Hunt Brothers' 10,000 Stores Signal $335B C-Store Food Revolution

Casey's General Stores sells over 100 million slices of pizza annually from their 2,400+ convenience stores. They've become the fifth-largest pizza chain in America—not by building pizza restaurants, but by turning gas stations into destination kitchens. Customers drive past traditional QSRs to get Casey's pizza for lunch.

The numbers tell the real story. Foodservice sales—including prepared food, commissary and hot, cold and frozen dispensed beverages—accounted for 28.7% of in-store sales and 39.6% of in-store gross margin dollars at convenience stores in 2024. Total c-store in-store sales hit a record $335.5 billion in 2024, with foodservice driving the 22nd consecutive year of record sales.

Meanwhile, traditional profit centers are under pressure. Gas prices fluctuate wildly, squeezing fuel margins. Tobacco sales face regulatory headwinds and declining usage rates. The entire business model that built convenience stores is eroding.

The pivot is happening in real time. Fireside Market just opened a 9,700-square-foot flagship in Slinger, Wisconsin, that pairs an all-day made-to-order kitchen with drive-thru, curbside pickup, and EV chargers. The kitchen runs 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. with signatures like Pastrami Bacon Jam Burgers and fire-roasted proteins, while the market stays open 24/7. That's not a gas station with snacks. That's a QSR with fuel pumps.

The Asymmetric Wedge

The U.S. has 152,255 convenience stores. Of those, 121,852 sell fuel. The long tail is extreme—mom-and-pop operators running on paper playbooks, decade-old permits, and manual inventory. They're getting crushed while the big players feast.

Hunt Brothers Pizza just crossed 10,000 locations inside convenience stores across 33 states. Krispy Krunchy Chicken opened 605 stores in 2024 and plans to exceed that pace in 2025, now operating in over 3,200 locations. Both operate on a simple model: no franchise fees, minimal equipment requirements, proven playbooks.

But here's what they're missing: dynamic intelligence. Hunt Brothers serves the same pizza whether it's raining or sunny, whether there's a football game or a school holiday. Krispy Krunchy pushes chicken at 7 a.m. when commuters want breakfast sandwiches. Neither adapts to EV charging patterns, local events, or real-time demand signals.

That gap is your entry point. Build the Kitchen OS that makes every independent c-store as sophisticated as a Sweetgreen, as data-driven as a cloud kitchen, as responsive as algorithmic pricing at Amazon.

Why Now: Dwell Time Economics

Peter Rasmussen, CEO of Convenience and Energy Advisors, told Convenience Store News: "Nobody is getting rich selling EV [charging], but the average dwell time is 23 minutes compared to five for gasoline".

KPMG predicts that non-fuel profit could grow from 50% to 80% by 2035 due to EV charging dwell time. EV drivers typically spend 15-30 minutes waiting for their vehicles to charge, creating an extended window for food purchases that gas customers never provided.

But here's the problem: faster charging technology keeps improving. DC fast chargers now deliver 80% charge in 30 minutes. Tesla's V3 Superchargers can add 200 miles of range in 15 minutes. The window is shrinking.

Smart operators are already adapting. Electric Era's new platform for c-stores combines AI-enabled user interfaces with deeper integration into store operations and loyalty programs, extending the retail experience to the parking lot. The winners won't wait for customers to wander inside after plugging in. They'll capture the order at the charger, push personalized offers based on charge time, and have food ready at the optimal moment.

The Current Landscape Is Ripe

Shell's Global Manager of Convenience Retailing Operations, Richard Garcia, notes: "The historical model for convenience is that you use fuel to attract people. That is absolutely changing to the store becoming the destination. The average person fills up their car 2.3 times a month. The average C-store shopper comes to a convenience store more than three times a week".

The infrastructure is already shifting. Major chains including Walmart, Casey's General Stores, and Buc-ee's have made significant investments in EV charging infrastructure. 7-Eleven recently launched 7Charge, its own EV fast-charging network across Florida, Texas, Colorado, and California with plans to expand into Canada.

Product: The Forecourt Kitchen OS

Here's what you build—a complete operating system that transforms convenience stores into intelligent food destinations.

Your system ingests local data streams: weather forecasts, school calendars, sports schedules, traffic patterns, and EV charging volumes. It automatically adjusts menu recommendations and pricing.