Dive Brief:
- Alimentation Couche-Tard has partnered with Arizona-based Burrito Express to bring the QSR chain’s menu to several Circle K c-stores in the Phoenix area, the companies announced last week.
- Burrito Express, which has seven standalone restaurants in the Phoenix area, is developing its Burrito Express Fast and Fresh format with Circle K, according to the announcement. The first of these locations opened earlier this year and five more are on the way.
- Not only does this partnership help Couche-Tard strengthen its army of QSR brands, but it also helps the convenience retailer compete within the broader restaurant space, which the company has increasingly prioritized.
Dive Insight:
Arizona is one of Couche-Tard’s largest U.S. markets, with over 150 Circle K locations in Metro Phoenix alone. Given its deep roots in the area, Couche-Tard wanted to collaborate with a local restaurant chain that helped bring “new value” to its customer experience, Morten Jensen, vice president of operations for Circle K’s Grand Canyon Business Unit, said in the announcement.
It found a partner in Burrito Express, which is the first Mexican restaurant to join Circle K’s roster of QSRs. The partnership will follow what Couche-Tard calls a “hub-and-spoke model,” in which the kitchens inside Circle K’s stores will support the new Burrito Express Fast and Fresh restaurants.
The menu will include eight burrito options: regular and breakfast Supreme; steak and eggs; potato and egg; chorizo, egg and potato; steak, potato and cheese; chicken, potato and cheese; and bean and cheese.
“Burrito Express enjoys a tremendous following and adds an exciting new dimension to the Circle K food offer,” Jensen said.
Much of Couche-Tard’s foodservice efforts in recent years have centered on developing its Fresh Food, Fast program, which was available in nearly 5,900 Circle K locations globally as of March. That program, which debuted in 2020, features hot sandwiches and burgers, cold deli subs and wraps, pizza, hot snacks, baked goods and roller-grill dogs.
The program had been successful enough that it was competing with QSRs last year, company leaders said in November. Earlier this month, Couche-Tard named a new VP of North America foodservice and QSRs to support this growth.
