Dive Brief:
- Kwik Trip is phasing out roller grills from all of its convenience stores, Vice President of Food Service Paul Servais said in a statement to C-Store Dive.
- The Wisconsin-based retailer will still sell items found on roller grills, such as hot dogs and Tornados, but through its hot grab-and-go cases, Servais said. All 900-plus Kwik Trip stores will no longer have roller grills on Sept. 21, he added.
- Kwik Trip’s decision to eliminate roller grills — a staple of many convenience stores for decades — comes as the industry increasingly examines how best to use in-store space to maximize sales.
Dive Insight:
Kwik Trip, whose food has helped it build a loyal following across the Midwest, appears well aware of the appeal of its roller grill offerings, but isn’t sold on the fixtures themselves anymore. That’s why the retailer plans to keep hot dogs, egg rolls and other roller grill items even as it removes the stations from its stores.
These food items will soon join burgers, sandwiches, corndogs, pizza and more on its hot grab-and-go cases.
“We have tested this in a group of stores and found we can sell more of these items from our hot grab-n-go cases, which have a prominent position in the store, than we can from a roller grill,” Servais said.
Kwik Trip isn’t the first major c-store chain to move away from roller grills. Last year, Murphy USA revealed that its newer, larger store design excludes the popular fixtures. A district manager referred to roller grills at the time as “dead space.”
Roller grills have become synonymous with convenience stores through the years, often serving as a punchline to the industry’s efforts to establish itself as a food destination. Yet they remain an integral part of c-store foodservice, particularly grab and go. Just a few years ago, sausage company Johnsonville reported that 71% of consumers viewed roller grills as “very important” or “extremely important” when choosing a c-store to visit.
