For years, “gas station food” was code for compromise—something you grabbed because you were out of time, not because you actually wanted it.



But in the past year the category crossed a line that’s hard to walk back.

In a clear sign that c-stores are being reclassified as meal destinations, dunnhumby’s 2025 Retailer Preference Index (RPI) – QSR Channel Edition ranked Buc-ee’s #1 and Kwik Trip #2—ahead of In-N-Out Burger (#3), Raising Cane’s (#4), and Chick-fil-A (#5). 

And the framing is the point: dunnhumby includes convenience chains in the QSR set when a clear majority of their shoppers use them as meal destinations—not “snack stops.” 

Consumer sentiment is catching up, too. Datassential describes a “reputation revolution” in c-store foodservice: 40% of consumers say offerings are improving (up from 38% in 2023), with perceived gains in quality (35%) and freshness (33%)—even as 31% say prices are getting worse, keeping value perception a live pressure point. 

So, the 2026 story isn’t “c-stores are adding food.”

It’s that foodservice is becoming the growth and profit engine of the box—and the winners are building stores that behave like neighborhood kitchens that happen to sell fuel.

Actionable bridge: If you’re leading growth in 2026—as an operator or supplier—the move isn’t to “expand the menu.” It’s to engineer four decisions that turn food from an add-on into an engine: (1) shift profit mix toward prepared food + beverage attach, (2) convert default trips into meal occasions with speed certainty, (3) monetize dwell time with food + comfort (especially as EV expands), and (4) systemize execution so quality holds at peak.

Now, here’s what’s driving that shift.

1) Superior margin dynamics — the moment the math flips, the business flips

Fuel still looks like the business: the canopy dominates the site, the price sign is the loudest message, and the forecourt sets the traffic rhythm. But profit doesn’t care what looks big—it cares what’s controllable.

NACS reports the gross margin (markup) on gasoline in 2024 was 39.7 cents per gallon (11.9%), and notes credit card fees were 8.4 cents per gallon. That’s the reality check: a meaningful share of “margin” is already spoken for before you touch labor, utilities, shrink, maintenance, and the competitive pricing moves that show up the second the street gets aggressive.

Foodservice is different because it’s the part of the store you can design.

In 2024, NACS reported foodservice accounted for 27.7% of in-store sales and delivered 38.6% of in-store gross margin dollars in c-stores—and most of that foodservice volume came from prepared food (72.6% of foodservice sales). 

Then the flywheel tightens: the best programs don’t just sell food—they create profitable baskets. NACS reports that 37.4% of customers who bought packaged beverages also purchased prepared food in the same trip, and that foodservice plus packaged beverages drove 60.8% of in-store profit dollars in 2024. 

And when you zoom into prepared food specifically, the picture gets even clearer: preliminary NACS data shows prepared food averaged a 56.41% margin in 2024 and brought in $54,961 per store, per month. 

What it means in 2026: the strategic goal isn’t “more food items.” It’s more profitable trips—built on a prepared-food platform that reliably pulls beverage attach and repeat behavior.

2) Capturing the “time-poor” consumer — proximity gets you the chance; speed certainty gets you the habit

The consumer isn’t just price-aware right now—they’re schedule-compressed. The winning proposition is shifting from “best food” to best food journey.

C-stores have a structural advantage here: you’re already on the route. NACS notes 93% of Americans say they’re within 10 minutes of a convenience store (including 86% of rural Americans). That convenience earns the visit—but the food program determines whether the visit becomes a meal mission.

And the broader traffic context supports why this matters now. Placer.ai reported QSR visits declined 1.6% year-over-year in Q1 2025. Meanwhile, Placer.ai highlights c-store visits running above pre-pandemic baselines, including November 2024 traffic 15.5% higher than November 2018. 

What it means in 2026: proximity is the entry ticket. The differentiator is speed certainty—a predictable decision → pay → pickup path that holds up at peak without sacrificing food trust.

3) Resilience against the EV transition — EV didn’t kill the stop; it created a new occasion

EV is often framed as a long-term threat to “pump-and-go.” But it also creates something the internal combustion era rarely delivered at scale: dwell time.

The U.S. DOT notes DC fast charging can charge a BEV to 80% in about 20 minutes to 1 hour. EIA describes a similar range for reaching 80% in 20 minutes to an hour using a DC fast charger. EPA adds that many plug-in vehicles can regain hundreds of miles of range in as little as 20–30 minutes on fast charging (vehicle/charger dependent), and that charging slows as the battery fills. 

A 3–5-minute fuel stop is built for turnover.

A 20–60-minute charge stop demands comfort.

What it means in 2026: the win isn’t “having chargers.” The win is monetizing time—with craveable food, premium beverages, clean restrooms, and an environment that makes waiting feel like a choice (not a penalty).

4) Supply chain and labor efficiencies — why c-stores can out-execute restaurants when they stop improvising

Restaurants are built for food; c-stores are built for repeatability under constraint. That’s why the operators who scale don’t “add a kitchen.” They build a system: platform menu architecture, equipment that supports throughput, packaging that protects quality, and production planning that keeps the offer fresh and visible.

Datassential points to a key behavioral truth: over one-third of consumers buy prepared food they hadn’t intended to purchase, and the triggers are operationally engineerable—discovery while walking the store (33%), register adjacency (22%), eye-catching packaging (26%), and new items or flavors (25%). 

What it means in 2026: the winners won’t be the ones with the biggest menus. They’ll be the ones with the best platform—craveable, fast, merchandised to trigger impulse, and operationally tight enough to hold quality at peak.

The path forward — “food added” vs. “food scaled”

Once foodservice becomes your engine, your competitors change. You’re not competing with the store across the street; you’re competing with the brands that own habits: morning ritual, lunch comfort, speed certainty, and trust.



In 2026, the question isn’t whether to invest in foodservice. It’s how fast you can scale a proprietary food identity that turns a routine stop into a preferred destination—because the market is already voting that the best c-stores belong in the QSR conversation.

Join us: Collaborative Innovation Convenience Foodservice Forum

If 2026 is the year foodservice becomes the engine, then the real advantage won’t come from more ideas—it will come from faster, better execution. The operators who win will be the ones who can pressure-test platforms, redesign flow, and build a scalable menu architecture before the next wave of competition sets the new baseline.

That’s exactly why we built the Kinetic12 Collaborative Innovation: Convenience Foodservice Forum—a working session designed to help leaders move from “food added” to “food scaled.” It’s where forward-thinking c-store operators and supplier partners get in the same room to:

• isolate the highest-value foodservice opportunities for 2026,
• stress-test concepts against operational constraints (labor, equipment, throughput, merchandising), and
• leave with practical, pilot-ready pathways that can be executed quickly and measured clearly.

If you’re ready to turn foodservice into a repeatable growth engine—not just a department, contact us to learn more about how you can get involved with the Kinetic12 Collaborative Innovation: Convenience Foodservice Forum.