KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- QuikTrip Corp. plans to build at least three of its next-generation stores in the Kansas City market by the end of 2012, according to a report by The Kansas City Business Journal.
The stores will be about 20% larger than the company's previous prototypes and will offer outdoor seating and full beverage service to compete with Starbucks and other coffee shops.
"Typically, everything is self-service at QuikTrip," spokesperson Mike Thornbrugh told the newspaper. "Now we're getting into the specialty business with hot and cold drinks where we make them [image-nocss] for customers. Is it competition with the Starbucks of the world? Sure. They're very good at what they do."
The gasoline and convenience store is in the process of obtaining city permits to replace its store in Overland Park, Kansas, with a new, 5,700-square-foot concept. Other "Generation 3" stores are planned for Independence, Mo., and Blue Springs, Mo., Thornbrugh said.
The larger stores will enable the chain to expand its fresh-food offerings and will require at least one additional full-time employee to provide beverage and ice cream service, said the report.
"You need more people to work at the stores because there's so much more to do," Thornbrugh said. "We're not abandoning what we do now, but we're moving into fresh food and specialty drinks."
QuikTrip owns and operates a 100,000-sq.-ft. QT Kitchens commissary and bakery in Belton, Mo., where sandwiches, salads, doughnuts, muffins and cookies are prepared, then shipped to stores throughout the region.
QuikTrip, based in Tulsa, Okla., is privately held and operates approximately 575 stores in nine states, including 75 stores in the Kansas City area.
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