Pilot Co. is introducing two new food concepts, Pilot eats and Pilot eats Express, the company announced Tuesday. The c-store chain aims for the concepts, which are beginning to roll out this month, to add more consistency across locations in how its food looks, feels and travels.
Pilot eats will expand availability of the convenience-store company’s full hot deli menu to about 400 locations, offering items such as:
- Southern Chicken Sandwich: A new, meatier, crispier chicken breast filet
- Hand-Roped Pizza: Hand-roped crusts with cheese and pepperoni, available by the extra-large slice or whole pie
- Freshly prepared deli entrees: Homestyle meals such as meatloaf, roasted chicken and mac and cheese
Pilot eats Express will focus on grab-and-go items like artisan pizza, chicken wings and tenders and snackable sides at about 200 locations, the Knoxville, Tennessee-based company said.
“A meal on the road isn’t just a break, it’s fuel for the next five, 10 or few hundred miles,” said Sean Marrero, senior vice president of food and beverage at Pilot. “Pilot eats is about offering drivers food that goes the distance that is as portable as it is premium. We want travelers to know they can count on us to have what they need to keep them fueled up, filled up and lifted up for the road ahead.”
- Pilot Co. is No. 16on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
The rollout began this month with the first store transformations in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and Ponce de Leon, Florida, the company said. The brands are being introduced to stores in a phased rollout with new packaging and updated signage starting in the spring. Both concepts will be fully integrated into Pilot’s digital ecosystem, including the latest version of the Pilot app.
Pilot also is offering two meal deals. A breakfast meal deal includes any breakfast sandwich and any size hot Pilot coffee for $6. A lunch and dinner meal deal features two slices of Pilot pizza and a 20-ounce bottle of Pepsi for $8. These offers are valid from March 3 through May 5.
In addition, Pilot said that its nearly 350 owned and operated quick-service restaurant franchise locations are now open 24/7.
Pilot Co. is the largest operator of travel centers in North America, with more than 750 locations across 44 states and six Canadian provinces, selling about 14 billion gallons of fuel a year and about $3 billion in food and merchandise.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.