In-Convenience Podcast Al Hebert, Frank Beard, Ernie Harker

Ernie and Frank sit down to chat with McCrae Olson—a finalist from Big Brother 15. A longtime employee at one of Frank's favorite stores, 36 Lyn in Minneapolis, McCrae dives deep into the state of convenience store marketing, explains why retailers should pay for content that makes people laugh, and even shares a few crazy retail stories. 

We're back, and we're here to share our favorite convenience stores of 2022! We cover a full range of c-stores from the sleek and modern to the big and bold. There's even a store where customers drive their car inside.
And in other news, we have a new co-host joining Al and Frank! Buckle up for an exciting year, because it's going to be a wild ride. 

Did you know there’s a gas station serving 81 flavors of slushies—and a variety of delicious nitro ice cream—from inside its convenience store? That's right. In this episode, EdgePetrol’s Mark Truman joins us from London and provides the inside scoop on what’s new and exciting in convenience retail "across the pond." You won’t want to miss it.
 
Topics Discussed:
08:30 - Mark explains what Yoh Burger is and why it’s one of the coolest burger concepts inside of a gas station
14:15 - What’s the attitude to “gas station food” in the UK? 
18:15 - Why a c-store in Glasgow has become a destination for 81 creative, delicious slushies 
24:15 - Why retailers need to sit somewhere “in the middle” 
33:30 - How the industry is changing, and why it’s difficult for people currently running a profitable business to understand that they have a problem 
39:20 - Why Mark’s team is a big fan of Stuckey’s 
44:30 - Let’s be honest, we’re all Buc-ee’s fans 
46:50 - The importance of becoming “iconic”
56:15 - Why “doing the same things” is the biggest mistake retailers can make right now 
1:14:30 - Why Ireland is unique for convenience store food, and back to a story how Al became a Buc-ee’s fan

We're back! Our next batch of ten episodes focuses on the importance of differentiation, and we kick it off by speaking to fuels consultant and data scientist, Brandon Lawrence. Learn why COVID-19 was a "dress rehearsal," how fuel demand will face structural challenges, and why Brandon is a fan of Buc-ee's, Casey's, and a single-store operator in Arkansas called MuleKick.

To celebrate our tenth episode, we did something different. Al and Frank have a very open and honest conversation about everything from psychic gas station goats at a station in Wisconsin, the inside story behind Frank's "30 Days of Gas Station Food" experiment, Al and Frank's favorite convenience stores, the time Al brought a gas station pastry called a "Crack Stick" on a Sirius XM catholic radio show, the impact of COVID-19 and what it means for industry trends, and much more. We hope you enjoy this crazy conversation. Note: we recorded this a few weeks ago. We only mention it because we discuss a few COVID-19 topics that are time-sensitive. Post-production unfortunately fell behind due to a few personal issues. (Totally Frank’s fault. Blame him.)

What will the "new normal" look like after COVID-19, and how can convenience retailers become even more competitive in foodservice? Al and Frank talk with Jessica Williams, the founder and CEO of Food Forward Thinking LLC. Jessica discusses common foodservice failure modes, how to scale unique recipes, and shares insights from her experience working with some of the world's largest restaurant brands.