I talked with Beth Hoffer, Weigel’s vice president of operations and foodservice, for The Big Question this issue. After we were done talking about foodservice, she shared an amazing story with me.

During the intense snowstorms that hit Tennessee in mid-January, the Weigel’s corporate team got new jobs: giving rides to team members who were struggling to get to their stores.

I love everything about that. I think it says a lot about Weigel’s culture, but it also speaks to an industry that understands that the hourly workforce is at the absolute heart of any c-store’s success.

With the news that the Kum & Go brand is possibly being retired by new owner Maverik, I’ve been thinking a lot about the six or so months that I was a c-store hourly worker, standing behind the register at a Kum & Go back when I was 19. It was a vibrant store. Foot traffic was high. But foodservice was almost nonexistent. If I got hungry in the middle of a shift, my two options were a microwavable hamburger or a microwavable burrito. I don’t think we even had fountain beverages or a roller grill. With minimal foodservice came minimal staffing requirements: More often than not, I was the only employee in the store.

“Behind every foodservice idea, there’s the question of how to execute that idea at the store level.”

My guess is that same Kum & Go today has plenty of foodservice options … and more than one person working at a time to help keep all those options viable. As c-stores evolve, the workforce stays front and center.

Officially, this is the foodservice issue, but unofficially we can consider it the labor issue. Behind every foodservice idea, there’s the question of how to execute that idea at the store level.

Not surprisingly, Weigel’s is thinking hard about that, and how to make sure its corporate office is in sync with its team members. After all, they might all share the same ride on a snowy day. Check out The Big Question on page 8. Other highlights from this issue include our annual list of the top 100 retailers (page 37); a story on everyone’s favorite indulgence, cookies (page 62); and a story on navigating food recalls (page 26) … and there’s lots of other great content that you’ll enjoy in this packed issue.