When Technomic polled consumers on their perceptions of convenience stores vs. quick-service restaurants (QSRs), the result was a mixed bag. C-stores won on coffee quality: Forty-six percent of retail customers gave c-store brands a top score, while 44% of QSR customers gave them a top score.
The ratings were more even when it comes to overall beverage quality. For both c-stores and QSRs, half of consumers gave them top marks.
The c-store brands with the top scores for beverage quality, based on the 27 leading chains tracked by Technomic, are Wawa, QuikTrip, Sheetz and QuickChek.
Sources: Technomic 2016 Convenience Store Insights Program; Consumer Brand Metrics, powered by Ignite