VIDEO: Highlights of the 2019 Convenience Store News Convenience Foodservice Exchange

DALLAS — The 2019 Convenience Store News Convenience Foodservice Exchange, held June 19-20 in Dallas, addressed the challenges c-store retailers face today as they evolve their operations to take advantage of growth opportunities in foodservice. At the same time, the event looked ahead and helped retailers envision what the future might look like — both from a consumer and operator perspective.

The theme for this year’s Convenience Foodservice Exchange was “Today’s Challenges; Tomorrow’s Opportunities.” Speakers covered a range of topics, including:

• Exclusive consumer research into what motivates shoppers to purchase meals at c-stores from Beth Brickel of EnsembleIQ Research Solutions;
• The latest research on food and ingredient trends from Mark DiDomenico of Datassential;
• A spotlight on how the c-store industry is supporting the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) from Amy Slechta of PHA and Erica Flint of Kwik Trip Inc.;
• A look at the whether the plant-based food craze has roots from Tim Powell of FoodserviceIP;
• A comparison of the pros and cons of branded vs. proprietary foodservice programs from John Matthews of Gray Cat Enterprises;
• A video program and workshop on future c-store and travel center design trends, with a focus on foodservice, spearheaded by Mike Lawshe of Paragon Solutions; and
•  A look at menuboard optimization from Howland Blackiston of King-Casey.

A panel of four c-store retailers also provided in-depth looks at how their new store concepts are changing the way consumers view convenience stores, especially in the area of fresh food. The panel was composed of Ryan Riggs, senior vice president of retail operations for Alltown Fresh; Ed Burcher, vice president of foodservice for FriendShip Stores; Joe Hamza, chief operating officer, retail and marketing for Nouria Energy; and Rachel Krupa, founder of Los Angeles-based The Goods Mart.

Sponsors of the 2019 Convenience Foodservice Exchange were Applied Data Corp., Autofry/MTI, Avery Dennison, Blimpie Americas, Convenience Works by Hussmann, Dawn Food Products, Kressner Strategy Group, King & Prince Seafood, Paytronix Systems, Rich Products, and Seda International Packaging Group.