(May 20, 2019) BOSTON — Fast food restaurants have been the go-to for a quick bite for decades. And as Americans get busier, gas station convenience stores have stepped up to provide exceptional, speedy food service, creating new competition in the market to contend with long-time restaurateurs.

Food service now makes up nearly 23% of sales at convenience stores nationwide, growing three percent in the past 5 years. GasBuddy examines how, why and where convenience store food service is gaining on quick service restaurants (QSRs).

The study found that 56% of Americans purchase meals at least once per month at gas station convenience stores, with younger Americans purchasing food at convenience stores more frequently. Twenty-five percent of those aged 30-44 purchase food 5 or more times per month, while 20% of those aged 18-29 purchase food at convenience stores 3-4 times per month.

A significant portion of 18-29 year olds purchase more meals from convenience stores than they did three years ago (43%), and 75% of Americans believe convenience store food service has improved in the past five years.

“Convenience retailers with compelling food service programs are a growing threat to quick service restaurants,” says Frank Beard, convenience store trends analyst at GasBuddy.

“Data show that people choose convenience stores over fast food locations because of the convenience of an all-in-one stop for fuel and food, followed by a preference for the taste of the food at c-stores. Couple this with leading convenience brands like Wawa and QuikTrip rapidly expanding across the country, and fast food brands will be forced to find innovative ways to catch up.”

Frequent visits to purchase meals at convenience stores come with increased dollar spend. The study found that 1 in 4 Americans spend $6-10 per week on convenience store food service, with nearly 20 percent of Americans aged 18-29 spending $10-15 per week.

The most-preferred meals from convenience stores and QSRs include sandwiches or wraps (1), fresh salad (2), pizza (3), burgers and fries (4) and fried chicken (5).

“Convenience brands are well-positioned to cater to consumer’s tastes because they aren’t pigeon-holed into one type of cuisine,” says Beard. “Our study found that younger Americans prefer more variety, particularly with newer menu items like burritos and pizzas.”

As for the time it takes to receive their food, nearly one third of consumers are only willing to wait five minutes for their meal.

When asked about what they don’t like about fast food establishments, consumers cited unhealthy options as the top concern (1), followed by the quality of the food (2), restaurant cleanliness (3), and limited food and drink options (4).

Methodology
Results based on 550 responses from a GasBuddy survey issued on April 24, 2019.