There aren’t many convenience stores that would invite food critics to taste, savor and critique the foodservice items.
Unless, of course, that convenience store chain is QuikTrip.
“We’re confident and we’re receptive,” says Mike Thornbrugh, manager of public and government affairs for the Tulsa, Okla.-based chain. “If [they] say, ‘I didn’t like that; you can do better,’ we will pay attention.”
QT Kitchens isn’t new—it is a creation of the 21st century and the cornerstone of QT’s eager push into the rapidly increasing foodservice spend.
This latest iteration is the product of years of foodservice evolution. QT Kitchens’ fresh, made-to-order menu is foodservice innovation brought to fruition by customer feedback and commentary that indicated, among other things, the need for hot, fresh, to-their-liking food. Soon enough, hungry customers at QT’s 685 locations will be able to order food at new QT Kitchens full-service counters every day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“The whole QT Kitchens concept has been evolving,” Thornbrugh says. “We think we’ve been fairly methodical in our approach, recognizing that it takes a long time to get to where we need to be. And fortunately, we have the patience to do that.”
For now, the new menu and ordering options are available at 68 QT stores. Forty-two are in the company’s Tulsa backyard, plus 26 in the Carolinas (20 Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson area locations and six Charlotte sites). According to Thornbrugh, the company is retro - fitting and remodeling its entire portfolio, barring those that will be relocated or “scrapped and rebuilt” to accommodate the space necessary for the new QT Kitchens concept.
“You can’t just go in there and do it. We have to make sure everything else we do operates uninterrupted,” Thornbrugh says. “We don’t like to shut down for one second while we’re doing work.”
According to Thornbrugh, all locations will be completed this calendar year.
The new QT Kitchens menu includes:
▶ Flatbreads: Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Quesadilla and Spicy BBQ Steak
▶ Toasted Sandwiches: Classic Grilled Cheese, American Bacon Cheddar, Three-Cheese Italian, BLT with Cheese and Bacon, Egg and Cheese
▶ Pizza: 7-inch Personal Pizza and Pizza by the Slice
▶ Soft Pretzels: Classic, Parmesan and Cinnamon Sugar
▶ Kolaches: Sausage and Bacon, Egg and Cheese
▶ Specialty Coffee: Espresso, Cappuccino, Latte, Mocha, Americano, Chai Latte, Premium Hot Chocolate, Premium Blend Coffee and Premium Central American Espresso Oro Blend
▶ Frozen Treats: QT Twister (premium soft-serve vanilla treat blended with a choice of candies or flavors such as M&M’s, Butterfinger, Oreo and Reese’s), Cones and Shakes
▶ Smoothies
▶ Frozen Lemonade: Lemon, Strawberry and Blueberry
And what of those food critics?
In a review from the local Tulsa World , the flatbread and pizza menu options stand out: “The flatbread was like a large, soft tortilla, folded over like a taco and filled with generous portions of diced chicken, four strips of super-thin smoky bacon, Cheddar and Swiss cheeses, and a topping of ranch dressing. It was filling and flavorful.”
CONTINUED: Commissary-to-Store Fresh
Commissary-to-Store Fresh
“The big change,” Thornbrugh says, “is that ... initially we built our own bakeries and commissaries. Now we’re changing again in that regard. That concept still remains, but we’ve adapted the full-service counter. And the reason for that is to build sales, but it also gives you the luxury to make things on the spot, allowing people to choose what they want.”
Despite a new focus on made-to- order, ready-made sandwiches, salads and fruit cups from the QT commissaries are still go-to items for many consumers. “In our business, it’s all about immediate consumption,” Thornbrugh says.
With made-to-order food comes fresh challenges, notably management of food waste.
“Everyone can do better at inventory controls,” Thornbrugh says. “We’ve had a head start because of the bakery and the commissaries; we’ve have been able to control and learn about the inventory controls.
“We’re really getting much better at it, and it’s continued to improve,” he continues. “You have to understand it, and it took us a while to do that. It’s just a part of the business that was once new to us and we had to learn it.”
It should come as no surprise that QuikTrip, a company with a history of compassion for the communities in its markets and a legacy of generosity to its employees, is dedicated to perfection and accepts the multimillion-dollar investment required to yield a strong reward.
It means establishing parameters and safety controls that also enable the company to minimize waste by working with local charities and food banks—another value driven by customers and QT employees.
“We have an agreement with the various food banks in the communities in which we operate. We’re able to give [leftover food] to our communities that need help feeding people,” Thornbrugh says. “And this was solely driven by our employees who didn’t like to see us throw things out. Of course, the food-safety aspect of it is huge; rules and regulations are huge. It’s been a great program.”
To qualify for food donations, QT can donate only products with intact containers. QT doesn’t break the chain of custody until products have been delivered to the QuikTrip-approved food banks or, as is the case in some situations, the food bank picks up the food from the QuikTrip location.
This Is How They Do It
One of the larger changes has been the introduction of touch-screen ordering. And even though the entire ordering process is automated, there’s still room for customized orders. According to Thornbrugh, staff is ready to help the uninitiated with any touch-screen questions, but so far the process has been smooth.
“The touch screen is the way to do it,” he says. “When people are unfamiliar and confused, we take them through it. But it’s pretty self-explanatory for everybody.”
This brings up the question of staffing. In addition to regular staff handling c-store chores, foodservice employs anywhere from two to three people, especially during certain day-part rushes. Along with prep, QT Kitchens employees are preparing all hot and cold specialty drinks, frozen drinks and smoothies. “They’re busy,” Thornbrugh exclaims.
With more hands behind the counter, QuikTrip also invested in a culinary team behind the scenes.
“We’ve added food scientists. They’re constantly checking on things. And we’ve had to hire new people to assist the head chef. That will most likely continue to grow as we expand the menu offers,” Thornbrugh says. “We’re pleased and, at this point, it’s been well received. I assure you we wouldn’t be taking the time and effort to hire all the employees and build all the new stores. This is just another piece of the puzzle for us.”
While many customers requested a line of fresh personal pizzas and pizza by the slice (which one critic described as having a “thick, cheesy topping with fresh- tasting mushrooms, green peppers and black olives”), smoothies are a major draw.
“They’re doing very well, and it’s obviously the clientele that’s looking for the more healthy stuff,” Thornbrugh says. “We’re trying to do a little bit of everything. We’re going to do it at our own speed. We’ve recognized that some items are going to be successful and some are not.”
That is indeed the yin and yang not only for QuikTrip, but also for a convenience channel that is plunging into foodservice as a way of offsetting flattening fuel and tobacco purchases.
“It’s going to take a long time to get ultimately where we want to be,” Thornbrugh readily acknowledges. “It’s taken us a really, really long time to get good at the sale of gasoline and retail items. And we acknowledge it’s going to take us a long time with the food.”
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