
Most U.S. convenience stores and supermarkets have merchandising efforts on auto-pilot in the week or two prior to the Super Bowl, as people flock to c-stores to stock up on snacks, food, beverages and more.
Western Missouri and eastern Kansas retailers enjoy a double boost this year, as the local Kansas City Chiefs are returning to the Big Game again, held in New Orleans on Feb. 9.
One beneficiary is Lee’s Summit, Missouri-based Temp-Stop. The chain of 12 c-stores and truck stops will not only see a boost in game-related sales at existing stores, but the company is on schedule to debut its first Huddle House restaurant on Tuesday.
Moreover, selling Chiefs team merchandise will amount to a two-week effort or more—and Temp-Stop is on its game. The chain has partnered with a sports merchandising vendor that has an affinity to sell team ball caps, ski caps, hoodies, jackets, T-shirts and more, said Terry Green, co-owner of Temp-Stop. (In such arrangements, third-party vendors can erect pop-up tents in proximity to stores, and can also assume space inside stores, in general merchandising sections.)
Meantime, Huddle House has a lot of equity to offer retailers seeking quality foodservice: the all-day breakfast brand operates about 300 restaurants across 21 states. Its menu offers a variety of breakfast, lunch and dinner items, including sandwiches, omelets, waffles, pancakes and burgers. The full menu will be available at Temp-Stop-adjacent sites.
Temp-Stop’s initial Huddle House is connected to its Sedalia, Missouri, c-store. The 2,200-square-feet restaurant accommodates 45 customers. Temp-Stop plans to debut a second Huddle House by summer in Lee’s Summit, said Green, the chain co-owner along with brother Tim.
Green told CSP recently that the chain will have a staff of about 40 at the maiden Huddle House. He held a week-long training period the last week of January.
Dealing with Competition
In addition to the Huddle House investment, Temp-Stop continues to assert its competitive advantage at its dozen locations, plus other foodservice-related ventures such as four local Baxter’s Coffee + Donuts, which debuted in late 2022.
The doughnut program remains successful, although Green said Temp-Stop has kept the retail footprint steady at four locations. Baxter’s as well might see ancillary sales tied to the Big Game, as locals are amped up to spend prior to the festivities.
Made from scratch with a personal touch, Baxter’s is on par with Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’—only more modest in size. “Freshness and quality ingredients are the difference [with Baxter’s],” said Green, who has operated the chain for about two decades.
No doubt, Temp-Stop has a lot on its plate. Huddle House expands its retail footprint, including the most recent of its 12 locations that went live in 2019, in Grain Valley, Missouri.
“We’re still growing this unit, and it’s performing well,” said Green of the gleaming 7,000- square-foot unit serving hot food with seating, drive-thru, beer cave, expanded liquor section and Baxter’s.
Green said retailers such as Temp-Stop who perform site selection on barren tracts of land are the pioneers, moving into under-developed or non-developed areas, doing the heavy lifting on site-selection feasibility, only to watch other retail brands eventually encroach on the adjacent property.
Green said that since the latest Temp-Stop debuted, competitors have followed, including Taco Bell and Tulsa, Oklahoma-based QuikTrip.
New competition can serve as a challenge and an opportunity. Temp-Stop is digging into the challenge as it looks to burnish its strong reputation in the local Kansas and Missouri marketplaces.
On the chain’s pivot to the restaurant channel, Green said, “It takes about a year to get these things going. The name brand for the food offered inside a c-store is really vital. Rather than slap a name on a program that might be proprietary, we felt we needed a larger brand name with equity, and that was Huddle House.”
“The goal is seeing a restaurant brings foot traffic to the c-store. Will it generate gas sales? Will it generate inside sales? Or might the restaurant take away from inside sales? Those are important questions,” he said.
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