Mexican Food Becoming a Staple at Sunoco

The company is slowly rolling out made-to-order Mexican dishes under its Laredo Taco Co. banner.

February 12, 2016

GREENSBURG, PA – You might not think Mexican food when you think Sunoco, but the gas station and convenience store chain is hoping to change that by adding Laredo Taco to its stores, TribLive.com reports. Sunoco-owned Laredo Taco already has a presence in Stripes convenience stores (also owned by Sunoco’s parent company).

Now Sunoco is expanding beyond New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas by opening Laredo Taco in APlus locations. The Greensburg APlus now serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. “The Mexican cuisine is a big hit. We are getting a lot of compliments,” said Christie Bloom, store manager.

Sunoco spokesman Jeff Shields said the menu will be rolled out in Pennsylvania, and possibly in Virginia and Nashville, Tenn. Sunoco is looking to invest a lot of resources into Laredo Taco, he said.

The choice of quick-service Mexican cuisine points to an understanding of what’s popular. “It's one of the hot trends. It's customized food that people want—fresh and ready-made,” said associate professor Audrey Guskey with Duquesne University.

The entrance of Sunoco into Mexican foodservice “strikes me as a great fit. (Mexican cuisine) is something that the competition is not doing,” said Jeff Lenard, NACS spokesman. Besides, more convenience stores view food sales as an important piece of the retail pie. “Food on the go ... is a way (for convenience stores) to differentiate themselves,” he said.

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