HOT food to go is one of the items listed by IGD as a defining product category of a c-store.
Effectively, the organisation said convenience stores don’t have to do hot food to go but very many do.
Research organisation HIM has also stressed the importance to c-stores of food to go and has highlighted many food-to-go developments in convenience stores in the United States and elsewhere.
Infrastructure in stores that supply food to go can vary from full kitchens to a combination of a hot-drink vending machine and consumer-operated microwave.
And Ginsters, the Cornwall-based supplier of sandwiches and other food to go has recently launched a number of new lines that suit such a microwave operation.
The firm says its new H+EAT range was developed to reinvigorate the savoury pastry category and bring young consumers into the sector.
The H+EAT lines are made with freshly baked bread dough and can be microwaved to fully cooked in 90 seconds. The H+EAT core range includes a Hot Pepperoni Twist, a Ham & Cheese Twist, a Hot Dog with Ketchup and Onions, and a Hot Dog with Mustard and Onions (all RRP £2.29), and a Burrito (RRP £3.49).
A specially designed H+EAT station incorporating a microwave unit and display fridge is available for convenience operators to buy.
