From Fuel Stop to Food Destination: How C-Stores Are Redefining Foodservice in 2025

The Shift from Grab and Go to Gourmet to Go

The convenience-store foodservice model is transforming. Once known mainly for coffee and roller grills, today’s leading c-stores are competing directly with quick-service restaurants. According to the Intouch Insight 2025 C-Store Trends Report, more than 85 percent of U.S. shoppers have purchased made-to-order food from a convenience store, and hot-meal sales continue to climb.

At FOODPROS, the e-commerce division of Food Concepts Inc. (FCI), we design and manufacture USA-made systems that help operators meet this demand: flexible kiosks, integrated merchandising, and clean visual programs that make “fresh” tangible.

Trend 1: Made to Order Momentum

Customization, freshness, and speed are now expected, not optional. Mershimer Group’s 2025 C-Store Outlook reports continued growth in foodservice revenue as consumers seek restaurant-quality experiences within the convenience format.

How FCI and FOODPROS support this:
MTF™ Foodservice Kiosk is the modular system built in Middleton, Wisconsin, designed for speed and adaptability. Operators can launch or expand a made-to-order program quickly using interchangeable panels, optional sneeze guards, and efficient under-counter storage.
The MTF platform minimizes labor, maximizes visibility, and turns limited space into a high-performing service zone.

Trend 2: Flavor Rotation and Menu Agility

Flavor innovation defines the 2025 foodservice landscape. E.A. Sween Foods notes that bold seasonings, global influences, and rotating limited-time offers are driving traffic and repeat business.

How FCI and FOODPROS support this:
Flavor ID Tags™ allow operators to update product identifiers, allergen details, and promotional flavor cues instantly, without reprinting signage.
Combined with modular fixtures such as MTF Kiosks, they give teams the agility to introduce new offerings fast and maintain consistency across locations.

Trend 3: Tech Enabled Presentation and Dwell Time

Digital menu boards, loyalty integrations, and in-store media are changing how customers engage. C-Store Decisions’ 2025 Foodservice Report highlights that operators using digital signage and self-service kiosks see measurable increases in dwell time and sales per visit.

How FCI and FOODPROS support this:
ImageTrak™ is a flexible graphic rail system that merges digital and printed merchandising.
It allows fast swaps of promotional panels, seasonal graphics, or digital frames, keeping the environment current and brand-consistent.
Retailers can integrate loyalty messaging, local campaigns, and product visuals all within one cohesive presentation.

Trend 4: Cleanliness, Sustainability, and Trust

Customers connect cleanliness with credibility. Intouch Insight’s 2025 data shows that seventy percent of shoppers equate visible cleanliness with food freshness. Sustainability continues to influence where and how consumers buy.

How FCI and FOODPROS support this:
Every MTF, ImageTrak, and Flavor ID Tags system is manufactured in the USA for durability, reusability, and reduced waste.
Surfaces clean easily, signage updates without adhesives, and components can be re-branded for future programs.
The design philosophy supports sustainable operations while reinforcing visual freshness and trust.

Industry Insight

Analysts at Convenience Store News report that prepared-food sales are projected to grow more than five percent through 2025. The National Association of Convenience Stores likewise notes that fresh-food innovation now accounts for nearly one-quarter of in-store revenue growth.

The takeaway is clear: foodservice isn’t an add-on anymore, it’s a business model.

From Trend to Transformation

The c-store customer no longer stops just for fuel; they come for flavor, speed, and confidence in quality.

At FOODPROS, powered by Food Concepts Inc. (FCI), we engineer modular, USA-made systems that make this transformation practical, from the MTF Foodservice Kiosk to ImageTrak, Flavor ID Tags, and PanelRak.

Each product works as part of a unified platform for c-store innovation, helping operators build spaces that serve faster, look sharper, and perform longer.

Learn more at foodpros.com or foodconcepts.com.