What are convenience-store foodservice customers looking for in 2025? Michelle Weckstein thinks the focus will be on value propositions.
The phrase “budget friendly” comes to mind, said the director of food and beverage brands for Southwest Georgia Oil Co., Bainbridge, Georgia, which operates 79 SunStop convenience stores.
Weckstein also thinks functional foods—items with added health benefits—are going to be at the forefront of most people’s minds.
“And I also think because of the economy, and just people in general are concerned about their finances, that comfort food is going to be something that people are looking for,” she added.
Two comfort foods SunStop offers are a Chicken Alfredo and Chicken and Dressing Value Meal, while a Buffalo Tender Salad in Bowl is a functional item.
Weckstein noted the contradictory nature of what she’s saying, “It’s kind of speaking out of both sides of my face and saying that people are looking for something healthier—but at the same time I think folks are going to be looking for something a little more satisfying and fulfilling,” she said.
“Operators are working now to offer very high-quality proteins, breads and bakery items in particular to market in 2025.”
Regarding seeking budget-friendly items, she added, “I think they’re looking for something that is going to be worth the money. You hear ‘shrinkflation’ all the time, and I think buyers are very sensitive to that. They’re paying attention to portion size and the dollar amount that they’re spending for that portion. They want to feel good about the purchase they’re making and that they’re getting their money’s worth.”
Jessica Williams, founder and CEO of Louisville, Kentucky-based Food Forward Thinking, a consultancy for foodservice development and implementation, said value—in terms of dollars and quality—will be at the forefront in 2025 in food and beverages.
“Operators are working now to offer very high-quality proteins, breads and bakery items in particular to market in 2025,” Williams said. “Retailers are expecting consumers to be sensitive to price but also expect consumers to maintain their unwavering expectations for high quality and flavor.”
“People are concerned when they have less money in their pockets and are nervous about the future. Hopefully, that gets to a better place economically.”
Williams expects menu trends to include bold flavors like variations on garlic, global BBQ and chili flavors, infused honey and flavored salts.
“I am also seeing made-to-order coffees and energy drinks, with a focus on delivering customization to consumers for self-serve beverages in the form of syrups and creamers,” she said.
In 2025, Williams is most looking forward to unexpected flavor combinations that span food and beverages.
“In attempt to appeal to Gen Z, in 2025 we will see variations on cultural staples and global fusion across industries, so I will be watching for ways to bring this influence into the world of convenience,” she said.
Some Like It Hot
Retailers, meanwhile, are getting their money’s worth in food as it becomes an important part of their profit streams, along with lottery and tobacco, said Jim Norberg, CEO, Krispy Krunchy Foods, parent company of Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Alexandria, Louisiana.
When asked about the evolution of fried chicken, Norberg said it has come a long way in the last several decades—from old-school, tasty fried chicken to being available in more varieties now.
And c-stores themselves also offer more food variety, he added, noting Krispy Krunchy Chicken, which has about 2,800 retail locations in 47 states, might be in a c-store—but along with Hunt Brothers Pizza or a burger place.
“At the end of the day, I think [retailers] realize that it’s about taste,” he said. “It’s about flavor.”
For Krispy Krunchy Chicken, “We’ve spent a lot of time this past year talking about brand awareness,” he said, adding that the quality of the product drives traffic and overall sales for a c-store. “That brand equity is really what we're trying to bring to the table.”
“You hear ‘shrinkflation’ all the time, and I think buyers are very sensitive to that.”
When it comes to challenges in 2025, Norberg said while the supply chain is doing well, labor comes to mind.
“There’s always going to be labor challenges,” he said. “There’s always going to be the [issue of] efficiency, the use of technology. How do you increase capacity and how do you make it easier?”
Norberg said that in 2023 they worked on overcoming a challenge when the company went through a whole deployment of simplifying its menu and making the operating model easier.
“It will never be easy,” he added. “We have fresh chicken hand-breaded, so it takes a minute, but we’re just trying to do some steps that make it easier and more profitable.”
Another challenge for c-store retailers is getting quality food images, Williams of Food Forward Thinking said.
“We’re really pushing to make [pizza] more broadly available for our customers—along with chicken.”
“To compete with food-focused restaurants, convenience retailers must be able to compete at a high level on food presentation,” she said.
Williams added that the biggest challenge for beverages is standing out in the crowd.
“Retailers offer the same or better flavors as table stakes and must emphasize speed, convenience, customization and price to compete with QSRs on drinks,” she said.
In 2025, Norberg said he’s looking forward to the “world being back to normal, whatever that means.”
He added, “People are concerned when they have less money in their pockets and are nervous about the future. Hopefully, that gets to a better place economically.”
Cold Front at Pilot Co.
While Pilot Co. is known for its coffee, it’s starting to expand into cold brews and other cold beverages, said Sean Marrero, vice president of food and beverage at the Knoxville, Tennessee-based chain.
“So, there’ll be some continued focus in that area as well as just growing our food offerings,” he said.
That growth in food includes Pilot’s pizza program, which includes offerings like a hand-roped pizza with pepperoni and sausage.
“That’s something that we’re really focused on right now,” Marrero said of Pilot, which operates 652 locations. “It’s something that because of how we’ve grown over the years through acquisition, we have lots of different footprints we try to fit into, and we don’t have pizza at all our locations. So, we’re really pushing to make it more broadly available for our customers—along with chicken.”
“To compete with food-focused restaurants, convenience retailers must be able to compete at a high level on food presentation.”
With chicken, Pilot has been doing a lot of experimenting, both with different flavors, primarily in sauces, and limited-time offers, he said.
Pizza, meanwhile, is generally very popular, Marrero added, “So, we want to continue to give customers what they want. It’s not complicated but definitely can be a challenge with some of the different layouts we have.”
Marrero added that because coffee is available everywhere, Pilot has been very intentional about how it has positioned the beverage. Now, he’s looking to do the same with a product on the food side of the business. But, he said, he wants consistency, which “really comes from making sure the product is available and making sure it tastes great. Making sure we execute well—all those things are being focused on by our team.”