Four years ago, Jiffy Trip’s management realized that to stay relevant in today’s competitive marketplace, they needed to take a hard look at every aspect of their operation. “We started going around the country to tour stores from Florida to Pennsylvania, the Midwest and Texas, to discover what the best in class were doing,” said Alex Williams, chief operating officer of the 28-unit chain.

That 18-month journey took Jiffy Trip in a new direction, both inside the company culture and outside in its stores. “What we discovered was that a shift is taking place, as those convenience stores that are on the cutting edge are not merely gas stations—they are one-stop shops with restaurants that happen to also sell fuel,” he said.

A Fresh Focus

During that time, Jiffy Trip management discovered two key takeaways that they incorporated into a new concept. So far, the company has opened two new locations based on those takeaways. “No. 1 was that people want fresh, prepared food,” Williams said. “The pre-packaged trend seems to be going away in favor of fresh, prepared food made-to-order.”

To meet that need, the company created its own proprietary foodservice brand called JT’s Made to Order, which operates like an in-store restaurant. Customers also can order fresh salads, subs, burgers and pizza from a kiosk or drive-thru window.

The other focal point was beverages. “Drinks drive visits,” Williams said. Jiffy Trip expanded the cold vault, put in a large beer cave, added an extensive craft beer and wine section, and increased the offerings on the hot and cold fountain area. “We cater to families and kids, especially in our fountain and frozen beverages selections, because we understand that kids drive visits,” he said.

We cater to families and kids because we understand that kids drive visits.

These two adjustments impacted the store design as well. In addition to indoor seating near the foodservice, the new stores have smaller centers and larger perimeters. “While the square footage is bigger, our shelf section actually shrunk,” he said. For example, the space has larger refrigerated open air coolers along the edges of the store.

Another modification has been to ensure customers can get in and out as quickly as they can. For example, a customer can order and pay for a burger via a touchscreen kiosk. A self-checkout option near the door allows guests to bypass a cashier. The drive-thru gives customers another choice for ordering food, as well as any other item in the store. “We really wanted to give customers as many options to shop and pay as we could,” Williams said.

A Fresh Culture

The new focus affected more than just what new Jiffy Trip stores would look like—it overhauled the company culture. “If you’re building a convenience store right now, either without a fresh food program or an expanded beverage offering, you can’t differentiate yourself from the competition,” Williams said. “It used to be our competition was other c-stores, but now it’s with QSRs, Walmart and dollar stores.”

The company also adjusted its pricing to stay competitive with dollar stores and curated its alcohol section “so customers didn’t need to go to the liquor store to get a great bottle of wine,” he said. “We want to be a one-stop shop that’s always there for whatever our customers need.”

Beyond slaking the thirst and filling the hungry bellies of customers, Jiffy Trip pays attention to other needs, such as having family restrooms with a child-size toilet and keeping all restrooms very clean. “We want to exceed our customers’ expectations when they walk in and when they leave,” Williams said. “We want them to leave thinking this is nothing like anything they’ve experienced before in a convenience store.”

Jiffy Trip wants to expand its new ideas beyond two stores. This month, the company started building its 29^th store, with a goal of growing to 50 locations by 2025. “We’re a company that’s growing, embracing technology and innovation, and we’re willing to adapt to be successful,” Williams said.