America Is Obsessed With C-Stores

Food & Wine asked readers to share which convenience stores have the best food.

December 06, 2019

NACS

CINCINNATI—Convenience stores are “a fact of life,” but “the future is bright for the convenience store-faithful,”Food & Wine reports in its ranking of the best c-store food. “American convenience stores have inspired wedding photo shoots, music videos, epic road trips, award-winning films, tattoos, countless late night arguments in college dorms, plays—even heated debates in New York City offices where otherwise demure professional people can typically be found working quietly together.”

Here are the top 22 results of a reader survey.

1. Buc-ee’s

2. Wawa

3. Stewart’s Shops

4. Sheetz

5. Parker’s

6. Casey’s General Store

7. Maverik

8. United Dairy Farmers

9. Allsup’s

10. Rutter’s

11. Royal Farms

12. QuikTrip

13. QuickChek

14. Kum & Go

15. Turkey Hill

16. Cumberland Farms

17. Weigel’s

18. Byrne Dairy

19. GetGo

20. Daily’s

21. Thornton’s

22. 7-Eleven

“Every now and then, however, a regional chain comes along, inspiring—typically through an array of prepared food offerings, because isn’t food always the way to people’s hearts—what appears to be almost unshakeable loyalty,” the magazine wrote. “Barbecue. Fried chicken. Italian hoagies stuffed with cured meats, deep-fried burritos, breakfast pizzas. You name it, we’re eating it at the gas station, and sometimes, what we are eating is seriously delicious.”