Five Trends in Beverages for Travel Centers to Watch

Truck stops and travel centers should create a mix of grab-and-go, built-to-order and quick service options that can appeal to customers who are on the go. Here are trends in the fresh food category.

The NATSO Foundation created a toolkit in collaboration with the NATSO Foundation’s 2026 Food and Beverage Steering Council to provide industry insights into successful food operations and best practices and serve as an inspiration as operations look for their next great idea in food service. “Drivers and travelers are looking for food options that are fast, convenient, consistent and worth stopping for,” said Amy Toner, executive director of the NATSO Foundation. “This toolkit helps operators evaluate their foodservice programs through the customer’s eyes and identify opportunities to strengthen the overall travel center experience through food.”

Foodservice is now one of the most important differentiators for travel centers and truck stops, and the right food offerings can create a competitive advantage. The ideal mix of food service offerings often includes a combination of proprietary and branded programs, but what should travel centers consider when partnering with a QSR? “We’re a house of brands, so we want to have multiple offerings to appeal to everyone,” Chris Heinz, director of operations and finance at Heinz Inc. said.

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Well-known quick-service brands are powerful tools truck stop and travel plaza operators can use to attract customers and drive traffic inside and boost sales throughout the location. "One golden brand is all you need,” said Keith Wade, owner of KEW Travel Center Consulting, while speaking during the Great Ideas! Workshop at NATSO Connect 2025. Wade added that a known brand can even boost sales of proprietary offerings. "When I see a billboard with Bob's Tacos and clean restrooms, I think I need to keep going. If you have a smaller site but can put in a Wendy's or branded site, then you'll sell the hell out of your Bob's Tacos. You just have to get them there first.” “Try this exercise. Take a trip 10 to 15 miles down the interstate from your location. Open up Google, Apple Maps, Waze, etc., and type in “food” and hit search. Does food at your location come up that would make a car stop at your travel center that hasn’t stopped at your location before? A QSR with known a food offering can be a big motivator in getting cars to stop,” said Toner. Dustin Trail, manager of Trails Travel Center, said there is always a fear that adding another food-serve brand will cannibalize sales of the existing offerings. “Sometimes you do, but if you pick the right ones, they all actually see an increase with all the new logos and billboards,” he said. “You give people another reason to stop, and you're driving traffic to your location.”

For Class 8 truck drivers, hours-of-service regulations and electronic logging devices strictly dictate how they must spend their time. Finding new ways to shorten the distance between drivers at the fuel island and fresh food continues to trend in the travel center industry. Darren Schulte, NATSO's vice president, membership, said now is the ideal time for operators to focus on food. “We are going through a food offering revolution in travel centers. This is one of the most exciting times to be in the food space in travel centers,” he said. Bringing food closer to the driver, strengthening grab-and-go food offerings and finding new ways to speed drivers through a location can increase convenience, boost sales and make a location a preferred stop.  

Franchised businesses have demonstrated resilience and franchise growth is expected to continue outpacing the growth of the broader economy. That growth presents opportunities for truck stop and travel center operators.

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Article created for the digital issue of   Excerpt from Eight Trends Shaping the Truck Stop and Travel Center Industry in 2024 Toolkit from the NATSO Foundation Understanding consumer expectations and preferences has become critical […]

Article created for the December digital issue of   Food offerings are a key differentiator, setting truck stops and travel centers apart from the competition and enticing drivers inside. More importantly, sales […]