Imagine having a great career in sales with a positive trajectory. Life on the road makes you a regular c-store customer. Then, one day, one of your customers says you’re the perfect person to build a c-store chain from the ground up. That’s what happened to James Ricker.

Ricker is the chief operating officer of Buchiki’s, a growing c-store chain in Houma, Louisiana. After of years being on the road, Ricker knew what he liked in a gas station. “I recognized that it was a unique opportunity … I could fully implement my ideas and creativity in a fast paced and exciting industry,” he said. “I wanted to build stores that would be out of the box.”

The Learning Curve

Ricker began to immerse himself in the c-store world as construction began on the first Buchiki’s branded location in November 2018. “We did our leg work, but there’s not a lot of people building c-stores in the area, especially unbranded stations,” Ricker said. He turned to NACS to fill in the gaps. “Our team attended the NACS Show in Vegas, and I listened to NACS podcasts for the last year and half,” he said. “I also listened to a very informative podcast by Shabbir Hossain called ‘Gas Station Business 101’ which was extremely helpful in learning the ins and outs of the business.”

The one thing Ricker knew he wanted was a purple roof. People in Louisiana are passionate about the LSU Tigers and the team colors, purple and gold. “I view the purple roof as our golden arches,” he said. The store’s interior has an eclectic vibe, with a high ceiling, touches of neon green and sea blue and exposed wood and brick. And the tiled restrooms with granite counters are more akin to what you’d see in a home than in a gas station. “We placed emphasis on the restrooms. If you’re selling food, people will judge the front end by the back end,” Ricker said.

After of year of construction, the 3,800-square-foot Buchiki’s opened its doors.

Roll With It

Now that Ricker had a building like no other in the market, he needed food that would draw customers in and keep them coming back. “We looked at successful chains in the area to see what worked for them. They saw the benefit of coming up with unique menu items. I knew we had to have something that was uniquely ours,” said Ricker. The answer came from CBS Sunday Morning.

“They did a segment on how West Virginia is known for pepperoni rolls,” Ricker said, which made him think of his grandmother’s homemade bread recipe. So, Ricker’s aunt baked grandma’s bread and filled it with pepperoni; it’s a bit like pizza topping without marinara sauce. “I can’t keep up with the demand. We moved to boudin rolls, and now they are the No. 1 seller. We also do Philly cheesesteak rolls. I have a sweet potato roll, and the latest thing is a King Cake Roll,” he said.

Our core product had to be something customers could eat easily with their hands.

The fresh-made rolls are tasty and convenient to eat. Ricker’s years on the road showed him that easy to eat food simply made traveling less complicated. “Our core product had to be something customers could eat easily with their hands,” he said.

Plate Lunches, Good Coffee

Ricker’s aunt is now running the kitchen, and each day features a different plate lunch. No surprise that in Cajun Country, chicken and sausage gumbo is the most popular plate lunch, followed by King Ranch Chicken. Red beans and rice and garlic pork chops also are on the menu.

Buchiki’s makes only 100 plate lunches a day. “I wanted an affordable plate lunch for the same amount of money you’d spend at Chick-fil-A. There’s value in limits, so we allocate 100 a day,” he explained. The plan is to see how sales go and increase the number of lunches in the near future as demand rises.

For coffee lovers, Buchiki’s introduced bean-to-cup coffee, and he’s proud of the results. “We also introduced a vegan bean-to-cup coffee program by Laird Superfood, which produces an excellent cup of coffee.”

In addition to foodservice, the c-store has an extensive selection of wine and liquor showcased in trimmed out wooden shelves reminiscent of a high-end wine shop.

Escape the Road

The c-store’s slogan is “Escape the Road.” Explained Ricker, “We want to offer customers a 3-5 minute respite from their busy lives. Whether they need a clean restroom facility, competitively priced gasoline, a fresh cup of coffee, great food options or simply just someone to talk with. We’re here to make their day better,” he explained.

Buchiki’s team works hard to set the c-store apart from other stores in the area by assisting senior citizens with pumping gas and providing reserved parking for military veterans and the widows of veterans, Ricker said. “We engage with every single customer. Most importantly, I thank them for their business. As beautiful as this facility is, if no one walks through the door it means nothing,” he said.

A third store is in the works, and Ricker hopes to one day have 40 stations in Louisiana. “We want to be a regional player in our neck of the woods,” Ricker said. “We’re going to raise the bar on how people view c-stores.”