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Editor’s note: This article is part 6 of the Pizza Power Report 2025. You can scroll down to the bottom to navigate to other sections of the report.
By Kevin McIntyre
To wrap up this year’s Pizza Power Report, we’d be remiss if we didn’t remind you that the major chains aren’t the only competitor to keep in mind in the coming year. As convenience store retailers continue to ramp up foodservice operations, pizza is one segment where they’re excelling. In fact, 199 million servings of pizza were ordered from convenience stores in the 12 months ending August 2024, according to Circana CREST consumer survey data.
Pizza lovers are seeing increased variety thanks to innovative limited-time offers (LTOs), restaurant-quality ingredients and competitive pricing from c-store operators. One formidable competitor is Iowa-based Casey’s General Stores, which has long proclaimed itself the fifth-largest pizza chain in the U.S., with nearly 2,900 locations. This past year alone, Casey’s customers bought more than 45 million pizzas, the company says.
“This isn’t gas station pizza—it’s restaurant-quality food from a gas station,” asserts Brad Haga, senior vice president of prepared food and dispensed beverages at Casey’s. “It’s not crazy to think you can get handmade, delicious pizza from a convenience store.”
Casey’s isn’t the only c-store giant seeing success from pizza. Since it started cooking up pies in 2008, 7-Eleven, with 84,000 locations worldwide, has greatly expanded its offerings to align with flavor trends and customer preferences.
According to Justin Whittaker, 7-Eleven’s senior category manager, their pies are baked in-store with a blend of mozzarella, Parmesan and provolone cheese, while the sauce is made with fresh tomatoes, Italian herbs, garlic, salt and pepper. “Our pizza platform has evolved over time to meet the ever-changing needs of our customers,” Whittaker says. “From serving personal-size pizzas to pizza by the slice to whole pizza, we continue to grow our offerings based on what our customers want and expect.”
Compared to Casey’s and 7-Eleven, most c-stores operate on a smaller scale and without the same resources, but that doesn’t mean they’re missing out on all the pizza potential. Fischer’s Neighborhood Market, with 32 stores in the U.S., has partnered with Hunt Brothers Pizza to offer fresh pies at 13 locations. The program has steadily expanded over the years, notes Zain Bidiwala, Fischer’s senior marketing and brand leader.
Hunt Brothers provides a comprehensive training program and works closely with employees to ensure they’re correctly prepared. “Training covers everything from pizza preparation to handling customer requests efficiently,” Bidiwala says. “The process is designed to be straightforward, with the pizzas baking in approximately 10 to 15 minutes, making it an ideal quick-service option for our customers.”
Fischer’s pizzas include classics like pepperoni, sausage and cheese, plus specialty options and customizable mix-and-match toppings, giving customers plenty of flexibility for their orders. “We’re focusing on promoting Hunt Brothers’ menu items on our social media pages more heavily,” Bidiwala adds. “Being that it’s such an accessible brand, there’s a lot of fun that can be had—entertaining, educating and engaging our audience via our shared love for pizza, without always pushing the ‘hard sell.’”
NAVIGATING THE PIZZA POWER REPORT 2025
How Independents Keep Learning to Win vs. the Big Chains
Major Chains Lean into Value in So-Called ‘Pizza Wars’
Good Help Can Be Easier to Find With Some Creative Strategies
How Smart Technologies Can Ease Pizzerias’ Labor Problems
Venturing into the Frozen Frontier to Build a National Pizza Brand
C-Stores Are Taking ‘Gas Station Pizza’ to a New Level
America’s Most Popular Independent Pizzerias (Per Crowd-Sourced Reviews)
America’s 25 Most Critically Acclaimed Independent Pizzerias
The Top 30 Pizza Chains in the U.S.
The Top 10 Trending Pizza Styles for 2025
Most Popular and Fastest-Growing Pizza Toppings for 2025
