The NATSO Foundation Seeks Vendors for 2027 Food and Beverage Steering Council

Innovation in food service isn’t just about trendy new menu items. For truck stop and travel center operators, food service innovation can help draw in customers, reduce friction and improve margins while also ensuring locations deliver food that people actually crave. During the NATSO Connect Food Focus Forum at NATSO Connect 2026, three industry leaders shared practical ways to think about and execute innovation.

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.  

Food is a critical part of truck stops and travel centers’ offerings, and it continually helps locations stand out from the competition. The NATSO Foundation's new Food and Beverage Steering Council is bringing together experts to share their insights and knowledge to help steer the industry in this important profit center. “QSRs, beverage companies, wholesale supply chains—these companies all have a wealth of knowledge to guide travel center operators on their food offerings,” said Amy Toner, executive director of the NATSO Foundation. “We’ve formed the NATSO Foundation Food and Beverage Steering Council to ensure travel centers remain relevant amidst evolving consumer food, buying, and travel habits.”

CKE Restaurants, the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, has become the latest member of NATSO’s Chairman’s Circle.

NATSO is thrilled to kick off its Demo Days series with Sbarro, bringing together a leading name in quick-service pizza and the booming travel center industry. Demo Days offers vendors […]

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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 […]

Food offerings are a key differentiator, setting truck stops and travel centers apart from the competition and enticing drivers inside. More importantly, sales in food or snacks are significant profit […]

To help operators understand recent research on professional drivers and what it means for the industry, the NATSO Foundation created the Opportunities Abound at Travel Centers to Serve Professional Drivers and Grow Wallet Share Toolkit. Christine Schoessler, COO of NATSO and Amy Toner, Executive Director of the NATSO Foundation, discuss the survey results on the foundation's podcast.

Gather the key findings on how often professional drivers fuel, rest and shop at travel centers during their work week, what brings them inside and their expectations around wait times, employee interaction, and food and loyalty preferences.