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 drivers. A new study from NATSO Services found untapped potential for growing food and beverage sales from drivers who are already stopping.
Most drivers taking the survey—81%—said they’d gone inside a travel center but left without purchasing food or beverages in the past month. Gaining even incremental sales from this group could result in significant gains.
Jessica Williams, founder and CEO of Food Forward Thinking, joins the podcast to walk listeners through menu planning for travel centers.
(Williams is partnering with NATSO on a webinar on Grow Wallet Share with the Right Food Offerings at Your Travel Center Webinar on Dec 14, 2023 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Register here.)
She offers advice on:
- What is usually missing at a travel center that drivers seek?
- What should travel centers think about when planning their food offerings?
- What food trends are “trending” right now?
// The Truck Stops Here Podcast is a NATSO Foundation program. The NATSO Foundation is the research, education and public outreach subsidiary of NATSO, Inc. The NATSO Foundation provides programs and products aimed at strengthening travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the traveling public through improved operational performance and business planning. Visit www.natsofoundation.org for more information. (Donate to the NATSO Foundation here.)
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It is a disruptive time in the fuel business, but NATSO Foundation’s The Truck Stops Here podcast is packed with critical analysis on what to expect as well as ideas to propel your travel center business into the future. You'll hear from experts on and off the NATSO staff and directly from NATSO members on what techniques they use to excel. Pull up, grab the fuel nozzle and get ready to fuel up with NATSO Foundation's newest educational offering!
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