Coffee Cup Travel Plaza Adds Digital Pricing, Self Checkout and More

Tom Heinz, owner and CEO of Coffee Cup Fuel Stops, worked with Paragon Solutions on the remodel, which started in the fall of 2016 and finished in the fall of 2018.
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This summer, I had the pleasure of touring the redesigned Coffee Cup Travel Center in Burbank, South Dakota. Tom Heinz, owner and CEO of Coffee Cup Fuel Stops, worked with Paragon Solutions on the remodel, which started in the fall of 2016 and finished in the fall of 2018.

The space is open and inviting with many innovations, tapping into amenities, food offers and branding that make customers feel welcome and well taken care of. The new layout includes a Caribou Coffee, Cinnabon, Pizza Hut and Subway paired with a light-filled eating area.

Here are just a few of the many things that stand out in the sparkly new space:

DIGITAL LABELS

At the time of the tour, digital labels were installed on 75 percent of the products in the store. The digital labels are easy-to-read but also easy to update. “As soon as you update the price in the price book, it automatically updates on the floor. As soon our cost goes up, we can change the price,” said Heinz said.

SELF-SERVE KIOSK

As soon as you walk in the store, you see the self-serve kiosk. Coffee Cup worked with Comdata to make a Smartdesq work as a credit/debit only self-checkout. “So far, about 12 percent of our store sales are from the kiosk,” Heinz said. Learn more about the kiosk on page 14.

EXPERIENCE-FOCUSED DECORATIONS

The new layout has plenty of ways for customers to feel comfortable, including a fireplace and a living wall. The wall of plants has a built-in sprinkler system. "We are on our second planting because at first, we were watering it too much. Now we water it once a week," explained Jane Heinz, director of inside sales for Coffee Cup Fuel Stops.

Customers can enjoy the warmth of fireplaces while looking at the store’s mural. Maria March, a local artist, painted a Lewis and Clark inspiring mural around the top of the store. It took her two weeks to paint it.

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