Carl’s Food & Beverage has been an institution in Bristol, Tennessee, for more than half a century. The original Carl’s opened in the 1960s and quickly became a favorite for locals. But by 2006, it had closed, and the building had fallen into disrepair.
“We had been looking for a change to bring our own family together and saw reopening Carl’s as a great opportunity to do just that,” said Karen Tuck, who bought the business with her husband, Don. Together, they revitalized Carl’s, making it once again a place for the community to gather.
Rebuilding History
Fourteen years ago, the Tucks decided that running a business together would be better for them and their children. “Don worked in the restaurant industry, and I was home with the kids running various businesses out of our home,” Karen said. “We never saw each other, and that wasn’t how we wanted to raise our family.”
The two looked for a business venture and found it in Carl’s, which had been closed for a while. “We saw Carl’s as the perfect way to bring our family together and to serve the community,” Karen said.
The Tucks kept much of the charm of the original Carl’s while adding modern conveniences, such as a deli inside the store. They made the store bigger with more products and a checkout counter with two cash registers, built a big beverage center and made other changes. The store stocks old-fashioned candy and soft-serve ice cream, while serving breakfast biscuits and hot dogs.
The building next door, which the Tucks also own, houses a Zero Sub franchise, which provides a more robust foodservice option. “Both businesses are interconnected and feed off each other, although each have separate entrances,” Karen explained.
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Top and Middle: Next door to Carl's is a Zero Sub franchise, which the Tucks also own, and it provides a more robust foodservice option. Bottom: Customer service is paramount at Carl's, and the Tucks strive to create an environment where regular customers are known by their first name.
Personalized Service
From the beginning, the Tucks knew the store’s future depended on friendly customer service. “Service is the key to the success of our business,” Karen said. “We carry similar items to other convenience stores, but our approach to our customers sets us apart.”
At Carl’s, employees are encouraged to come out from behind the counter to visit with customers, which Karen and Don model for them. “We wanted to create an environment where our regular customers are known by their first name,” Karen said. “We want Carl’s to be the hub of our community, a place where people come to stay and talk, not just grab something and leave quickly.”
While the coronavirus pandemic has meant social distancing, the Tucks said they remain committed to stellar customer service with a friendly smile. “We still interact with people, but we are more cautious, and there’s a lot more hand sanitizer around,” Karen said. “Since we tended to keep the store and restroom super clean anyway, we haven’t altered our cleaning schedule much at all.”
Don added, “Our customers still feel comfortable coming to our store. For some, this is the only store they have been coming to during the pandemic.”
Beyond a friendly atmosphere, Don and Karen pride themselves on stocking what their customers need. “Our customers know if they want something that we don’t carry, that we’ll get it for them if we can,” Don said. For example, they have special-ordered specific brands of candy and beer for regular customers.
Creating Regulars
Overall, both Karen and Don strive to build a place where customers want to return. “I want each customer to think, ‘I can’t wait to come back because it’s such fun at Carl’s,’” Karen said.
Part of that process is listening to customers. “I don’t think a day goes by without one or two customers talking to us about their problems,” Karen said. “It’s part of our job to listen because they just need to know that they matter. And they do matter—we’re like a very large, extended family here.”
Bright Ideas
For Karen and Don Tuck, owners of Carl’s Food & Beverage, their success can be directly tied to listening to customers and discerning what they want or need. For example, by asking customers what they’d like to see in the store, they have been able to curate their products into a mix that works. “We had to change our original planogram because we ended up needing different products than we thought we would,” Karen explained.
That listening goes beyond bringing in new products—it goes to the heart of their customer service. “It’s important to never let your systems interfere with your service,” Don said. Karen added, “I always tell my staff that if you feel like you’re being inconvenienced, then you’re doing your job.”