Foodservice consultant Ed Burcher of the Business Accelerator Team has traveled coast-to-coast by car twice in the past year. And like any longtime retailer, he stopped at many convenience stores across America along the way. A few observations on the state of c-store foodservice …
- The breakfast daypart lags pre-pandemic numbers. Why? Because fewer people are commuting for work. “So while it’s come back a bit, it certainly hasn’t returned to pre-COVID levels,” he said.
- Consumers are more money-conscious than usual. To that end, Burcher sees retailers turning to more bundles or price promotions and limited-time offers to drive foodservice sales. Inflation-related price increases are unavoidable, Burcher said, “but retailers are trying to emphasize value and quality.”
- Customer demographics are as important as ever. Younger customers, ages 28 to36, are more comfortable with technology, such as kiosk or mobile ordering, Burcher said. Those customers also lean toward cold beverages, whether it’s cold brew, energy drinks or fountain and frozen beverages. “I’m amazed at how much energy slushies I see being made to order,” Burcher said. He challenges retailers to understand what that age group wants and do more to satisfy them. The caveat, of course, is to avoid alienating other core customers.