GasBuddy Ranks Top C-Stores for Third-Quarter 2018

BOSTON – For the second quarter in a row, Kwik Trip Inc. dominated GasBuddy’s fuel and convenience-store quality rankings, finishing on top in all categories for stores with 250 to 999 locations, according to the mobile app provider's recent third-quarter Fuel and Convenience Store Report Card.

• Click here to read GasBuddy's second-quarter pit-stop rankings.

GasBuddy examined more than 1.6 million c-store ratings from July 1 to Sept. 30, 2018, in six categories—cleanliness, coffee, customer service, outdoor lighting, restrooms and overall experience—and ranked the top five c-store chains in each. The Boston-based company then split these rankings into four divisions based on total store count, including 1,000 locations or more, 250 to 999 locations, 50 to 249 locations and 30 to 49 locations.

“Fuel and convenience-store brands saw a high volume of ratings submitted as the summer driving season came to an end,” said Frank Beard, analyst for convenience-store trends for GasBuddy. “And while ratings categories include the customer experience both in and out of the store, the first aspect consumers notice is the forecourt. Outdoor lighting received the most ratings of any category in Q3, followed by customer service and cleanliness.”

Here are the top c-store chains by category, according to GasBuddy …

Photograph courtesy of GasBuddy

1,000 or more locations: Casey’s General Stores

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Hy-Vee Gas

30 to 49 locations: NOCO Express

While Casey’s, Kwik Trip and NOCO Express all repeated their top cleanliness rankings, Hy-Vee overtook Stewart’s Shops Corp. in the division of 50 to 249 stores. Stewart’s Shops dropped to third place, while Mega Co-Op—which placed outside the top five last quarter—finished second.

Photograph: Shutterstock

1,000 or more locations: Cenex Zip Trip

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Weigel’s

30 to 49 locations: Kelley’s Market

Cenex dethroned 7-Eleven as the king of coffee in the category of 1,000 locations or more during this year’s third quarter. 7-Eleven dropped to third place, while Chevron repeated its second-place performance from this year's second quarter, followed by Casey’s and Sinclair in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

Kwik Trip, Weigel’s and Kelley’s Market all placed first for coffee in their divisions for the second straight quarter.

Photograph: Shutterstock

1,000 or more locations: Sinclair Oil Corp.

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Hy-Vee

30 to 49 locations: Parker’s

The top rankings for customer service changed in nearly every category between this year’s second and third quarters. Sinclair beat out Casey’s (1,000 or more locations), Hy-Vee overthrew Stewart’s Shops (50 to 249) and Parker’s dethroned NOCO Express (30 to 49). Kwik Trip was the only winner to repeat its top spot for customer service.

Photograph: Shutterstock

1,000 or more locations: Casey’s

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Weigel’s

30 to 49 locations: NOCO Express

The battle for outdoor lighting remained the same as in the second quarter—Casey’s, Kwik Trip and NOCO Express won again—except in the 50-249 locations division. Weigel’s moved from its unranked position last quarter to first place this time around, outpacing former winner NOCO Express, which didn’t make the top five in this quarter's rankings.

Photograph: Shutterstock

1,000 or more locations: Cenex

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Hy-Vee

30 to 49 locations: Parker’s

Consumers’ opinions of c-store restrooms changed between this year’s second and third quarters. Cenex, Hy-Vee and Parker's all became new winners in their respective divisions, while Kwik Trip was the only chain to hang onto its previous victory. Chevron, which placed first in the division of 1,000 stores or more, finished fifth in the third quarter, while Stewart’s Shops and Buc-ee’s both went from first to third in the 50-249 and 30-49 divisions, respectively.

Photograph: Shutterstock

1,000 or more locations: Casey’s

250 to 999 locations: Kwik Trip

50 to 249 locations: Hy-Vee

30 to 49 locations: NOCO Express

While Casey’s and Kwik Trip repeated as the top c-store in terms of overall experience, Hy-Vee and NOCO Express dethroned Stewart’s Shops and Kelley’s Market, respectively, in their divisions. Both Stewart’s Shops and Kelley’s finished third this time around.

Photograph: Shutterstock