Typically, it’s not hard to convince consumers to purchase chicken; it’s about as big a crowd-pleaser as any one food can be. For convenience-store retailers, the task at hand is to influence where consumers choose to order their chicken—and by keeping consumers interested with a variety of products and offering top quality to keep them coming back, c-stores can distinguish themselves from the many other chicken-offering eateries consumers have to choose from.
Variety for every consumer, every occasion
Other segments aside, the c-store foodservice sector alone has made chicken a popular offering, with 74% menu penetration according to Technomic’s June 2020 State of C-Store Foodservice Survey. And it’s no mystery why: Chicken is perfect for creating high-margin offerings in both classic dishes consumers know and love as well as with trending flavors perfect for crafting LTOs.
Fried chicken can make for craveable offerings across dayparts, expanding chicken sales from morning until night. Beyond popular lunch and dinner dishes, such as sandwiches, tenders and salads, fried chicken also fits seamlessly into breakfast and snack offerings: The same fried chicken breast that makes an appearance on a club-style sandwich at lunchtime can be served on a biscuit to make breakfast sandwiches as well. Between meals, retailers can offer bite-sized finger foods such as chicken wings or popcorn chicken in a variety of flavors and sauces.
7-Eleven gave the day-long profitability of fried chicken its vote of confidence when, earlier this year, the chain opened its Southern-style quick-service concept, Raise the Roost Chicken & Biscuits, in select locations. Made-to-order and grab-and-go options included everything from breakfast sandwiches—accompanied by coffee and smoothie offerings—to hand-breaded tenders, sandwiches and wings with self-serve frozen yogurt and ice cream for dessert. Restaurant-style food and service helped maximize on what consumers love about c-stores—quick service and affordable prices—to give the concept a competitive edge against other chicken-serving eateries.
Quality counts
Indeed, maximizing quality is crucial for c-stores hoping to attract fried chicken-craving consumers amid a sea of other options. The rising popularity of ordering c-store foodservice for delivery and takeout adds to the importance of crafting a superior product, as consumers may be less likely to choose where they eat based off of what’s nearby and more likely to choose the operator whose food they prefer instead. Plus, quality is paramount when it comes to consumer retention; repeat sales depend on creating a product that consumers will come back for.
Crafting top-quality food starts, of course, in the kitchen—or, in the case of fried chicken, in the fryer. And as operators increase the volume of fried chicken sales while keeping standards for quality high, the last thing they need is for cooking oil management to slow them down. Oil management and grease disposal can be some of the messiest, most dangerous, most labor-intensive tasks in the kitchen and can put a halt to operations if something goes wrong.
Fortunately, Restaurant Technologies offers Total Oil Management services so that operators and c-store staff never have to worry about cooking oil maintenance again. The all-in-one solution covers ordering, delivery, storing, handling and grease removal, plus recycling at the push of a button. By automating the process, c-stores can spend their time doing what they do best: offering great food at great prices that keep customers coming back.
To learn more about how Total Oil Management from Restaurant Technologies can help c-store foodservice operators capitalize on the fried chicken craze and more, visit rti-inc.com.
This post is sponsored by Restaurant Technologies