Dive Brief:
- EG America is bringing Krispy Krunchy Chicken’s hot foods concept to many of its convenience stores across multiple banners, the foodservice company announced on Thursday.
- The fried chicken QSR will debut at five Cumberland Farms c-stores in the Florida panhandle, according to the announcement. The first will open on Sept. 22 at a Cumberland Farms in Santa Rosa Beach that was formerly one of EG’s Tom Thumb locations, a company spokesperson confirmed to C-Store Dive.
- This continues EG America’s ongoing focus on its foodservice operations, as the c-store retailer has launched several programs and hired new executives to run this side of the business.
Dive Insight:
EG America’s recent focus on food began when leadership hired Wawa’s longtime food and beverage director to spearhead its foodservice operations in late 2024. Over the following months, the retailer introduced several foodservice concepts — including burger, pizza and chicken wing QSRs — at select sites, launched a new grab-and-go snacking program at all of its c-stores, added new roller grill options and wraps and debuted online ordering and delivery.
The retailer’s partnership with Krispy Krunchy Chicken, one of the most popular QSR vendors in the c-store industry, marks yet another next step in the company’s foodservice evolution, which leadership said earlier this year is one of the company’s biggest points of focus.
“We’re excited to bring Krispy Krunchy Chicken and their highly craveable menu items to our North Florida locations,” said Brian Ferguson, chief marketing officer at EG America. “Partnering with Krispy Krunchy allows us to elevate the food experience even further by delivering the quality and flavor our customers want, right when they need it.”
Although Cumberland Farms hasn’t had much of a footprint in Florida beyond the South Beach area, it’ll soon have numerous stores in the panhandle due to EG America’s ongoing efforts to rebrand all Tom Thumb stores across the U.S. to Cumberland Farms. The company has about 100 Tom Thumb locations in the panhandle area, according to its website.
Besides Santa Rosa Beach, Krispy Krunchy plans to open at Cumberland Farms stores in Destin, Gulf Breeze, Navarre and Panama City in 2025, according to the announcement. A spokesperson from EG America declined to comment on what other banners across the company’s network will get the chicken chain.
“Our launch with Cumberland Farms in Florida is an important step for us, as it strengthens our presence in a key market and aligns Krispy Krunchy with one of the most recognized convenience store brands in the country,” said Jim Norberg, CEO of Krispy Krunchy Chicken.
