20 Great Coffee Programs for 2019

Like gasoline, Bubba and roller-grill hot dogs, quality coffee has become a staple of the convenience-store industry. Hot coffee makes up nearly three-fourths of total beverage sales, according to Technomic’s 2018 C-Store Foodservice Outlook Multi-Client Study. In the past year, retailers have launched new premium and selfie-friendly menu items and services geared toward improving convenience and customer experience. To recognize some of the channel’s top java innovators, CSP gathered customer ratings of c-store coffee brands using Technomic Ignite consumer data.

For the first time since CSP has published this report, Cumberland Farms overtook Dunkin’ in terms of the quality of their coffee. Given that the two companies share trade areas, Technomic Senior Manager Robert Byrne says this is a noteworthy development. “Convenience retailers know coffee, and we see consumers give them credit for this particular hallmark of the channel,” he said.

Across top chains, Technomic Ignite surveys recent c-store customers and restaurant guests. Participants answer a battery of questions about their most recent foodservice visit and rate the chain on customer experience metrics—one of which is the quality of the coffee. Here’s a look at some of the most well-regarded.