Forecourt Foodservice and Coffee Loyalty Strategies: Operational Insights and Digital Growth Models

Overview of Forecourt Foodservice and Loyalty Dynamics

The convenience and forecourt sector is experiencing a strategic pivot where foodservice and high-frequency beverage categories serve as primary profit drivers. According to data reported by NACS, convenience foodservice and merchandise sales reached $341.2 billion in 2025, even as fuel sales fell 5.4% due to lower pump prices. Within this mix, foodservice generated 28.5% of in-store sales while contributing 38.9% of gross profit dollars. Furthermore, CSP Daily News benchmarks indicate that typical foodservice margins average approximately 57%, compared to a 27% margin for general merchandise.

To capitalize on these margin dynamics, operators are targeting high-frequency habits, particularly coffee and hot dispensed beverages. Industry tracking by Datassential indicates that 73% of consumers consume coffee or tea multiple times per week, with 54% drinking it daily. Additionally, data from the National Coffee Association's fall 2025 report revealed that 59% of U.S. consumers bought their coffee through a drive-thru and 38% placed orders via a mobile app.

Innovation in Menu Hacks and Digital Marketing

Convenience operators are actively leveraging digital platforms and specialty menu concepts to drive store traffic. Sheetz—ranked No. 13 on CSP’s 2026 Top 202 ranking of U.S. c-store chains by store count—partnered with media producer First We Feast to launch a three-episode YouTube miniseries titled Fuel Stop Feast. Hosted by Adam Richman alongside Chefs Christian Alquiza and Ian Fujimoto, the program highlights menu customizations using Sheetz’s Made-to-Order platform.

Ryan Sheetz, executive vice president of marketing and supply chain at Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz, noted that partnering with First We Feast enabled the company "to take the variety and customization behind our Made-to-Order menu and showcase it in a completely new way." Limited-time offerings debuted in the series—including the Lumberjack Breakfast Sandwich, Pizza Bagel Bunz Burger, and Tater Bomb Nachos—were made available to order across all Sheetz locations. Sheetz operates more than 830 stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia, and plans an expansion into Indiana in 2027.

Driving Frequency Through Integrated Loyalty Ecosystems

Capturing daily beverage buyers requires friction-free digital onboarding and loyalty integration. Paytronix data demonstrates that 60.2% of first-time Beverage and Snack guests return for a second visit, and 87.3% of guests who reach nine visits go on to a tenth. However, while overall loyalty enrolment is widespread—with over 90% of companies operating loyalty programs—Paytronix client data indicates that despite active member rates rising from 66.1% to 71.6% year-over-year, average visits per member declined, pointing to an engagement gap.

Fast-growing drive-thru coffee operators highlight the impact of simplified loyalty models. For instance, 7 Brew expanded from 14 locations in early 2022 to over 700 units across 38 states, increasing systemwide sales from $502 million in 2024 to nearly $1.2 billion in 2025, as covered in MobilityPlaza's analysis. Similarly, Foxtail Coffee doubled its store network to 100 locations over two years, while Wake Up Call Coffee acquired 13 Black Rock Coffee Bar sites in late 2025 to accelerate growth using straightforward stamp-based rewards. International fuel brand strategies mirror this prioritization; BP's Wild Bean Café, operating across more than 320 UK sites, launched its largest-ever UK marketing campaign in 2025 to promote forecourt beverage quality.

Analysis: Hypotheses and Operator Considerations

*Note: The following section represents analytical synthesis and strategic framing distinct from direct source reporting.*

While media partnerships and integrated POS platforms present logical growth avenues, operators must formally test these operational assumptions before capital deployment.

Hypothesis 1: Limited-Time Content Hacks Drive Incremental Store Visits

• Hypothesis: Promoting chef-created menu hacks on video platforms increases impulse food orders among younger cohorts without degrading kitchen throughput.
• Proposed Test: Run a 30-day split-A/B test across 50 matched participating locations. Group A receives digital marketing for complex menu hacks; Group B receives standard promotional creative. Measure order assembly times, ticket size, and loyalty signup rates.

Hypothesis 2: Unified App-POS Loyalty Systems Outperform Standalone Point Solutions

• Hypothesis: Integrating mobile ordering directly with POS and loyalty software reduces second-visit dropout rates compared to decoupled point solutions.
• Proposed Test: Deploy integrated app ordering at 20 test locations while maintaining third-party point solutions at 20 control sites. Track second-to-fourth visit conversion over a 90-day window.