Sheeva Hoders is the new vice president of food and beverage at Pilot Co., the Knoxville, Tennessee-based travel center operator said.
- Pilot Co. is No. 16 on CSP’s 2026 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count.
“It’s an exciting time for food in the c-store and travel center space, with more of our guests open to discovering our great food,” Hoders (pictured above) wrote Tuesday in a LinkedIn post. “Energized to keep building the Pilot eats experience and shaping what comes next for food on the road!”
Pilot in March introduced two new food concepts, Pilot eats and Pilot eats Express. The c-store chain said at the time it was aiming for the concepts, which started rolling out that month, to add more consistency across locations in how its food looks, feels and travels.
Hoders has worked at Pilot for nearly nine years, according to her LinkedIn profile. She has been in her new role since June. Prior to this position, roles she has held at Pilot include senior director of food planning and development, senior director of business planning and change management, and director of brand marketing.
Jamie King held the vice president of food and beverage role at Pilot since August 2023, but he is no longer at Pilot, a company spokesperson told CSP. His last day at Pilot was July 3.
“After three decades with this incredible organization, I’ve made the decision to retire/step away and begin a new chapter,” he said in a LinkedIn post from a week ago.
Sean Marrero, Pilot’s president of retail, said in a statement, “Since joining our retail team, Sheeva has been a critical part of developing our future-focused retail food strategy. When someone chooses to stop at Pilot, they’re trusting us to provide high-quality, craveable food options that ensure everyone has a reason to return to our travel centers. I am excited for Sheeva to lead this effort and look forward to all the ways we will continue delivering exceptional experiences to our guests.”
Prior to Pilot, Hoders was the brand manager of natural channel for 10 months at Ireland-based Glanbia Performance Nutrition. She worked at New York-based Beam Suntory for just over four years prior to that.
Pilot eats expands the 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 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.