Press Release Convenience Store Study 2025

Kwik Trip Overtakes Wawa for Convenience Store Supremacy, ACSI Data Show

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Oct. 7, 2025) — Overall customer satisfaction with convenience stores remains the same — 76 (on a scale of 0 to 100) — but there’s been a major shakeup at the top of the leaderboard.

According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Convenience Store Study 2025, Kwik Trip leads the industry after surging 8% to a score of 84. The convenience store, like many others, deploys a food-focused model to draw in more visitors and cater to a wide range of customer preferences, yet it’s the company’s stout commitment to building a positive culture that places a heavy emphasis on the customer experience that is clearly paying off.

Meanwhile, last year’s leader Wawa (unchanged at 82) now sits in a second-place tie with Sheetz, which improves 4% year over year. QuikTrip (down 1% to 80), Buc-ee’s (down 1% to 79), and ACSI newcomer Love’s (79) are next. Maverik and Meijer debut with ACSI scores of 78, same as Murphy USA (down 3%) and RaceTrac (up 3%).

Near the low end of the industry, Casey’s General Stores sees the largest satisfaction decline, down 5% to 75, amid a significant expansion campaign. BP drops 4% to 74, tying QuikStop and just ahead of ampm, which finishes last with an ACSI score of 73.

The 11-point gap between the highest and lowest ratings reveals a high degree of variability in the customer experience, with stores providing a broad range of quality food and beverage options in a clean and convenient setting faring well and those offering a more basic experience finding themselves at the lower end.

“This striking gap in satisfaction should serve as a wake-up call for brands to rethink what truly drives loyalty today,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “The brands rising to the top are doing more than just selling coffee and snacks. They’re building communities inside their stores. As in-store sales outpace fuel and digital tools become table stakes, the brands that will win are those that double down on quality, innovation, and authentic connection.”

Mobile apps are a game changer for convenience stores 

The overall convenience store customer experience is relatively stable — except when it comes to mobile app usage.

Roughly a third of respondents (34%) reveal they have used the store’s mobile app. That figure jumps to 60% among loyalty rewards program members. Mobile app quality (84), app reliability (82), and mobile order pickup effectiveness (82) all improve 3%-4% year over year. Although mobile app adoption rates for convenience stores remain lower than those observed in quick-service restaurants (QSRs) or travel industries, ACSI survey results suggest that convenience store app usage is steadily increasing among customers for their primary store.

Customers are also very pleased with the hot food quality and freshness (80) delivered by convenience stores. Whether it’s a meal on-the-go heading into work, one-stop shopping off the exit during a road trip, or dinner for the family while busy with extracurricular activities, convenience stores show they are a legitimate option in the food service landscape.

Not to worry, these improvements have not come at the expense of the historical fundamentals of the convenience store model. The convenience of store hours (83), location (82), quality of dispensed cold beverages (80), and speed of checkout process (79) all remain strong.

It pays to be a rewards member

Rewards members (79) are far happier with their overall store experience than nonmembers (74).

Most customer experience metrics are 5 or more points higher for rewards members than for nonmembers, with some brands seeing even greater differences. Other critical aspects such as perceived value, customer retention, and the likelihood to recommend the brand to others are significantly higher among rewards members. It’s no wonder rewards members are visiting their stores more frequently than nonmembers (64% at least weekly compared to 45%).

“Many convenience stores offer the same or similar items, so brands must look for ways to distinguish themselves,” added Morgeson. “Those that lean into the successful aspect of their rewards programs can drive customer satisfaction and keep their loyal customers happy.”

The Wawa-Sheetz rivalry rages on

The regional rankings reveal a hard truth (for convenience store aficionados): Wawa and Sheetz can’t break free from one another.

The two brands tie for the lead in their home market of the Northeast. They also show up again in the South, where Wawa just outperforms Sheetz and Buc-ee’s for highest satisfaction.

In the Midwest, where ACSI scores are the highest, Kwik Trip (with a K) tops QuikTrip (with a Q) by 2 points. In the West, where satisfaction scores are well below other areas, 7-Eleven and Chevron lead the way.

The ACSI Convenience Store Study 2025 is based on 8,601 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between October 2024 and September 2025. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and X at @theACSI.

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC.

About the ACSI

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI^®) has been a national economic indicator for over 25 years. It measures and analyzes customer satisfaction with approximately 400 companies in about 40 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various services of federal and local government agencies. Reported on a scale of 0 to 100, scores are based on data from interviews with roughly 200,000 customers annually. For more information, visit www.theacsi.org.

ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC.