As c-stores increasingly look to unseat QSRs for dining-out dollars, more chains are hiring experienced chefs from the restaurant world — many of them classically trained at top culinary schools.
A recent Technomic report showed that 55% of all c-stores, and 72% of convenience retail chains, are hiring these professionals to boost quality and consumer perceptions for their prepared foods programs.
“If not properly managed, foodservice programs can be very unprofitable, lead to low consumer satisfaction and damage the brand’s performance,” said Donna Hood Crecca, senior principal at Technomic. “Hiring foodservice expertise and experience is an important investment for c-store retailers looking to grow the fresh food and beverage categories.
The trend is playing out atop many convenience retailers.
Matt Chappell, the corporate executive chef for Leo’s Market and Eatery, a seven-unit operator based in Greenfield, Indiana, previously held roles as the executive chef at Vanderbilt University and Ball State University, along with working at country clubs. His goal at Leo’s is to serve “good food, not good food for a c-store,” he said, in order to compete against restaurant chains.
Philip Santini brings experience from restaurant chains like Le Pain Quotidien and Eataly to his current role as senior director of food service and bar strategy for Rutter’s. Professional chefs, he said, “bring a different level of expertise and innovation that can improve the food, strengthen execution, and ultimately change how customers perceive the c-store experience.”
As more c-stores get to that culinary-driven foodservice space, he added, “the QSRs won’t have anything to compete with us on. We are open 24 hours a day, are value-driven and can compete on prices.”
It’s not just about competing with QSRs though. Across the industry, convenience store chains “are realizing if you don’t have someone with foodservice knowledge, you’re going to get left behind,” said Ryan Blevins, director of food and beverage innovation for Tennessee-based Weigel’s, who previously worked in the restaurant industry.
Challenging skill sets
Chefs entering the convenience industry can face a big learning curve, which retailers should keep in mind when going this route.
“Unlike restaurants, c-stores are not solely focused on fresh food and beverage preparation and service, so there are operational variances that challenge the ability to execute consistently,” said Hood Crecca. “Also, labor allocations for foodservice vary, as do skill levels.”
Hood Crecca also noted that financials and KPIs can be very different — a sentiment echoed by Chappell, who highlighted food costs, with less money to spend per item, as a taxing aspect of preparing menus for c-stores.
Ryan Krebs, a former chef who got his c-store start at Rutter’s and now works as senior director of food and beverage at Sprint Mart in Mississippi, said he had trouble coming to grips with the needs and constraints of the c-store world.
“I came from places where we did a lot [of cooking] from scratch and Rutter’s model was made-to-order but you had to do it in four minutes or less, using a lot of pre-cooked items,” he said, adding that the high-speed equipment was also new to him.
Entering the c-store industry “was a big-time learning curve,” agreed Blevins, who went from working in huge, multi-million-dollar kitchens to c-store operations with equipment like combi ovens that he’d never seen before.
“I didn’t know how I was going to innovate and create new products if I didn’t know how to use the ovens,” said Blevins.
He also had to refocus on pre-prepared grab-and-go foods and learn about the merchandising equipment that holds them
And then there are the tight margins, which Blevins said can make innovation more challenging.
“But that also inspires creativity,” he said. “It pushes us to develop food that’s affordable, appealing and still feels like a great experience.”
As Weigel’s foodservice program has progressed, the company has become more intentional about hiring workers with the proper attitude, reliability and a willingness to learn, Blevins said. Because of this, training is now simpler, more structured and more hands-on than it’s been in the past, with an initial focus on the fundamentals of food safety, equipment use, product quality and consistent execution.
There’s no one place to hunt for foodservice talent — the chefs interviewed for this story took a number of routes to end up in the c-store space — but a strong in-house training program can help a restaurant-experienced leader instill those fundamentals in new hires.
Better schedules, bigger responsibilities
For convenience retailers, hiring professionals from the restaurant world can boost the company’s ability to innovate and keep a finger on the pulse of what’s popular.
“Chefs bring flavors and trends because of all their exposure,” Krebs said. “In order to be competitive today you really need to think about investing in that expert.”
That can be vital in the fast-moving c-store space. Santini said that this year alone, he’s launching around 500 new menu items with Rutter’s.
“The challenge is to continue to push and to be innovative,” he said.
For the chefs, one of the biggest advantages of moving into the world of convenience stores from restaurants is the hours. Most c-store chefs spend evenings, weekends and holidays home with their families.
“Chefs bring flavors and trends because of all their exposure. In order to be competitive today you really need to think about investing in that expert.”
Ryan Krebs
Senior director of food and beverage at Sprint Mart
On top of that, Chappell loves feeding people and the trust they have in him. He still spends a lot of time cooking and creating menu items. This year he’s been working on cross-utilizing ingredients to minimize waste and keep costs down for Leo’s.
While bringing in a chef directly impacts store menus, their talents can also be applied to many parts of the business, and how they divide their time up can vary from company to company.
Around 60% of Krebs’ time is spent on the business side. And the stakes are high.
“You become an executive leader, negotiating five-year contracts and millions of dollars in distribution,” Krebs said. “You don’t touch that in independent restaurants.”
Blevins, by contrast, spends around 65% of his time on food, between innovation and product development. The rest of his time is focused on tasks like training, building out recipes and establishing standard operating procedures. But he prefers the former, he said.
“I am most passionate and happy when I’m developing products.”
While the improved quality of life far outweighs what he left behind, Santini still misses the camaraderie of restaurant teams working through a busy shift, as well as the opportunity to connect with guests in the front of house.
Blevins misses the hustle and bustle of being behind the line. “You get under a lot of stress to put food out and there’s a lot of energy about that.”
As for Krebs, what does he miss? “Nothing. I work in the best industry in the world, that’s so fulfilling, so full of growth, so full of moving parts which keeps things fresh and energetic. I’ll never work for another industry.”
