Raising Your Food Service Game to Meet Changing Daypart Habits

"Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken." – Warren Buffet

The pandemic has often felt like an unending slog, but looking back there have been different periods with different habits. In its early days, many people took to cultivating hobbies, such as baking bread (and eating it, which was reflected in my waistline). Then summer rolled around, the weather warmed up and life felt closer to normal, even if face masks were often part of that new norm. Then new variants arose, new guidance came out and habits changed again.

When you look back, you see that the pandemic hasn’t been one consistent time period. Similarly, when you’re looking at your c-store operations, customers are changing some of their patterns around the dayparts. Are you prepared to take advantage of each segment?

Though the basket size of a snack purchase may be lower than for meals, this is a segment that can be targeted all day. Having a consistent and well-received food service program can do more than just add a new revenue stream. Operations can become more than the sum of their parts, as being a snack destination can lead to increased fuel sales and basket sizes, too.

Both well-known QSRs and in-house proprietary brands can provide food service. Doing food well, however, can be difficult, so partnering with an established brand could be beneficial. According to a recent NACS study, 74% of drivers are willing to go out of their way for a store they like.1 That preference can be driven by the food offerings, not just fuel prices.

As they say, it’s the most important meal of the day. It’s also a great way to make a first impression with your customers and have them keep you in mind all day. Lack of commuters hit this segment hard, but it has been rebounding. My colleague Jonathan Graham has noticed that a c-store near his home has been packed every morning with workers for lawn service providers, HVAC repair and similar companies buying breakfast and stocking up for the day, creating larger basket sizes. These customers are creating new habits (or returning to old habits), which can lead to stronger customer loyalty down the road.

Alon Mor, CEO of Monfort Companies, told me that the company’s “main goal is to create additional value to our newly acquired c-stores by creating a fresh food program that includes hot and cold sandwiches, salads, fresh pizza, and a bean-to-cup coffee program.”

Many companies, including Monfort, have acquired sites with food service programs and are using that knowledge to expand it across their other sites.

This is probably the part of the day that I most experience in convenience stores. When I’m driving around between meetings, I can always find a c-store with a good lunch concept. If I have time, I’ll take advantage of an in-store dining option, but drive-thrus and grab-and-go options have often been real time saver. Amir Hassan, Director of Retail and Operations at H&S Energy Products, recently told me his company is developing food service at its Power Market stores to capture a market that hasn’t yet been tapped in California, seeing it as a growth opportunity.

It’s been a long workday. The kids are hungry. A quick fix is needed. Possible solutions include prepared meals that can be finished at home, embedded kitchens or even QSRs. It can help relieve the stress of a long day, providing your customers with more time to relax and spend time with their families. In turn, it can create positive experiences and thoughts with your brand.

There are plenty of ways to connect with your customers, and many of them can be unique to your situation (light food options at night could be more popular in urban settings or near college campuses, for example). But growth won’t come just by adding new sites. Adding food service offerings can be a cost-efficient way to grow your operations. And with employees returning to the office, you can put yourself in a prime position to be part of their new habits and expand your loyal customer base.

¹ NACS