Although overall customer satisfaction with convenience stores remains the same, there has been a major shakeup at the top of the leaderboard, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Convenience Store Study 2025.
The winner? Kwik Trip has dethroned Wawa in the annual study this year.
The c-store industry’s overall score is 76 on a scale of 0 to 100. Kwik Trip leads the industry after surging 8% to a score of 84. The chain, like many others, deploys a food-focused model to draw in more visitors and cater to a wide range of customer preferences, yet it’s the La Crosse, Wisconsin-based company’s “stout commitment to building a positive culture that places a heavy emphasis on the customer experience that is clearly paying off,” said the report.
Meanwhile, last year’s leader Wawa, based in Wawa, Pennsylvania—unchanged at 82—now sits in a second-place tie with Sheetz, Altoona, Pennsylvania, which improved 4% year over year. QuikTrip, Tulsa, Oklahoma (down 1% to 80), Buc-ee’s, Lake Jackson, Texas (down 1% to 79) and ACSI newcomer Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores, Oklahoma City (79), are next. Maverik, Salt Lake City, and Meijer, Grand Rapids, Michigan, debuted with ACSI scores of 78, the same as Murphy USA, El Dorado, Arkansas (down 3%), and RaceTrac, Atlanta (up 3%).
Casey’s General Stores, Ankeny, Iowa, saw the largest satisfaction decline, down 5% to 75, amid a significant expansion campaign; bp, Chicago, drops 4% to 74, tying Westborough, Massachusetts-based EG America brand Quik Stop and just ahead of fellow bp brand ampm, La Palma, California, which finishes last with an ACSI score of 73.
The 11-point gap between the highest and lowest ratings reveals a high degree of variability in the customer experience, with stores providing a broad range of quality food and beverage options in a clean and convenient setting faring well and those offering a more basic experience finding themselves at the lower end, according to the report.
“This striking gap in satisfaction should serve as a wakeup call for brands to rethink what truly drives loyalty today,” said Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI. “The brands rising to the top are doing more than just selling coffee and snacks. They’re building communities inside their stores. As in-store sales outpace fuel and digital tools become table stakes, the brands that will win are those that double down on quality, innovation and authentic connection.”
Mobile movement
The overall c-store customer experience is relatively stable except when it comes to mobile app usage.
Roughly a third of respondents (34%) reveal they have used the store’s mobile app. That figure jumps to 60% among loyalty rewards program members. Mobile app quality (84), app reliability (82) and mobile order pickup effectiveness (82) all improve 3% to 4% year over year. Although mobile app adoption rates for c-stores remain lower than those observed in quick-service restaurants (QSRs) or travel industries, ACSI survey results suggest that c-store app usage is steadily increasing among customers for their primary store.
Fodder for food
Customers are also very pleased with the hot food quality and freshness (80) delivered by c-stores. Whether it’s a meal on the go, one-stop shopping off the exit during a road trip or dinner for the family while busy with extracurricular activities, c-stores show they are a legitimate option in the foodservice landscape.
Store hours (83), location (82), quality of dispensed cold beverages (80) and speed of the checkout process (79) all remain strong.
Rewarding experience
Rewards members (79) are far happier with their overall c-store experience than nonmembers (74).
Most customer experience metrics are five or more points higher for rewards members than for nonmembers, with some brands seeing even greater differences. Other critical aspects such as perceived value, customer retention and the likelihood to recommend the brand to others are significantly higher among rewards members. Rewards members are visiting their stores more frequently than nonmembers (64% at least weekly compared to 45%).
“Many convenience stores offer the same or similar items, so brands must look for ways to distinguish themselves,” said Morgeson. “Those that lean into the successful aspect of their rewards programs can drive customer satisfaction and keep their loyal customers happy.”
Rivalries rage on
Wawa and Sheetz can’t break free from one another. The two brands tie for the lead in their home market of the Northeast. They also show up again in the South, where Wawa just outperforms Sheetz and Buc-ee’s for highest satisfaction.
In the Midwest, where ACSI scores are the highest, Kwik Trip tops QuikTrip by two points. In the West, where satisfaction scores are well below other areas, Irving, Texas-based 7-Eleven and San Ramon, California-based Chevron lead the way, according to the study.
The ACSI Convenience Store Study 2025 is based on 8,601 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between October 2024 and September 2025. Reported on a scale of 0 to 100, scores are based on data from interviews with approximately 200,000 customers annually. Download the full study here.
Ann Arbor, Michigan-based ACSI is a national economic indicator that measures and analyzes customer satisfaction with about 400 companies in about 40 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various services of federal and local government agencies.
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