Fast food at gas stations has long become a familiar part of the service, but the approaches to this issue vary noticeably among different gas station chains. Some retailers have limited themselves to a basic set of hot dogs and coffee, while others have turned the food point into a full-fledged cafe with breakfasts, soups, desserts, and a variety of pastries. At the same time, the development of the format does not stop, and chains are introducing new solutions. For example, at OKKO gas stations, heated display cases have appeared that allow you to get hot food instantly in self-service mode. This gives the customer the opportunity to have breakfast, lunch, or dinner, take food to the office, or assemble a set of dishes. The main advantage is that service time is reduced to a few minutes.
At the same time, expanding the assortment requires stricter quality control of products, well-thought-out logistics, and compliance with storage conditions. How successfully do gas station chains cope with these tasks, given that their main activity is fuel sales? The Institute of Consumer Expertise decided to answer this question by conducting a study of fast food systems at gas stations.
As part of the testing, 11 well-known gas station chains were checked: OKKO, WOG, KLO, BRSM-Nafta, Glusko, Shell, Amic, UPG, Chipo, Sun Oil, and Avias. Experts purchased popular hot dogs and burgers, as well as two types of coffee — espresso and americano. Samples were sent to a certified laboratory, as well as for tasting by professional specialists and ordinary consumers. Additionally, the assortment of offered food was assessed, for which separate points were awarded.
Laboratory studies: microflora is normal.
At the first stage, a physical and chemical examination of meat semi-finished products — sausages for hot dogs and patties for burgers — was carried out. The results showed that the products correspond to the highest grade and fully meet established standards. All test participants use high-quality semi-finished products, which indicates a serious approach to the selection of meat product suppliers.
Microbiological indicators are an important indicator of the correctness of transportation and storage of products. Any violation can lead to the growth of harmful microorganisms or even the appearance of E. coli, which will negatively affect the health of consumers. Last year, violations were identified in this category, but this time all participants passed the test almost without comments.
The most impeccable in terms of microflora were hot dogs and burgers purchased at OKKO, WOG, KLO, and Shell gas stations. The level of microflora in these samples was close to zero, which indicates a high level of hygiene and compliance with storage conditions.
Tasting: taste assessment.
Food should be not only safe but also tasty. Even from high-quality ingredients, you can get an inedible dish, so tasting is an important stage of evaluation. Hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches are assembled products where not only the composition matters but also the harmonious combination of the bun, meat component, and sauces.
As usual, dishes from gas stations were evaluated by professional tasters and ordinary motorists. Each group gave scores on a 10-point scale. Certain shortcomings emerged here. Low scores were given to dishes from Glusco, Amic, and Avias chains — due to the dryness of sausages, their degree of frying, the taste and freshness of buns, as well as the amount of mayonnaise and ketchup.
The leader of the rating was OKKO hot dogs, which received the maximum 10 points for the excellent taste of both the sausage and the bun. This score was given by both professionals and ordinary consumers. The second place was taken by WOG. Experts and tasting participants also highly appreciated hot dogs from KLO and BRSM-Nafta.
Coffee: no complaints.
All gas stations participating in the test are equipped with modern and expensive coffee machines, which ensured the high quality of drinks. The taste of coffee depends not only on the beans but also on the equipment. Specialists and folk tasters evaluated both espresso and americano. There were no complaints about any drink — all coffee was aromatic and tasty. The tasters most liked the 100% Arabica at OKKO and the drinks at WOG (20 points based on the sum of scores). Decent coffee is also offered at KLO.
Assortment: the fight for the customer.
The variety of fast food is becoming an increasingly important factor in the fight for the customer, and large chains are betting on this. At OKKO, WOG, KLO, and BRSM-Nafta gas stations, a wide selection is presented: in addition to traditional hot dogs and burgers, there are pastries, sandwiches, buttered bread, ready-made first and second courses, fresh fruits, and at OKKO — even freshly baked bread. But at Glusko, Amic, UPG, and Avias, the assortment is noticeably poorer, and the approach looks unsystematic. For example, at Avias there is a separate refrigerator with desserts, but the selection of sausages for hot dogs is extremely small — often only a couple of types of semi-finished products are found. Experts also noted that full grills and a full assortment of sausages are present only at KLO, OKKO, and WOG.
Summing up, it is worth noting that market leaders not only set trends and introduce innovations but also maintain high quality for many years, which is still unattainable for most competitors. And stability, as is known, is a sign of mastery.
Vasyl Denysenko.
