3 More Foodservice Tips for Summer Travel Season

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- Summer is travel season, and this month we’ve been tracking the latest foodservice preferences of consumers when they hit the road. According to the 2017 NACS Consumer Fuels survey, 29% of consumers say that they will drive more in June compared to the previous month. And with fuel prices hitting the lowest level for the summertime since 2005, convenience stores can expect a robust stream of traffic.

What does that mean for foodservice programs looking to gain spend from hungry travelers? Tyson Convenience has released the results of a national, 1,000-consumer survey on retail prepared foods.

“Busy summers and convenience stores go hand in hand for meals and snacks on the go,” said Rob Ramsey, senior manager of convenience channel marketing for Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark. “Consumers use convenience stores as their summertime home to keep them refueled and not slow them down.”

Click through to gain some insight into the prepared foods customers prefer when they travel …

According to Tyson, the No. 1 reason American adults purchase food at a convenience store is to satisfy a craving; 51% chose that option in the survey.

This finding somewhat contradicts one we reported earlier this week, which suggested that hunger and necessity, rather than cravings or a desire for indulgence, may be the key foodservice visitation driver for travelers. Nevertheless, it’s clear that cravings also create a strong draw; c-stores that can successfully promote and execute on craveability have a solid opportunity to lure travelers off the road and into the store.

Nearly half of consumers (48%) would like to see more convenience stores expand breakfast programs, according to the survey. And they're specific about what they want: This group said they want to see c-stores add breakfast stations that serve waffles, biscuits, breakfast meats and baked goods.

Also, breakfast sandwiches are so popular that more than half of consumers (51%) would purchase one at their local convenience store if they wanted to have breakfast for dinner. On the other hand, pizza rose to the top of later-in-the-day prepared foods to cross over to breakfast, with (45%) of consumers interested in eating pizza for breakfast.

Consumers largely prefer to eat their snacks with two fingers (47%) while shying away from using any utensils, the survey showed. This finding illustrates the opportunity to capture snack traffic with unique hot-hold finger foods that are packaged for grab-and-go consumption and easy to eat while on the road.

“Hearing directly from consumers on what they want and expect from a convenience store can be invaluable for retailers, especially during the busy summer season,” said Ramsey of Tyson. “These survey insights, like having breakfast offerings served all day in unique, creative ways, give retailers feedback from consumers on how to merchandise prepared-food offerings to attract consumers in the summer.”