Fun snack. Serious sales.

SUPERPRETZEL® Bavarian Soft Pretzel Bites have a freshly baked, homemade artisan look and delicious soft pretzel taste. These bites have superior taste, quality and hold time versus competition. A no-brainer for stronger sales!

Product Benefits

• Superior taste, quality and hold time versus competition

• Pre-baked for heat and serve convenience

• Perfect to serve with cheese, mustard or showcase with a flight of signature sauces

Most Successful Promotions

However, the number of c-store operators that cite nonconvenience store outlets as their main foodservice competitor has risen sharply in recent years. Fifty-nine percent cite chain sandwich shops such as Subway and Quiznos (up from 43 percent in 2021) and 49 percent cite fast-casual restaurants such as Panera Bread and Chipotle (up from 31 percent in 2021). Coffee shops and grocery stores have also seen notable growth in the percentage of c-store operators that view them as chief competitors.

To strengthen their reputation as dining and snack destinations, c-store retailers are turning to a combination of equipment upgrades, digital offerings and even new store models that are better suited for serving up fresh food and beverages.

“I want to expand my store’s foodservice area by 1,000 square feet and put a rewards program in place in my store, plus I’m in the process of building another bigger store in the other part of town,” noted one study respondent.

Other respondents pointed to equipment such as self-contained air fryers, vector ovens, new heat-andhold units and dispensers for all beverage types as on their list of planned enhancements. Equipment that can streamline duties for in-store employees is particularly welcome as retailers cite difficulty hiring and retaining employees and the supply chain as their top two obstacles to foodservice success.

Powering Up Promotions

Communicating with customers is another key part of foodservice success. C-store operators are stepping up their promotional efforts for the category compared to a year ago, as 44 percent say they plan to increase their number of foodservice promotions in 2023, a significant increase from the 19 percent who said the same last year.

Additionally, the percentage of retailers that expects their foodservice promotions to stay the same declined year over year from 61 percent to 43 percent, while the percentage that expects to offer fewer foodservice promotions fell from 18 percent in 2022 to 8 percent in 2023.

Social media remains the top promotional channel, and the percentage of c-stores that use it for foodservice promotions grew 12 points year over year to 75 percent. This outpaced the growth of at-pump signage/signage outside the c-store and loyalty programs, the next two most popular promotional channels. Email and radio promotions round out the top five.

When asked what types of foodservice promotions have been most successful for them in the past year, respondents reported seeing the best results from price discounts, with 53 percent listing these as their most successful promos. However, this marked a slight drop from 2022, when 57 percent said the same.

Bundling/meal deals come in second, cited by 39 percent. The greatest growth, though, was seen in buy-one-get-one deals (up 8 points to 38 percent) and two-fers (up 6 points to 36 percent), indicating heightened consumer desire for value in today’s challenging economic climate. CSN