Looking for a Foodservice Program?
Tobacco and fuel… Once the staples of your entire c-store, they now are starting to fail you. From rising tobacco taxes and decreased usage to slipping fuel margins, your cash cows are drying up. What’s going to help make up the difference? That’s where an in-store foodservice program can fill your revenue gaps.
A foodservice program can make the difference!
I can hear it now, just from reading the opening paragraph, the majority of you that are potentially looking to bring in a foodservice program are already thinking:
- “The margins are too small in the foodservice industry!”
- “People aren’t coming to my store for the food!”
- “I simply don’t have the space or the foot traffic to make the start-up cost worth it!”
While those are reasonable assumptions, they can all be dispelled with the correct foodservice program for your location. Not all programs are created equally. Let’s dive into why these excuses don’t hold water.
The Margins Are Great
“The margins are too small in the foodservice industry!”
That couldn’t be further from the truth. If you want a program, while it could be more labor intensive, that delivers incredible margins then foodservice is the ticket. Recently CPS Daily News indicated that foodservice margins are at 57%... while non-food items were 27%. Yup, foodservice margins are DOUBLE what your other products are.
Not convinced yet? Well, you are about the only one. Almost 9 out of 10 store operators found that foodservice was a pivotal key to the success of their stores. Get this, out of the 154,000+ c-stores in the US, almost 140,000 offer a foodservice program. It’s a massive industry, with massive margin potential.
When it comes to the foodservice industry, prepared food is the king and was #1 in gross profit dollars and sales according to the NACS State of the Industry Summary for 2016. With over 350% MORE sales than the #2 category, hot beverages!
People Want Convenient Food
“People aren’t coming to my store for the food!”
Humans naturally gravitate towards convenience. From a quick bite while on the road to grabbing a fast snack while filling up, foodservice once again ranks supreme at c-stores. In fact, according to the NACS Summary, foodservice ranked #1 for in-store gross profit dollars at 33.7%. Way behind at #2 was packaged beverages at 18.8%.
It’s a simple fact that if you get them in your store you have a great chance at selling foodservice items. Plus, your convenient location means returning customers! CSP indicated that 85% of all millennial (the largest age cohort in the United States) c-store customers come in more than once a week. That’s a staggering number and a good foodservice program can get people of all ages coming back for more time and time again!
More Affordable Than You Think
“I simply don’t have the space or the foot traffic to make the start-up cost worth it!”
Just for the sake of proving a point here, I’m going to use our own programs at PFSbrands to depict how quickly the payback period is for your startup costs. For instance, if you only have 300 customers a day at a 10% purchase rate, you can pay off your initial investment (for instance, $25,000) in less than 17 months. If you would like to know an estimate of how long it would take your location to pay off your investment, contact us and we’ll discuss potential payback periods for your location.
Plus, when you choose a trusted name brand like one of our programs (Champs Chicken, Coopers’ Express), over half of c-stores customers are more likely to increase their purchases… and that jumps to over 60% for millennial customers! It’s all about the trust factor!
Wrap-Up
If you’re looking to generate revenue in your c-store (or even grocery store), one of the best steps you can take it looking into a foodservice program. Make sure you find a reputable, trusted partner that will be with you each step of the way as they help you fill your revenue gaps. So stop making excuses and start making your foodservice program a staple of your business… the margins are too good to miss!
Be sure to check out our programs and how we can help you!
