ATLANTA — Convenience-store retailer RaceTrac has expanded its partnership with dessert chain Cinnabon with the addition of limited-time Cinnabon-branded baked goods and a new warm dessert offering, Gooey Swirls, at RaceTrac’s Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas locations.

The new product rollouts mark Cinnabon’s one-year anniversary of its Crafted by Cinnabon line of fresh bakery treats designed for single-serve sales in convenience stores, grocery stores and noncommercial foodservice locations. RaceTrac’s new bakery items include:

• Crafted by Cinnabon Frosting Filled Pumpkin Muffin Tops—pumpkin-flavored muffin tops filled with cream-cheese frosting, topped with cinnamon crumb streusel and icing drizzle, priced at $1.99 and available in Florida and Texas.
• Crafted by Cinnabon Gooey Swirls—warm cinnamon swirl dough topped with cream-cheese frosting and smothered in a creamy cinnamon schmear, priced at $2.49 and available at participating locations throughout Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas.
• Crafted by Cinnabon Frosting Filled Long John Doughnuts—cinnamon doughnuts filled with cream-cheese frosting topped with cinnamon frosting glaze and icing drizzle, $1.99 and available in Florida and Texas.

Participating RaceTrac locations will continue to offer the Frosting Filled Long John Doughnut and Gooey Swirls as year-round offerings and will rotate in limited-time-offer products as the seasons change. These products will be exclusive to RaceTrac in the convenience channel across the four states where stores are located.

“We are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with RaceTrac to offer our premium, fresh-baked treats to more guests in a variety of new and exciting formats,” said Julie Thomas, director of foodservice sales, convenience and petroleum and entertainment, global channels, for Focus Brands, the parent company of Cinnabon.

Crafted by Cinnabon, which launched in November 2016, is the brand’s first line of fresh bakery treats designed for single-serve or multi-serve channels, such as grocery, convenience stores, university campuses and other foodservice outlets. The line delivers the same fresh-baked quality and signature ingredients that guests have come to love and expect from Cinnabon bakeries, including legendary Cinnabon Makara cinnamon and signature cream-cheese frosting.

“Bringing Cinnabon treats to RaceTrac’s bakery case continues to exceed our expectations, and we are excited to now offer Gooey Swirls, a warm Cinnabon product,” said Steve Turner, RaceTrac’s executive director of foodservice. “Adding the well-known Cinnabon brand to our already-premium bakery menu provides our guests with extra indulgent treats from which to choose.”

Based in Atlanta, RaceTrac owns and operates about 430 c-stores in 12 states. It ranked No. 20 on CSP’s 2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.

TEMPLE, Texas — PDI, a global provider of enterprise software solutions to the convenience retail, wholesale petroleum and logistics industries, has acquired TelaPoint from WEX Inc.

TelaPoint’s software enables convenience retailers and petroleum outlets to improve the efficiency of their fuel replenishment, buying and administrative operations. TelaPoint manages inventory, dispatch and fuel pricing for 77 customers around the globe, 150 carrier companies and 67,000 sites.

“We are delighted to add TelaPoint’s leading software solutions, incredible customers, employees and seasoned technology expertise to our existing portfolio,” said PDI CEO Jimmy Frangis. “This acquisition enables us to better serve carriers and wholesalers, extend our reach further down the fuel-supply chain, and better deliver powerful software solutions and unmatched services to customers of both PDI and TelaPoint.”

Louisville, Ky.-based TelaPoint was founded in 1999. It has been a “successful part of the WEX family for several years, but its business is outside of our core fuel card business and so the acquisition by PDI makes sense for our business, our customers and for PDI,” said Brian Fournier, vice president of merchant and partner development for WEX. “Given our focus on payment solutions and PDI’s core business in retail and wholesale fuel distribution technologies, the transaction is a natural fit for both companies.”

TelaPoint will broaden PDI’s existing software portfolio, providing a world-class technology platform that will augment its comprehensive ERP, fuel and logistics software and services offering with inventory monitoring, fuel-order dispatching, transaction reconciliation and environmental compliance, PDI said.

“TelaPoint has a ‘who’s who’ customer base, and we look forward to serving these customers and fulfilling their business needs for many years to come,” Frangis said. “It is key for PDI to stay at the forefront of our industry and invest in and anticipate the future for our customers. It requires finding ways to grow and complement our portfolio to meet the changing needs of customers around the world.”

PDI recently completed the acquisitions of Intellifuel Systems Inc., Pinnacle ERP assets, DataMax, LomoSoft and Firestream Worldwide, expanding its portfolio offerings and global footprint. The company also recently announced a strategic investment by Genstar Capital to help fuel PDI’s growth and accelerate its global expansion in the convenience retail, petroleum wholesale and logistics industries.

The Temple, Texas-based company helps convenience-store retailers and petroleum wholesale marketers worldwide thrive in a digital economy with enterprise management software. PDI’s enterprise software, wholesale and logistics management software solutions and retail back office systems have been designed around the evolving needs of customers for more than 30 years.

TEMPLE, Texas — PDI, a global provider of enterprise software solutions to the convenience retail, wholesale petroleum and logistics industries, has acquired TelaPoint from WEX Inc.

TelaPoint’s software enables convenience retailers and petroleum outlets to improve the efficiency of their fuel replenishment, buying and administrative operations. TelaPoint manages inventory, dispatch and fuel pricing for 77 customers around the globe, 150 carrier companies and 67,000 sites.

“We are delighted to add TelaPoint’s leading software solutions, incredible customers, employees and seasoned technology expertise to our existing portfolio,” said PDI CEO Jimmy Frangis. “This acquisition enables us to better serve carriers and wholesalers, extend our reach further down the fuel-supply chain, and better deliver powerful software solutions and unmatched services to customers of both PDI and TelaPoint.”

Louisville, Ky.-based TelaPoint was founded in 1999. It has been a “successful part of the WEX family for several years, but its business is outside of our core fuel card business and so the acquisition by PDI makes sense for our business, our customers and for PDI,” said Brian Fournier, vice president of merchant and partner development for WEX. “Given our focus on payment solutions and PDI’s core business in retail and wholesale fuel distribution technologies, the transaction is a natural fit for both companies.”

TelaPoint will broaden PDI’s existing software portfolio, providing a world-class technology platform that will augment its comprehensive ERP, fuel and logistics software and services offering with inventory monitoring, fuel-order dispatching, transaction reconciliation and environmental compliance, PDI said.

“TelaPoint has a ‘who’s who’ customer base, and we look forward to serving these customers and fulfilling their business needs for many years to come,” Frangis said. “It is key for PDI to stay at the forefront of our industry and invest in and anticipate the future for our customers. It requires finding ways to grow and complement our portfolio to meet the changing needs of customers around the world.”

PDI recently completed the acquisitions of Intellifuel Systems Inc., Pinnacle ERP assets, DataMax, LomoSoft and Firestream Worldwide, expanding its portfolio offerings and global footprint. The company also recently announced a strategic investment by Genstar Capital to help fuel PDI’s growth and accelerate its global expansion in the convenience retail, petroleum wholesale and logistics industries.

The Temple, Texas-based company helps convenience-store retailers and petroleum wholesale marketers worldwide thrive in a digital economy with enterprise management software. PDI’s enterprise software, wholesale and logistics management software solutions and retail back office systems have been designed around the evolving needs of customers for more than 30 years.

OAK BROOK, Ill. — McDonald’s Corp. will now require its suppliers to follow an updated set of guidelines for raising and slaughtering chickens used for its popular signature menu products, such as McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches.

As reported by Reuters, McDonald’s suppliers, including Tyson Foods Inc. and Cargill Inc., must comply with new rules for humane treatment of chickens. The revamped policies dictate the amount and brightness of light in chicken houses, and outline how the birds must have access to perches that promote natural behavior, in addition to other initiatives. All suppliers must comply with the new parameters by 2024.

However, some animal activists said the chain’s new mandates fall short of recent animal-welfare commitments made by other restaurants, including Burger King and sandwich chain Subway, and failed to address their primary concern about chicken production: how quickly birds are bred to grow to large sizes. However, McDonald’s has pledged to conduct trials with its suppliers to measure the well-being of the chickens.

“I think it’s one of the most comprehensive programs that I’ve seen for chickens,” livestock researcher Temple Grandin told Reuters. Grandin pioneered humane slaughterhouse practices and works with McDonald‘s.

McDonald’s latest requirements join other commitments recently made by top convenience chains, including Pennsylvania-based c-store retailers Wawa and Sheetz, to address concerns about animal welfare and animal health. McDonald’s, for example, has stopped buying chicken meat for U.S. restaurants from birds raised with antibiotics and announced that it would shift to using cage-free eggs in the U.S and Canada.

McDonald‘s said it will not raise menu prices as a result of its new standards.

“While this might not be a direct impact on sales at McDonald’s, it might help certain segments of our customer base make purchasing decisions that they might not have otherwise made,” Bruce Feinberg, a senior director for McDonald’s, said to Reuters.

The move by McDonald’s is said to be supported by both Tyson and Cargill; however, animal-welfare groups said the chain failed by not committing to buying meat from breeds that grow slowly enough to protect chickens’ health. Birds bred to grow more quickly can suffer organ failure and struggle to walk because they become too heavy, they said.

“McDonald’s at this point is allowing the industry to continue in this inhumane direction,” said Josh Balk, a vice president for The Humane Society.

OAK BROOK, Ill. — McDonald’s Corp. will now require its suppliers to follow an updated set of guidelines for raising and slaughtering chickens used for its popular signature menu products, such as McNuggets and McChicken sandwiches.

As reported by Reuters, McDonald’s suppliers, including Tyson Foods Inc. and Cargill Inc., must comply with new rules for humane treatment of chickens. The revamped policies dictate the amount and brightness of light in chicken houses, and outline how the birds must have access to perches that promote natural behavior, in addition to other initiatives. All suppliers must comply with the new parameters by 2024.

However, some animal activists said the chain’s new mandates fall short of recent animal-welfare commitments made by other restaurants, including Burger King and sandwich chain Subway, and failed to address their primary concern about chicken production: how quickly birds are bred to grow to large sizes. However, McDonald’s has pledged to conduct trials with its suppliers to measure the well-being of the chickens.

“I think it’s one of the most comprehensive programs that I’ve seen for chickens,” livestock researcher Temple Grandin told Reuters. Grandin pioneered humane slaughterhouse practices and works with McDonald‘s.

McDonald’s latest requirements join other commitments recently made by top convenience chains, including Pennsylvania-based c-store retailers Wawa and Sheetz, to address concerns about animal welfare and animal health. McDonald’s, for example, has stopped buying chicken meat for U.S. restaurants from birds raised with antibiotics and announced that it would shift to using cage-free eggs in the U.S and Canada.

McDonald‘s said it will not raise menu prices as a result of its new standards.

“While this might not be a direct impact on sales at McDonald’s, it might help certain segments of our customer base make purchasing decisions that they might not have otherwise made,” Bruce Feinberg, a senior director for McDonald’s, said to Reuters.

The move by McDonald’s is said to be supported by both Tyson and Cargill; however, animal-welfare groups said the chain failed by not committing to buying meat from breeds that grow slowly enough to protect chickens’ health. Birds bred to grow more quickly can suffer organ failure and struggle to walk because they become too heavy, they said.

“McDonald’s at this point is allowing the industry to continue in this inhumane direction,” said Josh Balk, a vice president for The Humane Society.

When it comes to coffee, innovation is a constant refrain: how to keep customers coming in, and how to keep the offer fresh and buzzworthy. In the convenience segment, two trends stand out: cold brew and its sister product, nitrogen-infused coffee. Read on for a primer on how the c-store industry can capitalize on the cold-brew trend.

Click here for the report.

When it comes to coffee, innovation is a constant refrain: how to keep customers coming in, and how to keep the offer fresh and buzzworthy. In the convenience segment, two trends stand out: cold brew and its sister product, nitrogen-infused coffee. Read on for a primer on how the c-store industry can capitalize on the cold-brew trend.

Click here for the report.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Circle K has opened the doors of its most ambitious North American retail store yet. The site is twice the average size and is located in the richly competitive market of Savannah, Ga. Mark Ostoits, vice president of the retailer’s 481-store Southeast business unit, recently shared insights into Circle K’s latest endeavor.

Q: At 8,500 square feet, this Savannah store is the largest Circle K store in North America. What was  behind the decision to ramp up your store size so significantly, and why in Savannah?

A: This site was selected due to its proximity to the port of Savannah, where thousands of trucks daily  deliver or receive cargo. We knew this was going to be an exceptional site. The seven-lane diesel offering provides truckers with ample space for easy in-and-out access. It provides us an opportunity to expand our portfolio of travel centers and full-service food offerings.

This special site offers many of our fundamental category initiatives such as fuel, cold dispensed, hot dispensed and freshly prepared food on-site. The made-to-go offer has a strong foundation, and we look forward to many customers continuing to enjoy our fresh pizzas, burritos and hamburgers, along with fresh salads and wraps for the calorie-conscious consumer.

What makes this site unique is it is positioned to be one of the largest and busiest sites in our global footprint. The store is designed to cater to a diverse clientele, including long-haul drivers, neighborhood locals, tourists visiting the historical city of Savannah and hard-working daily commuters.

• Click here to view a slideshow of the Savannah Circle K site.

Q: How many locations do you have in the Savannah area, and how will this location help you in such a competitive market?

A: We have 32 sites operating within the Savannah/Hilton Head market, positioned in our Southeast division. The new offerings at our Savannah truckstop embrace our evolving core platforms, which are part of our new Circle K brand promise. By offering a wider range of food and convenience items, Circle K branded fuel, special amenities for our truck-driving population, and regional offerings specifically catering to the Savannah market, we are well-positioned to open more stores in the region. And, thanks to our amazingly loyal customers, this site has exceeded our expectations and positioned us for future growth in the Southeast division.

Q: Circle K is making a big push in the hot and cold beverage market. How is that playing out inside the store via your Simply Great Coffee and Polar Pop programs?

A: The Polar Pop and Simply Great Coffee platforms are core parts of our new Circle K brand promise. We strive to provide our customers with a large variety of high-quality hot and cold beverage offers adjusted for each market based on local needs. Polar Pop has been a Circle K staple for some time and is essential to our brand. At this location, we have 36 fountain heads and, to meet our customers’ developing tastes, we have many noncarbonated choices such as teas and vitamin waters and, of course, Cheerwine, a local favorite.

Simply Great Coffee is our award-winning proprietary espresso-based coffee offering. Our visitors can customize their coffee choice without the wait or high prices of many coffee locations. We also offer a wide variety of syrups and coffee condiments.

We see these categories as long-term cornerstones that our customers can count on, and we will continue to expand these unique offerings to more locations across our growing Circle K network.

Q: Is this store’s freshly prepared food program a prototype for Circle K?

A: The fresh, prepared-on-site food program is of high interest for us, but it’s still fairly new for Circle K. We are continually pushing the learning and development across the organization from a global and local level. At this location, we offer many freshly prepared items, including whole and slice pizza and regionally popular biscuits throughout the day and night. In the morning, we offer burritos; for the lunchtime crowd, we have hot sandwiches such as pulled pork and chicken. Our hamburgers are 100% Angus beef and are hugely popular, especially the double cheeseburger.

One of the exciting features is touchscreen ordering, where our customers can drill deep to customize their order and find nutritional information at each step. We will continue to learn and adapt how best to provide our customers with the right offers and make Circle K a more robust destination for foodservice.

Q: This store features 29 fuel stations, including diesel and Circle K branded fuel. How does this reflect the company’s fuel strategy, as well as the needs of the local community?

A: On the forecourt, we offer Circle K-branded fuel, both diesel and non-ethanol gasoline, which are two products with increasing demand. Behind the store, we have a large commercial diesel offering with seven tractor-trailer-friendly lanes, pay-at-the-pump, bulk diesel exhaust fluid and a CAT scale.

The Port of Savannah is the fourth largest container port in the United States and the second largest on the East Coast. A tremendous amount of activity occurs around the port, and we are located approximately 1 mile from the entrance, which provides a unique opportunity to serve both visitors and the local community.

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Circle K has opened the doors of its most ambitious North American retail store yet. The site is twice the average size and is located in the richly competitive market of Savannah, Ga. Mark Ostoits, vice president of the retailer’s 481-store Southeast business unit, recently shared insights into Circle K’s latest endeavor.

Q: At 8,500 square feet, this Savannah store is the largest Circle K store in North America. What was  behind the decision to ramp up your store size so significantly, and why in Savannah?

A: This site was selected due to its proximity to the port of Savannah, where thousands of trucks daily  deliver or receive cargo. We knew this was going to be an exceptional site. The seven-lane diesel offering provides truckers with ample space for easy in-and-out access. It provides us an opportunity to expand our portfolio of travel centers and full-service food offerings.

This special site offers many of our fundamental category initiatives such as fuel, cold dispensed, hot dispensed and freshly prepared food on-site. The made-to-go offer has a strong foundation, and we look forward to many customers continuing to enjoy our fresh pizzas, burritos and hamburgers, along with fresh salads and wraps for the calorie-conscious consumer.

What makes this site unique is it is positioned to be one of the largest and busiest sites in our global footprint. The store is designed to cater to a diverse clientele, including long-haul drivers, neighborhood locals, tourists visiting the historical city of Savannah and hard-working daily commuters.

• Click here to view a slideshow of the Savannah Circle K site.

Q: How many locations do you have in the Savannah area, and how will this location help you in such a competitive market?

A: We have 32 sites operating within the Savannah/Hilton Head market, positioned in our Southeast division. The new offerings at our Savannah truckstop embrace our evolving core platforms, which are part of our new Circle K brand promise. By offering a wider range of food and convenience items, Circle K branded fuel, special amenities for our truck-driving population, and regional offerings specifically catering to the Savannah market, we are well-positioned to open more stores in the region. And, thanks to our amazingly loyal customers, this site has exceeded our expectations and positioned us for future growth in the Southeast division.

Q: Circle K is making a big push in the hot and cold beverage market. How is that playing out inside the store via your Simply Great Coffee and Polar Pop programs?

A: The Polar Pop and Simply Great Coffee platforms are core parts of our new Circle K brand promise. We strive to provide our customers with a large variety of high-quality hot and cold beverage offers adjusted for each market based on local needs. Polar Pop has been a Circle K staple for some time and is essential to our brand. At this location, we have 36 fountain heads and, to meet our customers’ developing tastes, we have many noncarbonated choices such as teas and vitamin waters and, of course, Cheerwine, a local favorite.

Simply Great Coffee is our award-winning proprietary espresso-based coffee offering. Our visitors can customize their coffee choice without the wait or high prices of many coffee locations. We also offer a wide variety of syrups and coffee condiments.

We see these categories as long-term cornerstones that our customers can count on, and we will continue to expand these unique offerings to more locations across our growing Circle K network.

Q: Is this store’s freshly prepared food program a prototype for Circle K?

A: The fresh, prepared-on-site food program is of high interest for us, but it’s still fairly new for Circle K. We are continually pushing the learning and development across the organization from a global and local level. At this location, we offer many freshly prepared items, including whole and slice pizza and regionally popular biscuits throughout the day and night. In the morning, we offer burritos; for the lunchtime crowd, we have hot sandwiches such as pulled pork and chicken. Our hamburgers are 100% Angus beef and are hugely popular, especially the double cheeseburger.

One of the exciting features is touchscreen ordering, where our customers can drill deep to customize their order and find nutritional information at each step. We will continue to learn and adapt how best to provide our customers with the right offers and make Circle K a more robust destination for foodservice.

Q: This store features 29 fuel stations, including diesel and Circle K branded fuel. How does this reflect the company’s fuel strategy, as well as the needs of the local community?

A: On the forecourt, we offer Circle K-branded fuel, both diesel and non-ethanol gasoline, which are two products with increasing demand. Behind the store, we have a large commercial diesel offering with seven tractor-trailer-friendly lanes, pay-at-the-pump, bulk diesel exhaust fluid and a CAT scale.

The Port of Savannah is the fourth largest container port in the United States and the second largest on the East Coast. A tremendous amount of activity occurs around the port, and we are located approximately 1 mile from the entrance, which provides a unique opportunity to serve both visitors and the local community.

Brought to you by Ovention.

It’s that time of the year again– pumpkin spice season. Frenzied fall-mania is in full swing, thanks to the 78% of consumers who consider seasonal dishes to be a treat.¹ And luckily for a c-store’s foodservice program’s bottom line, 42% of consumers are willing to pay more for a seasonal dish.²

Beyond pumpkin spice, there are plenty of foods that take well to seasonal flavors, making it easy to infuse menus with the seasonal treats and items that customers will clamor for every year.

• Sandwiches: Thirty-three percent of consumers say seasonal flavors evoke warmth.³ Warm up diners with toasted crunchy bread and melted cheese. Menu roasted turkey with cranberry and Brie for lunch, and at dinner, offer ham with caramelized onion and apple spread, topped with Gruyere—a perfect pre-packaged to-go item.
• Roasted veggies: Thirty-nine percent of consumers say seasonal offerings are special.⁴ Seasonal veggie sides can make a dish distinct, especially if you’re cooking with fresh or local produce. Repurpose roasted root vegetables or crispy Brussels sprouts (and bacon!) into toppers for avocado toast, tacos, breakfast burritos or grain bowls.
• Pizza: Pumpkin spice pizza anyone? It actually exists. Thirty percent of consumers say seasonal items make them happy,⁵ so satisfy customers by giving them freedom to customize their pizza with whatever toppings they desire. Inspire them with spiced goat cheese and dried cranberry, turkey and butternut squash or sweet potato and bacon.
• Pies & pastries: It’s not fall without pie! Pie is undeniably comforting– a feeling that 39% of consumers feel when enjoying seasonal items.⁶ Bake mini treats with apple, berry or pecan filling. From breakfast until late night, provide handheld snacks to on-the-go shoppers looking to indulge in autumn flavors.

To increase foodservice check averages, bundle seasonal beverages with fresh prepared menu items. More than half of millennial and Gen Z consumers prefer their seasonal ingredients in a coffee drink.⁷ Seasonal coffee keeps visitors coming back—during the span of an LTO, 20% of pumpkin-spice latte buyers purchased the drink twice, according to NPD Group. Rotate signature seasonal drinks with fresh-prepared items to create interest for your regulars.

Delivering customized orders fast without compromising taste or quality is key for success, and it’s all possible with Ovention Ovens. It’s the only line of ovens to ensure high yield and ultimate freshness. Control time, temperature and independent blower speeds for every item. Precision Impingement® Technology uses hot air for a fast, high-quality cook without microwaves. These ventless ovens’ closed cavities lock in heat with no need for ventilation, which means reduced energy costs for you. With up to 1,000 preprogrammed cook settings, operators can stage each item to its individual specifications– cutting down both prep and cook times. See what these ovens can do on YouTube and connect with Ovention on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

1-7: Mintel