybe around five or six years old, and there was something on the sandwich that the child didn’t like. The mom was talking to her daughter and said, ‘It’s okay, we’ll just take it off,’ but the kid was about to have a meltdown. I just said, ‘Why don’t I remake this for you.’ She was absolutely blown away that we would just make her a new sandwich. Now that’s a guest who’s going to come back all the time.
His favorite Alltown Fresh menu item
Our breakfast sandwiches are out of control.