Inside Thorntons' Newest C-Store, a City Focal Point
By Steve Holtz on Jun. 16, 2016BLUE ISLAND, Ill. --Thorntons cut the ribbon on its newest convenience store in Blue Island, Ill., bringing not just a new business to the small south suburb of Chicago, but also a gateway to the East for this city of about 24,000.
Here's a look at some of the features of the new store:
The 4,000-square-foot store offers daily hot breakfast, lunch and snack items that are prepared fresh on-site, in addition to a variety of traditional roller-grill items.
For breakfast, guests can pick up hot sandwiches such as a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit; a ham, egg and cheese croissant; or a bacon, egg and cheese burrito. Lunch options include pepperoni-pizza sticks, cheeseburgers, a Buffalo ranch chicken burrito and crispy chicken tenders.
For everyday snacks, guests can enjoy fresh selections such as soft pretzels and cheesy bread sticks. The new hot food selections are in addition to fresh fruit, gourmet deli sandwiches, yogurt parfaits and more.
A large bakery case is stocked daily with fresh doughnuts, muffins and croissants.
Other merchandising areas include a beer cave, a 24-head soda fountain and three checkout positions.
Thorntons also recently introduced Unleaded15, Thorntons’ branded E15 fueling option, to guests in its Chicago-area market. Unleaded15 (up to 15% ethanol, 85% gasoline) provides an octane rating of 88 and is the most widely tested fuel ever introduced to consumers, the company said.
"This store is a focal point for the city of Blue Island," said Mayor Domingo Vargas—seen here with other city officials—during the grand-opening celebration June 10.
As part of the grand-opening, Louisville, Ky.-based Thorntons—No. 47 on CSP's 2016 Top 101—donated $5,000 to Blue Cap, a local charity that provides services to children with developmental disabilities.