Dive Brief:

• QuikTrip is in the early stages of building its first remote travel center in Kansas, with a location in Emporia in the works, a spokesperson for the convenience retailer confirmed.
• The 8,200-square-foot travel center will feature a larger designed lot and its QT Kitchens foodservice concept will feature a more expansive foodservice operation, the spokesperson said. There is currently no timeline for when the location will be built.
• QuikTrip debuted its travel center concept in 2020, and has since grown the format to more than 20 locations in multiple states, including Tennessee, Mississippi and, most recently, Illinois.

Dive Insight:

Although this will be QuikTrip’s first remote travel center in Kansas, the retailer does already have 74 regular locations throughout the state, as well as 97 more stores in Kansas City, Missouri, which is about 100 miles northeast of Emporia, the spokesperson said.

According to its website, QuikTrip does not operate any regular stores in Emporia. Notable convenience retailers with a presence in the city include Circle K, Casey’s General Stores, Pilot, and EG America-owned Kwik Shop.

While QuikTrip has not specified how its QT Kitchens program is more expansive at its remote travel centers than at its traditional stores, offerings include soft pretzels, whole pizzas, customizable tacos, smoked barbecue sandwiches, cold brew coffee and frozen beverages like QT’s QuikShake.

QuikTrip’s remote travel centers are specifically designed for highly traveled areas of the U.S. that are also within proximity to a QuikTrip distribution center for access to fresh food. QuikTrip’s distribution centers are located in Kansas City; Atlanta; Dallas; Phoenix; and Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Tulsa-based QuikTrip operates around 1,000 c-stores in 17 states.