Dive Brief:

• MAPCO has added Noble Roman’s pizza to some of its stores, expanding its foodservice partnership program, according to a Wednesday press release. 
• The pizza QSR is currently open at 17 MAPCO Express locations in Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee. There are plans to open a further 13 sites in those states soon, according to the company’s website.
• These Noble Romans locations are part of an agreement between the pizza restaurant and MAPCO’s parent company, Majors Management, to add 100 franchises across the retailer’s footprint. 

Dive Insight:

With foodservice increasingly becoming a focus for c-stores, turning to chain QSRs can add a well-known and consistent experience to stores more easily than developing an in-house menu.

Noble Roman’s offers a variety of specialty or customized pizza options, cheesy stix and baked subs. Additionally, the QSR offers a number of hot breakfast options, including biscuit or croissant sandwiches, breakfast burritos, cinnamon rounds and breakfast pizza.

MAPCO already had some foodservice in its stores, offering some roller grill options and  made-to-order sandwiches at some locations. It has also partnered with QSR chains like Subway and Pizza Hut as well as foodservice providers like Hunt Brothers Pizza and Krispy Krunchy Chicken.

"At MAPCO, we are always looking for new ways to refresh our product offerings to deliver convenience you can trust,” said Hank Heithaus, chief operations officer of MAPCO, in a statement. “The addition of Noble Roman's Craft Pizza at select MAPCO locations extends that commitment.”

Pizza is a popular foodservice option in c-stores. Casey’s General Stores is already one of the largest pizza chains in the U.S. Adding either a branded QSR version or an in-house can be relatively simple, and more companies are looking to get in from both sides. Recently Arko Corp. added a frozen pizza to 1,000 stores, with a hot option coming later in February, while Mr. Gatti’s Pizza restaurant unveiled its new c-store franchise model in January. 

Tennessee-based MAPCO officially joined Majors Management in November as part of an agreement that saw 112 of its locations divested and sold to Circle K. The company owns over 300 locations in Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky and Mississippi.