Winning hearts and stomachs
As the saying goes, good relationships are built on a foundation of trust. That maxim is true for c-store customers as well. However, about 49% of survey respondents said they have only "moderate trust" in the prepared foods they find in c-stores. Nearly 10% of participants said they do not trust it at all, and less than 3% said they have complete trust in c-store food.
However, some parts of the country put a little more faith in their c-stores' menus than others. Rural consumers have the greatest trust in c-store foodservice, compared to urban dwellers and suburbanites.
Unsurprisingly, regulars are a bit less timid around roller-grill hot dogs and other convenient bites than occasional visitors. Consumers who make c-store purchases only while traveling are about 10% less likely to have moderate trust in the safety and quality of the food compared to monthly visitors, according to the report.