Distinctive Fare
TXB’s regional focus defines its foodservice identity
In the nearly three years since its rebranding from Kwik Chek Food Stores to its current moniker,
Texas Born (TXB) has succeeded by living up to its name. In the foodservice category, this means
that what the retailer serves and how it is served are both important.
Since the rebranding, TXB has worked to live up to its ambition to “Leave ‘Em Better” through
a combination of renowned Texas hospitality, superior fresh-made food and unbeatable value.
“TXB really leans into our Texas roots and provides our guests with warm, southern hospitality,”
said Kevin Smartt, CEO of the Spicewood, Texas-based convenience store chain.
Along with featuring regional favorites such as fresh-made tacos and fajitas, the retailer sources all its ingredients locally and regularly partners with fellow Texas-based companies on limited-time offers.
Past Texan teammates include Austin’s Yellow Bird hot sauce for TXB’s tacos, San Antonio’s Buckhead
Meats for its steak and chicken fajitas, McAllen’s La Abuela for its fresh tortillas, and more.
TXB’s Southern Pecan and house coffee blends are locally roasted in Elgin, Texas.TXB’s regional
emphasis also carries over to packaged snacks and beverages in the form of items such as private
label jerky and salsa, plus craft sodas, juices and teas.
Looking ahead, the c-store chain has no plans to change its local focus anytime soon. “We’re constantly
looking for opportunities to support locally and looking forward to many more partnerships in the
future,” Smartt said.
Elevating Your Offer
Wawa’s healthy food focus gives its customers more choices
and helpful guidance
Longtime convenience foodservice leader Wawa Inc. recently rolled out its biggest investment
yet in better-for-you foodservice with the debut of the Good to Choose foodservice program
and Balanced Choices Menu.
Based on the idea that individuals should be able to make their food and beverage choices with confidence, even as every day is different, Pennsylvania-based Wawa is focusing on three types of healthier choices: Balanced Choices, which feature reduced sugar, plant-based options and simple meals for those eating toward health and wellness goals; Clean Choices, which are free from artificial components like flavors, preservatives and colors; and Sustainable Choices, which are sourced from supplier partners that share Wawa’s values on animal welfare and better farming practices.
Customers who want to focus on a particular choice can look for the respective menu icons to easily navigate their options. A wide variety of items are available across all dayparts. Those who want to plan ahead can visit Wawa’s website to browse meal ideas based on lower sodium, gluten conscious, high-protein/low-carb, vegan and other diets.
Consumers who want to indulge can still enjoy their favorite treats at Wawa, but the retailer’s new better-for-you foodservice programs now make it easier to balance taste and nutrition.
Putting Food Front & Center
Kwik Trip’s new store design spotlights its proprietary offerings
Kwik Trip Inc., which has roots that go back to 1965, is ushering in a new generation.
The La Crosse, Wis.-based convenience store chain is building new stores that showcase its
Generation 3 model. The updated store design incorporates softer colors and an open market feel.
As soon as guests enter the store, a large open area invites them to browse all of the retailer’s
proprietary food and beverage centers.
The Gen 3 model allocates more square footage to the retailer’s proprietary Hot Spot food
program, which has continued to drive foot traffic since debuting 20 years ago. Kwik Trip
also has invested heavily in its take-home meal program and its fried chicken program.
“Both have been a huge hit with today’s lifestyles. People on the go want choices they can grab
that taste great and that the entire family can enjoy,” explained Steve Wrobel, the company’s
public relations manager.
Plans this year call for a total of 40 new stores within Kwik Trip’s six-state footprint of Wisconsin,
Minnesota, South Dakota, Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. All of the company’s new stores are being
built according to the Gen 3 specifications and amenities.
“People love the open feel of our Generation 3 stores that invite people to browse and grab a
coffee, a bakery treat, a hot slice of pizza or sandwich, chicken tenders, and many other food
items at an affordable price. In today’s inflationary economy, people are looking for value,”
Wrobel said.
Data Driven
Casey’s uses its customer data platform to drive foodservice sales
At Casey’s General Stores Inc., its cust-omers are far from strangers.
The Ankeny, Iowa-based chain of 2,500 convenience stores in 16 states currently partners with Punchh as the loyalty engine
for its industry-leading Casey’s Rewards program and the retailer works with Salesforce, a cloud-based provider of customer
relationship management solutions, to maintain a unified platform for its customer data and profiles, which are approaching
the 14-million mark vs. just 300,000 four years ago.
By optimizing this data set, Casey’s is able to know more about its customers, what they do in-store, what they do online
and how they respond to messaging. The retailer can then send more relevant content and more personalized messages
to customers, yielding higher open rates, higher clickthrough rates and higher conversion rates. Ultimately, all of this
leads to its Casey’s Rewards members visiting more often and spending more per transaction.
The Casey’s Rewards program recently surpassed 6 million members and more than 50 percent of those members are active
on a 30-day basis, so it’s already a highly engaged group.
The chain, which has been honing its handmade pizza program for more than 35 years, utilizes its customer data platform
to boost foodservice sales in various ways, according to Art Sebastian, vice president of omnichannel marketing for Casey’s.
Once a guest is acquired through its marketing funnel, the journey begins and is ongoing.
“As we move them through the funnel, we’re going to engage them and retain them and then move them all the way to becoming a best guest,
which is our rewards member that subscribes to our marketing channels and interacts with us online, in the store and at the pump,” he said.
Ongoing engagement can take the form of email, SMS app messages, social media, gamification, content on Casey’s fuel pump screens, digital menuboards in the stores and more.
The convenience retail channel is reaching a turning point
No Future?
Foodservice,
No
