About 3:30 a.m. each day, foodservice professionals begin work in Casey’s, preparing to make donuts, followed by pizzas, sandwiches, appetizers, salads and fried chicken for busy customers.

“The teams start early to create an amazing display of pastries to start everyone’s day. Almost all pastries are baked in-store, and we must start early because you can’t bake pizza and pastries at the same temperature,” said Farrokh Larijani, senior manager of culinary innovation, Casey’s.

Most Casey’s kitchens have between 550 and 600 square feet of space. “That makes us think hard about what goes in that small square footage because we have to be as efficient as possible,” he added.

One early morning product is Casey’s popular breakfast pizza, made with Caseyís fresh daily dough, cheddar cheese sauce, bacon, breakfast sausage, ham, green peppers, onions, real whole milk mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. 

“It’s a delicious indulgent slice of breakfast heaven,” said Andrew Kintigh, category manager, prepared foods, pizza and pizza plus, Casey’s. “Our breakfast pizzas have all the flavors you’d see in a delicious omelet.”

Whether paninis or pizza, prepared food remains an important part of the c-store industry, despite the recent challenges of COVID-19. According to NACS 2020 State of the Industry data, prepared food made up 66.6% of all foodservice sales in 2020, compared with 64.8% the year before. The category saw average sales per store fall -7.4% in 2020 compared with 2019.

According to a Lightspeed/Mintel study, 36% of convenience shoppers said that fresh prepared food influenced their loyalty to a specific c-store, and 15% linked prepared food to their overall convenience-store choice.

36% of convenience shoppers said that fresh prepared food contributed to their loyalty to a specific c-store.

Perfect Pizza

Pizza has helped Americans endure the pandemic. According to Datassential, pizza sales skyrocketed in 2020, with traffic up 125% compared to pre-pandemic levels, probably because of its convenience, comfort and customizability.

Casey’s is the nation’s fifth-largest pizza chain. Although Casey’s menu includes a variety of foods, “pizza is the bread-and-butter program of our stores,” said Kintigh. “Casey’s has a proprietary pizza dough recipe that we’ve used for years. Our fresh dough is really incredible.”

Each pie is baked in an oven and from start to finish takes about 10 minutes to make and bake. According to Deloitte, 48% of people surveyed say they’re willing to wait longer to receive a customized product or service over one that is not, a figure that showcases the value of customization.

TurnKey Pie Program

It’s not difficult to launch a made-in-store pizza program, but if you don’t care to start from scratch, call on one of the turnkey pizza programs available to c-stores.

“There is a misconception that a c-store needs a full kitchen to implement a foodservice program,” said Dee Cleveland, director of marketing, Hunt Brothers Pizza, a national pizza program in more than 7,800 locations. “All that’s needed is a three-compartment sink to get started. Our pizza shoppe can fit in a space as little as 59 square feet, and we have a more compact line that is used to outfit existing counter space.”

Hunt Brothers offers two types of pizza crusts: the original self-rising crust and a freshly baked thin crust. Each is pre-topped with sauce and cheese to simplify the program and aid in portion control. The program offers customers all toppings at no extra charge, and Hunt’s “pizza professionals” work with convenience retailers to ensure the right amount of product is ordered to minimize food waste.

“Hunt Brothersí program provides a variety of benefits, including the equipment needed to execute the program and the purchasing power of 7,800 stores,” Cleveland said. “We enable stores to leverage the presence and likeness of a known and trusted brand and with no additional labor required.”

Diverse Diets

Consumers want and need different things from the foods they eat. According to Boston Medical Center, approximately 45 million Americans go on a diet each year. Mintel research found that 35% of carnivores, 61% of flexitarians and 71% of vegetarians and vegans agree that “plant-based foods can provide all the protein a person needs.” And 18 million Americans suffer from gluten sensitivity.

Wawa, famous for its hoagie sandwiches, is aware of this, and in February, the Pennsylvania-based chain announced Wawa Your Way, a new menu designed to meet different dietary requirements.

The Balanced Fare menu offers items such as an egg white omelet sandwich on marble rye bread, turkey bacon ranch salad or chicken steak on wheat Shorti. The Gluten Conscious menu includes a scrambled egg breakfast bowl, Southwest chicken salad and quinoa. Customers monitoring their salt intake can order from the Lower Sodium menu, featuring cinnamon brown sugar oatmeal, chicken salad garden salad, junior beef steak hoagie, tuna wrap and yogurt parfaits.

The meatless menu includes vegan items, such as a roasted vegetable breakfast bowl or a seasoned black bean and rice bowl and hot soups, while the Power menu—high in protein and low in carbs—offers an egg omelet breakfast bowl with turkey sausage or an Italian antipasto salad. A selection of lower sugar drinks includes coffee and specialty beverages, such as an iced latte with almond milk. Thanks to more than 1,000 fresh ingredients in Wawa kitchens, customers can use touchscreen ordering to customize their meals at 900 stores. (To see all the new better-for-you offerings, view Wawa’s YouTube channel.)

“At Wawa, we always listen and strive to accommodate the everchanging needs of our customers, and now we have curated Wawa Your Way menus to help you eat the way that makes you feel your best,” said Mike Sherlock, chief marketing product officer, Wawa.

New Category Definitions Released!

NACS Category Definitions & Number Guide Version 8.0 was released in early 2021. Developed by the NACS Research & Technology Committee, this new version reflects significant updates to the last broad iteration (version 7.0 released in 2010). To view the latest updates, visit www.convenience.org/categorydefinitions.

Post-Pandemic

As more people are vaccinated and businesses re-open, consumer behaviors and needs will determine much of what foodservice operators do next.

“Consumers are starting to be out and about, driving and traveling. To whatever extent c-stores are seeing an increase in traffic, they may want to stick to the basics right now because people have missed that,” said Mark DiDomenico, director of customer success for research organization Datassential.

But he added that it’s not too early for convenience operators to think about the future and new opportunities in the kitchen.

“Consider new, interesting [foodservice] items. I’m talking about ethnic foods and fusion-type items, like Korean barbecue tacos,” DiDomenico said. “Think ahead to things that could spark interest and create excitement. Until then, the basics still hold. Food must travel well, be grab and go and be filling and tasty. And convenience stores have always done a good job at that.”

The Power of CSX Data

CSX, the engine behind category metrics and NACS State of the Industry data, provides current and customizable tools for financial and operational reporting and analysis in the convenience industry. Retailers can measure their company by any of the myriad metrics generated via our live database. Contact Chris Rapanick at (703) 518–4253 or [email protected] for a complimentary executive walkthough.