This article is brought to you by Cretors.

Foodservice has become an essential driver of both foot traffic and sales for convenience retailers, accounting for 27.7% of in-store sales last year, according to the NACS State of the Industry (SOI) Report® of 2024 Data. Prepared food made up about three-quarters of that total.

Retailers need to be enhancing their foodservice offers, but there's no one-size-fits-all approach. “Full menus that require a large kitchen and multiple full-time foodservice employees aren’t right for every company,” said Beth Cretors Youdell, marketing communications director at Cretors, a foodservice equipment maker.

“We know that hiring, training and retaining great foodservice staff is a challenge. It’s a competitive market for labor,” said Youdell. “Our equipment and training process is designed to reduce the stress on the foodservice workforce.”

The equipment is designed with simplicity in mind, Youdell said. She pointed out the One Pop fire safety feature on the company’s popcorn machines, which automatically shuts the heat off after every batch of popcorn. “It’s a little thing that can be a big thing. We also make it a point to make cleaning as simple as possible for all of our machines. When you have a workforce that is busy and might not have a lot of experience, it’s essential to pick equipment that is easy to operate.”

“We’re really proud of our High Roller hot dog grill,” Youdell added. “Removable rollers make cleaning easier in a big way.”

Maintenance is also an important part of picking the right foodservice equipment. Cretors understands that, and “places great importance on supporting a highly trained and qualified network of service and repair technicians who can maintain equipment, diagnose problems in the field and keep our equipment operating at top performance,” Youdell said.

In addition to a library of training videos, Cretors provides onsite technical training through annual classes that include two-day sessions filled with both classroom style and hands-on training. “The classes are small to provide the best training experience possible for learners of all levels,” said Youdell. “Our team of highly skilled technicians in the field are often our best source for gaining new insights on how to repair and maintain our Cretors equipment.”

Learn more about Cretors in part two of this series, which explores how to lure in customers with food theater.