Four C-Stores Make Top 20 of Forbes Customer Experience All-Stars

Buc-ee’s, Kwik Trip, Wawa and QuikTrip were recognized.

February 22, 2024

Forbes released its second annual Customer Experience All-Stars list, an index of brands that leave consumers most satisfied in terms of product, service, and treatment. Four convenience store brands made an appearance in the top 20.

Buc-ee’s topped the entire list with its No. 1 ranking, which it received for the second straight year. Other brands in the top five were Chick-fil-A, H-E-B, Toyota, and Costco.

Other convenience stores making an appearance in the top 20 were Kwik Trip/Kwik Star (No. 10), Wawa (No. 16), and QuikTrip (No. 18).

The company produced the list in partnership with data analytics firm HundredX, using data from an online survey of 175,000 individuals throughout 2023. The survey gathered more than four million multidimensional ratings of 3,100 unique brands.

The survey asked respondents to specify brands they use or know well, and then answer a variety of questions about the brand’s quality, service, and other factors, including some specific to the industry. Forbes stated that scores for customer satisfaction (in general and versus others in the sector), and treatment of customers were then weighted to create a final score.

Brands were required to receive a minimum of 1,000 reviews to be eligible for the list.

“Companies on this list have figured out the job that the customer's hiring them to do,” said Rob Pace, founder and CEO of HundredX. “That’s one reason why regional chains often do well—they understand their customers.”

Customers across sectors do care about price, Pace acknowledges, but what they want is a price that’s not necessarily the lowest, but is still reasonable. Other criteria, he says, might matter more, as with Buc-ee’s: “Buc-ee’s figured out, ‘Okay, people are going from point A to point B, but it’s more than just getting gas. It’s getting gas safely, having good restrooms and creating an experience out of it.”

According to Forbes, the one commonality among all companies on the list? Intense customer devotion.