Reporting by Ricardo Torres, Francesca Pica and Alice Mannette, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Kwik Trip is a staple in Wisconsin; now, the company has its eyes set on Minnesota.
Kwik Trip has 925 locations across seven states including Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan. It operates in Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota under the name Kwik Star, to avoid confusion with an Iowa-based convenience store chain.
Spokesperson Ben Leibl said Kwik Trip has been able to grow a loyal following due to three factors: guest service, a wide range of food options and cleanliness.
Leibl said the company is already well-established in Wisconsin, and is instead looking to increase its presence in Iowa, northern Minnesota and northwestern Illinois.
The largest Kwik Trip location is in Byron, Minnesota, according to company spokesperson Ben Leibl. Byron is a suburb of Rochester. Leibl said the location has a meeting room for store and district meetings.
Four of the 10 largest Kwik Trips are in Wisconsin and three are in Minnesota.
Kwik Trip fandom extends well beyond gas stations
Not many convenience stores have built a following quite like Kwik Trip’s.
The La Crosse-based chain is the site of wedding parties. Fans make a challenge of visiting as many stores as possible. They even line up to purchase Kwik Trip-branded underwear.
That loyal fandom is a result of Kwik Trip’s long-running strategy to expand from just the typical gas and convenience store options. That growth exploded after the company opened its own kitchen, bakery and beverage facilities.
“Before 2003, our food choices were limited to sandwiches in our cooler doors and hot dogs on the roller grills,” said Steve Wrobel, Kwik Trip spokesperson.
Now, more than 80% of the items sold in Kwik Trip stores are made and distributed by its own food operations division. They include hot grab-and-go meals, Karuba coffee and the Glazers donuts.
Kwik Trip’s roots
Kwik Trip was founded in 1965 in Eau Claire by John Hansen and Don Zietlow. The Zietlow family still runs the chain, which now employs around 38,000 people.
Kwik Trip also has plans to open its first Nebraska locations in the near future.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
