A Look Inside Dash In’s New Store Design
By Greg Lindenberg on Apr. 17, 2018LA PLATA, Md. -- Retailer Dash In Food Stores held a grand opening on April 13 for its new 5,600-square-foot, large-format concept store in Midlothian, Va., the first of a number of new convenience stores planned for the market.
Family-owned and based in La Plata, Md., The Wills Group Inc. is the parent company of Dash In, with more than 50 c-stores in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware; SMO Energy, a provider of propane, heating oil and HVAC equipment in southern Maryland; Splash In ECO Car Wash; SMO Motor Fuels; and Potomac Energy Holdings.
- Dash In, a Wills Group company, ranked No. 90 onCSP's 2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
“Dash In’s commitment is to make life more rewarding for time-stretched people. We look forward to transforming necessary errands into engaging experiences,” said Dash In President Julian Wills. “Our newest Dash In is a demonstration of our commitment to creating a store design that offers an elevated brand experience for our customers. We took great care in selecting the location and creating an environment that presents a contemporary and fresh image that reflects the community.”
Take a look at the chain's largest store to date …
The new Chesterfield County, Va., conveneince-store design sits on 2.39 acres with 16 fueling positions.
This Dash In is Virginia’s first c-store to feature a growler and crowler craft-beer program, with eight taps offering a rotating lineup of beers from the more than 200 craft breweries in the state.
The taps currently feature selections from Virginia craft breweries such as Ardent Craft Ales, Center of the Universe, Hardywood Park Craft Brewery and Lickinghole Creek, as well as San Diego’s Stone Brewing.
The chain's 32-ounce crowler cans provide craft-beer enthusiasts with a smaller option than a growler that allows for improved storage and freshness, the company said.
An expanded wine selection, with more than 90 wine choices, including Virginia vineyards such as Barboursville and the Chateau Morrisette Winery, is also a new feature for the store.
The new Dash In will feature the chain's signature Craveable made-to-order menu, along with a fresh, made-in-house grab-and-go menu, which includes artisan sandwich and salad items. The Craveable menu includes a Memphis Pulled-Pork Sandwich made with slow-cooked pork in a maple brown sugar barbecue sauce and topped with caramelized onions, as well as Dash In customer favorite the Cranberry Chicken Croissant, which is made with chicken breast, dried cranberries, red onion and lime. The store will serve breakfast all day, using fresh-cracked eggs and a menu that includes items such as the Sunrise Burrito, a flour tortilla filled with scrambled eggs, potatoes and American cheese.
The c-store features a fountain promoting the Dash In Beverage Club. It offers a buy five, get the sixth free program.
The newest Dash In presents a distinct environment featuring earthen materials such as brick and wood siding, with exterior store architectural elements influenced by Jeffersonian architecture.
The store design features both indoor bar and communal seating for customers to stay and enjoy the Dash In menu.
The Dash In location also features a Splash In ECO Car Wash, a 52-foot-long rollover car wash that uses Simoniz chemicals and Rain-X protectant and features state-of-the-art equipment such as the Belanger Freestyler Soft-Touch System, the company said. The car wash is open 24 hours, seven days a week and features six free vacuum stations with weather canopies.