Foodservice 2024: Let’s Make a Deal

The year 2024 looked a lot like 2023 in the world of convenience-store foodservice with flavor innovations, mashups and more—but there was one twist: The growth of meal deals late in the year to stay competitive with quick-service restaurants (QSRs).

Continuing their trajectories as strong trends were menu differentiation and the wealth of healthier food offerings.

Click through to read the 2024 roundup … 

It has become increasingly difficult for convenience stores to compete with and steal share from QSRs, Donna Hood Crecca, principal at CSP sister research arm Technomic, Chicago, said during a fall webinar. Winning more occasions from fast-food restaurants “has become more difficult in the past couple of months because of all the value offerings that are out there,” she said.

To combat the rise in meal deals at QSRs, c-stores late in 2024 began to answer that challenge with a flurry of their own.

For example, EG America’s Cumberland Farms had a limited-time $5 Meal deal, Crecca said, that “allows the consumer to kind of choose their own adventure. They can do two roller grill items or two slices of pizza, along with a packaged beverage and chips. And they also recently added a breakfast sandwich value meal deal—so they’re going after different dayparts.”

EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts, also offered two doughnuts and a large hot or iced coffee for $4 for a limited time.

Laval, Quebec-based Circle K also took this tiered approach with $3, $4 and $5 offerings (pictured), she said.

Meanwhile, Weigel’s, Powell, Tennessee, launched at $6 W Menu with seven combos “each designed to give customers a hearty meal at an unbeatable price,” it said. The combos included a sausage biscuit, ring doughnut and medium coffee; two slices of breakfast pizza and a 20-ounce Pepsi; and a hot dog, Doritos and a 20-ounce bottle of Aquafina.

Elsewhere, 7-Eleven, Irving, Texas, in October rolled out a $5 Pizza Meal Deal of two pizza slices and any 20-ounce Coke or Sprite for $5.

How’s a Pickle Wrap Pizza sound?

This offering (pictured) from Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey’s was created by a district manager late in 2024. The c-store chain called it “a twist on a classic Midwest appetizer, now re-imagined as a pizza.” The pizza—at $17.99 for a large—was available at select Casey’s locations in Minnesota and northern Iowa through Dec. 3. This pizza came after the chain’s Jalapeno Popper Pizza in late summer. That pie featured Philadelphia Whipped Cream Cheese, a blend of real cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, bacon, mild pickled jalapenos and a drizzle of Mike’s Hot Honey.

At Pilot, Knoxville, Tennessee, the retailer in the summer debuted Loaded Mac and Cheese Bowls. One was Tangy Buffalo Chicken, the other Chicken Bacon Ranch. The offerings were designed to satisfy every craving, Pilot said.

There were other eye-catching items in 2024, including Salt Lake City-based Maverik’sPhilly Cheesesteak Bundle, which featured thinly sliced seared steak, cream cheese and peppers wrapped in dough and baked fresh daily.

York, Pennsylvania-based Rutter’s rolled out three new sandwiches to entice customers in early fall. The Blazin’ Bird, Pork Reuben Tower and Ham and Swiss Sliders were the three new additions to the chain’s limited-time-offer menu. 

Rutter’s called the Blazin’ Bird “a perfect blend of heat and sweet.” It’s a chicken filet with a kick of spice on a toasted pretzel roll, topped with Carolina Reaper cheese and a mango habanero sauce. There also were Ham and Swiss Sliders and the Pork Reuben tower.

7-Eleven’s Everything Bagel Breakfast Sandwich featured sausage, egg and cheese on a potato bun topped with Everything Bagel Seasoning. It came with an Everything Bagel Seasoning Cream Cheese spread.

Also at 7-Eleven, the c-store chain tested a Pumpkin Spice Slurpee at five locations in the country.

“The Pumpkin Spice Slurpee drink is unlike anything fall flavor fans have tasted before, with the flavor of pumpkin and cinnamon spice swirled together in the form of a refreshing, ice-cold Slurpee drink,” 7-Eleven said. 

The new flavor was available while supplies lasted beginning Aug. 1. It was sold at two stores in Los Angeles, one in New York City, one in Enon, Ohio, and one in Irving, Texas.

To grab attention, c-stores had several rock-bottom deals on foodservice items in 2024.

7-Eleven, for example, celebrated its 60th anniversary as originator of fresh-brewed coffee in to-go cups with the limited-time offer of 60-cent coffee on Mondays (pictured).

At Whitehouse Station, New Jersey-based QuickChek, the c-store chain, citing inflationary pressures, in early fall started offering its most popular 6-inch made-to-order subs at the reduced price of $3.99. Subs included Spicy Chicken, Chicken Tender, Spicy Southern Chicken, Classic Italian, Original Italian and Spicy Italian.

Branded chicken provider Krispy Krunchy Chicken, Alexandria, Louisiana, which is in thousands of c-stores, in the summer launched a $4 value meal LTO in two options: two pieces of dark meat bone-in fried chicken or two hand-breaded white meat Cajun tenders. The bone-in option included a choice of a two-piece combo of hand-breaded mild Cajun-spiced drumsticks, thighs or wings. Each meal was served with potato wedges.

To celebrate National Hot Dog Day on July 17, EG America, Westborough, Massachusetts, had a week of promotions tied to the hot dog including a 99-cent all-beef hot dog on one of the days. The deals were available at Cumberland Farms, Turkey Hill, Quik Stop, Certified Oil, Fastrac, Tom Thumb, Minit Mart, Kwik Shop, Loaf ’N Jug and Sprint stores.

Sheetz celebrated National Doughnut Day on June 7 by offering customers one free doughnut with the purchase of any Sheetz Bros. Coffee or ready-to-drink coffee. The offer, available via the Altoona, Pennsylvania-based c-store chain’s app, ran June 7 through 9.

Discounts on food, candy and beverages all were part of GPM Investments’100 Days of Summer promotion across its family of convenience stores, which include Fas Mart, Li’l Cricket and Scotchman. One of the deals for fas Rewards members was two Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs for $3.33. Another offer was Free Iced Coffee Fridays and Free Frazil Friday in June.

New breakfast items continued popping up throughout the year as retailers kept the c-store industry’s biggest daypart rocking with new offerings.

Oklahoma City-based Love’s, for example, in the fall grew its taco menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner (pictured)—including a steakhouse breakfast taco with grilled steak and another taco with scrambled eggs topped with a melted three-cheese blend and fried onions. 

At Stewart’s Shops, the Ballston Spa, New York-based c-store chain in fall rolled out the Sausage, Egg and Cheese Wafflewich. Stewart’s Shops called it “an ideal balance of sweet and savory, with maple waffles, savory sausage, fluffy eggs and melty cheese in every delicious bite.”

At Casey’s, the chain in late summer brought back one of the c-store chain’s most-requested items, the Ultimate Waffle Breakfast Sandwich. The sandwich featured a sweet-and-savory combination of bacon, sausage and eggs between maple waffles. It was offered in 100 stores across the Des Moines metro area starting Aug. 24 to celebrate National Waffle Day. It rolled out across all stores Sept. 4.

Among the summertime LTOs at Rutter’s was the Kickin’ Chicken and Waffles sandwich, which included a spicy fried chicken fillet drenched in Frank’s Buffalo sauce along with pepper jack cheese, pickles and coleslaw, all between maple Belgian waffles.