In Search of the ‘Best Foodvenience Store’ in America with Frank Gleeson
Over the summer, Frank Gleeson, in his role as Insight Board Advisor, travelled across the U.S. as part of our 2025 search for ‘The Best Foodvenience Store in the World’. His visits included leading names such as Nouria, Alltown Fresh, Wawa, Sheetz, Rutters, QuikTrip, Kwik Trip, Casey’s, and TXB.
Each stop revealed a new dimension of the country’s foodvenience evolution, where fresh food, technology, and hospitality merge to redefine the modern convenience experience.
Joining Frank for this epic Roadtrip, representing our competition sponsors were; Harry Milloff, CEO, Moseley Group , Mats Danielsen, CEO of Liquid Barcodes, and Invenco President Karthik Ganapathi, together with his colleagues Elaine Kanak, CMO, Vontier, GVR and Ryan Oettinger, VP & GM, Retail Solutions for North America at Invenco.
In this episode
Dan Munford, Insight CEO, catches up with Frank, Mats and Ryan. Together, they revisit the journey across four states, from Massachusetts to Texas, to uncover what makes U.S. foodservice in convenience so exceptional.
‘Best Foodvenience Store in the World’ 2025
The 2025 competition is currently underway. We began in early September with 25 standout entries across 14 countries. Our global judging panel then faced the challenging task of selecting the 2025 Top 12, marking the opening of our global, industry-wide vote. Now is your chance to have your say.
The winner will be announced on 13 November 2025!
An epic US Roadtrip
Reflecting on the tour, Frank Gleeson emphasized the progress of U.S. operators and the global relevance of their innovation.
“The biggest opportunity is food, and the biggest threat to QSRs is actually convenience stores, because we know how to do it. We’ve got better locations, friendlier staff, and better economics. I was thrilled to meet and talk with the leaders and find out what’s making our industry great,” he said.
Mats Danielsen highlighted another powerful advantage for the channel.
“There is one thing that our industry does so much better than QSRs and that is beverages,” he noted. “That wide selection of packaged beverages goes so well with expanding your food offer.”
For Ryan Oettinger, the trip reaffirmed that the industry’s competitive set has changed and that collaboration and quality will define the next chapter.
“When you ask many of these retailers who their competition is in food, it’s not other convenience stores, it’s McDonald’s, KFC, and others,” he said. “The industry can work together to provide better tasting, better quality food than you can find at a fast-food restaurant.”
From premium fresh concepts in Boston to destination dining in Philadelphia, robot-equipped operations in Iowa, and world-class design in Texas, the tour showcased the vitality of foodvenience across America. As the group looked back on their weeklong journey, one thing was clear: the U.S. convenience sector continues to set a global benchmark for foodservice innovation.
A special thank you
Our thanks to all the hosting retailers for the warm welcome and generous hospitality: Nouria, Alltown Fresh, Wawa, Sheetz, Rutters, QuikTrip, Kwik Trip, Casey’s, and TXB.
Thank you to our Future of Convenience Podcast Sponsors!
