REDWOOD FALLS, Minn. -- Kevin and Paulette Kosel have removed the gasoline dispensers from in front of their P&K convenience store in Redwood Falls, Minn., reported The Redwood Falls Gazette. Selling gasoline is no longer part of the equation.
"There's no money in gas anymore," Kevin Kosel told the newspaper. "To update the pumps would cost us $160,000 to $170,000."
Instead, the Kosels decided to expand one of the most profitable areas of their existing business: fast food.
"Many people don't realize we offer tacos, pizza, burgers, chili dogs, cheese balls, ham and cheese--30 or 40 different varieties of food--already," he said. "For most food franchises, a population of 15,000 is the cutoff point. Many of the restaurants consider Redwood Falls to small to open a restaurant here."
He added, "We spend eight or nine hours at food shows, and you can't believe all the good foods out there. You don't need a famous brand name to get really good food. We'll keep a few convenience store items such as milk, bread and DVDs, but mostly we'll be--I suppose you'd call it a 'short-order' restaurant."
They plan to keep the kitchen open longer, and have remodeled the area with additional tables and chairs for in-store dining.
"We'd like to be sort of a 'Ma and Pa' restaurant you can bring your whole family to," Kenin Kosel told the paper. "Our customers are very loyal. ... It doesn't pay to jump in with both feet. We'd rather talk to our customers, and they'll tell us what they want."
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