NEW YORK — Americans who think of petrified hot dogs, frozen burritos and salty snacks when they imagine getting food at a gas station or truck stop may be pleasantly surprised during their next road trip: U.S. convenience stores are offering more and better — though not necessarily healthier — choices.
From 7-Eleven to regional chains like QuikTrip, operators of c-stores, as they're known in the trade, are looking overseas for grab-and-go inspiration, adding sit-down seating at some locations, expanding their coffee menus to rival Starbucks and experimenting with made-to-order meals for busy families.
A customer walks through a Sheetz convenience store Oct. 17 in Bethlehem, Pa. U.S. convenience stores are expanding their food offerings to counter slowing sales of cigarettes, maps and soft drinks.
The moves are happening as convenience stores seek ways to offset slowing sales of cigarettes, maps and soft drinks. By tempting customers' palates with fresh deli sandwiches and build-your-own burgers, the humble food marts want to become an alternative to fast-food restaurants for busy Americans who crave easy, interesting and less expensive eating options.
"It has been a decadeslong journey to go from food that was perceived as desperation to destination," said Jeff Lenard, vice president of strategic industry initiatives for the National Association of Convenience Stores.
Once known for breakfast and lunch, convenience store chains like Wawa, with more than 1,000 East Coast locations, as well as small operators like York, Pennsylvania-based Rutter's, moved into dinnertime with soup, chicken and fish dishes. Rutter's, which operates 90 stores, plans a new store format with expanded seating as it adds 50 new locations in the next five years.
Sheetz employee Dylan Sachs prepares a breakfast sandwich Oct. 17 at the convenience store in Bethlehem, Pa.
Casey's General Stores, the nation's third-largest convenience store operator with 2,500 outlets mostly in the Midwest and South, introduced warm chicken, pork and hamburger sandwiches on brioche-style buns this year. The company, known for serving pizza that customers enjoy, created a limited-time menu that included pies and sliders made with smoked pulled pork, barbecue sauce and pickles.
"We really are approaching this like a restaurant as we always have, but more so now," said Carrie Stojack, the Iowa-based chain's vice president of brand and strategic insights. "Prices have gotten really high. So what's happening is that convenience stores are becoming a real viable option for guests."
7-Eleven will close over 400 underperforming stores in the U.S. this year, its parent company. The decision comes amid declining foot traffic, rising inflation, and reduced cigarette sales. The company plans to refocus on growing its proprietary products, expanding digital services, and accelerating delivery and loyalty programs. Parent company Seven & i Holdings will rebrand as 7-Eleven Corp and create York Holdings to house non-core assets like Loft and Denny's Japan. Seven & i rejected an August bid from Circle K’s parent, Alimentation Couche-Tard, saying it undervalued the company.
Convenience stores also are expanding delivery services to build on a customer base they found during the COVID-19 pandemic. 7-Eleven plans to take its 7Now delivery app nationwide, allowing users to choose among thousands of items to be brought to their door.
The nation's largest convenience store chain, owned by Japanese company Seven & i Holdings, offers select items like chicken teriyaki, rice balls, miso ramen and sweet chili crisp wings at some U.S. locations and at its recently acquired Speedway and Stripes stores. Visitors to Japan and Hawaii often respond with envy and astonishment at offers at a 7-Eleven in Tokyo or Honolulu.
Pre-packaged sushi rolls are seen Oct. 17 at a Sheetz convenience store in Bethlehem, Pa.
The chain's North American subsidiary said it works with some of the same food manufacturers and commissaries that serve Seven-Eleven Japan. That includes Warabeya, which is expanding its U.S. operations.
"Our team draws inspiration from around the world to introduce new items like mangonada donuts with Tajín, barbecue pork sliders, chicken curry bowls and everything breakfast sandwiches," the subsidiary said in a statement.
This month, Seven & i Holdings disclosed plans to close 444 U.S. locations amid slowing sales, inflationary pressures and an accelerated decline in cigarette purchases. The company also is fielding a buyout offer from Alimentation Couche-Tard, the Canadian owner of the Circle K convenience stores.
Brian Blair of Akron, Ohio, enters his food order Oct. 17 at a Sheetz convenience store in Bethlehem, Pa.
Appealing convenience store food isn't entirely new and varies widely by region.
Buc-ee's, the Texas-born chain with 50 stores in the South, has a cult following among fans who regularly stop for breakfast tacos and snacks like caramel-coat corn puffs called Beaver Nuggets.
Pennsylvania residents, meanwhile, happily debate the relative culinary merits of the food from Wawa (Try the Gobbler, a hot turkey sandwich with stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce, they advise), Sheetz (the expansive menu of hot and customizable food includes breakfast bagels and quesadillas) and Landhope Farms, beloved for its milkshakes and hand-dipped ice cream cones.
Brian Blair, of Akron, Ohio, enters his food order Oct. 17 at a Sheetz convenience store in Bethlehem, Pa.
TikTok and YouTube videos of people eating nothing but convenience store food for a day or comparing the dishes from different chains helped drive interest in food on the road.
Most restaurants closed temporarily at the height of the pandemic while many convenience stores remained open, creating a unique role for the sector.
Nonfuel sales at U.S. convenience stores increased 36% between pre-pandemic 2018 and last year, growing from $242 billion to almost $328 billion, according to a National Association of Convenience Stores analysis of sales data from roughly 20,000 locations. During the same period, cigarettes as a percentage of those sales fell from 31% to 20%.
Customers check out Oct. 17 at a Sheetz convenience store in Bethlehem, Pa.
Convenience stores now threaten to take business from fast-food chains like McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's, which used summer deals to revive sales, experts said.
Jonathan Raduns, CEO of food merchandising at retail consultancy Merchandise Food LLC, did a spot check online of similar items offered at specific fast-food restaurants and convenience chains that showed convenience store food was cheaper.
For example, a large pepperoni pizza at a Casey's in London, Ohio, cost $13.99 versus a similar version at a Domino's for $14.99. A large coffee at convenience store chain Parker's Kitchen in Savannah, Georgia, sold for $2.49 versus $3.48 for similar size at a Starbucks in the same area.
10 popular international fast food chains that are growing in the US
10 popular international fast food chains that are growing in the US
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When traveling outside the United States, it's common for Americans to spot restaurants that they know from home. McDonald's, Subway, and Starbucks are just three examples of American-founded restaurants that enjoy a large presence outside the country. However, several popular restaurant chains experienced the opposite trajectory, having expanded into the U.S. after originating in another part of the world.
Not every expansion into the U.S. market is a success story. For example, Pie Face opened several locations in New York City in 2011. But the chain and its Australian savory meat pies didn't last. By 2014, nearly all the New York franchises had shut down. Pie Face enthusiasts now have to go to the restaurant's home country to taste their smiley-faced pastries.
Restaurant chains appear to have a higher success rate when it comes to expanding into the U.S. market and beyond when they sell one menu item in particular: chicken. The love of fried chicken endures beyond borders, with restaurant-goers seeking out international takes on the classic dish. Or, at least in the case of one Guatemalan chain, a nostalgic taste of home.
New Yorkers and Californians are closest to the foreign food chains that made this list. However, there are several international restaurants located throughout the United States. Stacker compiled a list of 10 restaurant chains that started abroad and expanded into the U.S. market. See how many you're able to try in a neighborhood near you.
Jollibee
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The Philippines' largest fast-food chain has been growing outside its home market for decades. And recently, the fast-food giant ramped up its expansion across North America. Jollibee first expanded into the U.S. market in 1998 with a restaurant in Daly City, California.
Now, the chain has 72 locations across the country, with plans to open 500 more stores in North America before the end of the decade. The Manila-based restaurant chain is best known for its bright red, anthropomorphic bee mascot and signature fried chicken. Aside from its "Chickenjoy" fried chicken, the chain brings a taste of its home country with menu items such as adobo rice, palabok fiesta noodles, and ube pie.
Pret A Manger
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With a name like "Pret A Manger," you'd be forgiven for assuming that the fast-casual restaurant's roots are French. But, believe it or not, Pret originates from London. New Yorkers are probably the most familiar with the restaurant's sandwiches, wraps, and organic coffee; the first location to open outside of London was in New York City on Broad Street in 2000.
Today, the company manages 58 stores throughout the U.S. East Coast, with a handful of other locations in Los Angeles and Chicago. The chain plans to expand to more than 300 locations across the U.S. by 2029.
Le Pain Quotidien
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Another French-titled restaurant with franchised restaurants in New York City is Le Pain Quotidien, which translates to "the daily bread." A young chef named Alan Coumont founded the first restaurant in 1990 in Brussels. Coumount wasn't satisfied with the quality of bread he could buy locally, so he started making and selling his own.
There are more than 50 locations in the United States, with over half of them in New York City. If you're not in the Big Apple, you can also sample the bakery's fresh loaves, sandwiches, and pastries in the metro areas of Washington D.C., Miami, and Los Angeles.
Tim Hortons
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The Canadian coffee and donut chain Tim Hortons shares its name with its professional hockey-playing founder. The company started in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario. But Brazilian investment firm 3G Capital purchased the chain in 2014.
You can find Tim Hortons across the East Coast and the Midwest, with most stores located in Ohio, Michigan, and New York. Try a "Double Double" coffee—named for its two creams and two sugars—and an order of its bite-sized Timbits donuts to get the quintessential taste of this chain restaurant. As of February 2024, there are about 630 Tim Hortons in the U.S., but the plan is to grow that number to 1,000 by 2028.
Pollo Campero
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Since 2002, Americans have enjoyed a little taste of Central American cooking at Pollo Campero. The first Pollo Campero restaurant opened in Guatemala in 1971, but the company has since expanded to countries like El Salvador and Mexico. California has the most locations in the United States, but the chain restaurant can be found across both coasts.
The restaurant says the U.S. stores use the same recipe for its famous fried chicken as its Guatemalan locations. But Pollo Campero purists swear the chicken in its home country tastes better. Soon, more Americans will be able to try Pollo Campero, as the chain plans to grow from 80 locations to 250 stateside by 2026.
Beard Papa's
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In 1999, a small bakery in Osaka, Japan, began baking cream puff pastries that mimicked the fluffy, white beard of the store's owner. That recipe would soon spread to 15 countries and territories outside Japan, including Australia, China, and the United States. It first came to the U.S. in 2004.
Pastry lovers can find Beard Papa's offerings at bakeries in New York, California, Texas, Colorado, and several other states. Customers can build their own customized puff pastry by choosing a shell and desired filling. As of April 2024, five new Beard Papa's locations have arrived in the U.S.
TKK Fried Chicken
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TKK Fried Chicken hails from Taipei, Taiwan, with the first restaurant opening in the city's Wanhua district in 1974. TKK Fried Chicken describes its menu as a blend of Eastern flavors and Western cooking techniques. For example, the chefs fry their chicken in soybean oil, rather than the vegetable or peanut oil favored by Americans.
In 2018, TKK joined forces with American company Kung Fu Tea to open a joint restaurant in New York City. From there, the partnership spread to more locations including Texas, Michigan, and Washington D.C. According to the company's website, there are at least five more locations in the works.
El Pollo Loco
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In 1975, Juan Francisco Ochoa launched the first El Pollo Loco in Guasave, Sinaloa, Mexico. Ochoa used the citrus marinade recipe that his family had cooked for generations. That recipe was a hit, and five years later, he brought his formula for success to his first American restaurant on Alvarado Street in Los Angeles. In 1983, Ochoa sold the American-based restaurants to Denny's.
Today, the U.S. company has 475 locations, with U.S. outposts in California, Texas, and Louisiana. The company's most famous former employee is almost certainly Brad Pitt, who dressed up as the restaurant's chicken mascot before his acting career took off in the late 1980s.
Yashinova
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Yashinova is by far the oldest restaurant chain on this list. It got its start in the Nihonbashi Fish Market in Tokyo in 1899. Over 70 years later, the chain launched its first American franchise in Denver before expanding into Los Angeles in 1979.
Today, there are more than 100 franchised Yashinova restaurants across California selling the chain's signature beef bowls with rice. More Americans may soon get the chance to try the fast-casual food inspired by Japanese flavors—the chain intends to franchise new U.S. locations outside of California as of 2025.
Nando's
Updated
The beloved South African restaurant, known for its spicy, marinated chicken, originated in Johannesburg in 1987. The signature taste of Nando's comes from its use of the piri piri pepper, which is much hotter than a jalapeño, but not as hot as a habanero.
In 2008, Nando's opened its first U.S. location in Washington D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood. Many more restaurants have opened up since, and now there are Nando's locations from Georgia to Maryland. Order the PERi-PERi Chicken for the most popular taste of Nando's.
Story editing by Chris Compendio. Copy editing by Meg Shields. Photo selection by Lacy Kerrick.
