Convenience Retailers Navigate the Ins & Outs of Menu Development
NATIONAL REPORT — Savvy convenience store operators are innovating to excel in the foodservice space, as the category requires a clear strategy — one grounded in smart menu development.
For Nashville, Tenn.-based Twice Daily, this means listening to customer feedback and being deliberate and patient when developing new products, instead of responding to the fad of the day.
"Our main focus has always been staying true to who we are and what sets us apart from our competitors," said Rachel Saddler, senior foodservice category manager at Tri Star Energy, Twice Daily's parent company. "It's easy to get lost in the shuffle of chasing the latest trends, but it's essential that we develop a menu that caters to what our loyal and potential guests are looking for."
[Read more: Twice Daily Brings Made-to-Order Wraps to Its Menu]
To that end, Twice Daily last October expanded its menu of hot meals and fresh deli when it launched a companywide rollout of the Made to Order program it piloted in early 2023.
"Made to Order has allowed us to expand our product line by offering our guests more customizable options for their freshly made subs, sandwiches, wraps and more," Saddler explained. "We have received great responses from our guests, who have enjoyed trying new recipes encouraging them to add fresh toppings or sauces to some of their favorite menu items."
The approach has served the retailer well. Since the program's launch, Twice Daily has seen growth in the foodservice category and was recognized as the 2024 Prepared Foods Innovator of the Year in Convenience Store News' annual Foodservice Innovators Awards program.
At Ankeny, Iowa-based Casey's General Stores Inc. — already well-known for its handmade pizza program — a new sandwich menu developed after a deep dive into guests' preferences has helped elevate the foodservice experience at the chain's more than 2,600 c-stores throughout the Midwest and South.
"Our proprietary guest insights process provides a deep understanding of what our guests love and value. And we rely on our rigorous food and beverage innovation and product development process to create new products and menu enhancements aligned to what our guests want and need," said Brad Haga, senior vice president of prepared food and dispensed beverage, noting that the process ensures Casey's remains relevant with new and evolving consumer preferences.
When recent guest insights revealed the retailer had room to improve its sandwich offerings, Casey's focused on upgrading its ingredients to provide higher-quality options, which led to the introduction of Crispy Chicken and Spicy Crispy Chicken Sandwiches, a Quarter Pound Angus Beef Burger and an upgraded version of the fan-favorite Breaded Pork Sandwich — all prepared fresh in-store daily.
The new sandwich lineup, introduced companywide in March, is a first for Casey's and "has significantly increased our prepared food sales over the last quarter" and "is driving consistent growth in our prepared food and dispensed beverage business," Haga reported in June.
Thinking Beyond the Food
Ingredients and recipes, of course, are the culinary cornerstones upon which foodservice success is built, but there are other aspects that successful convenience foodservice retailers take into account during the menu development process.
Considering not only what to offer, but also how to incorporate new items throughout the day, is something that has helped Twice Daily build its reputation as a destination for quality foodservice items on the go.
"Lunch and snack menu items have shown an upward trend, particularly through the customer-facing kiosk, because we now have an expanded offering in those dayparts," Saddler said. "Also, having breakfast available throughout the day has helped sales because it sets us apart from many QSRs [quick-service restaurants] in surrounding areas with a clear cutoff with their dayparts.
"Convenience, of course, plays a significant role in how our Made to Order and mobile ordering menus are organized to provide our guests with ease of management," Saddler continued. "Having suggestive add-ons or fully designed recipes gives them the flexibility to order as is or customize to their liking."
[Check out the 2024 CSNews Foodservice Innovators Awards winners]
Consistency is also a key aspect of menu development. Being able to provide consistency was a key part of the process that Temple, Texas-based CEFCO Convenience Stores undertook when recently optimizing its foodservice menu, according to Rachel Puepke, vice president of marketing and merchandising. Puepke discussed the company's approach during a panel discussion at this year's CSNews Convenience Foodservice Exchange event, held in May.
After assessing information gleaned from analyzing research designed to understand what CEFCO customers wanted and how they prioritized their prepared food purchases, the company actually downsized its menu and the number of ingredients in its dishes.
"We took out 15 menu items, eliminated single-use ingredients and really simplified that menu to say, 'What do we want to be known for?'" Puepke shared.
Menuing proprietary items is one way to create the kind of menu you can be known for. Casey's works toward that goal by collaborating to create dishes that make its stores "differentiated destinations" for foodservice purchases, noted Haga.
"We continue to collaborate with both internal and external partners to develop 'only at Casey's' products," he explained, citing examples such as its BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza limited-time offer, exclusive Mtn Dew Overdrive flavor, and Peanut Butter Cup Cookie made with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
Some Parting Advice
When it comes to developing a menu that a retailer's footprint and staff can accommodate, that attracts and retains foodservice customers, and that delivers bottom-line benefits, the most important — and most obvious — advice is to make sure the food tastes great, according to Casey's Haga. The chain accomplishes this with the fresh, quality ingredients it uses throughout its menu, including made-from-scratch pizza dough.
Saddler's top suggestion is "not getting overloaded by all of the noise."
"There are so many great foodservice offers and programs, but picking what works best for your brand and market is crucial," said the Twice Daily category manager. "From there, you can truly focus on providing the best training tools, equipment and products for your team and guests."
Working with well-known brands to establish credibility in the foodservice space is another recommendation, one that CEFCO has embraced by partnering with such brands as Johnsonville and King's Hawaiian for its menu development pipeline.
"That's where the marketing comes in," Puepke said during the Convenience Foodservice Exchange panel discussion. "It's really important for you to talk about where the food's from and how you make it, especially if it's made to order. If you don't tell them that, they're not going to know, and they're going to have these preconceived notions of what c-store food is."