Kwik Star to open first Iowa City gas station

[cigaretteman]

I couldn't find the previous post on this, but it looks like it's official:

Kwik Star will open its first gas station in Iowa City at 1907 Keokuk St. on Dec. 2, a company spokesman told The Gazette.


The store will be about 9,100 square feet, spokesman John McHugh said, and will include an expanded food selection, fresh fried chicken prepared in the store and a car wash.


The La Crosse, Wis.-based company purchased the property, which was previously a BP station, in September 2020 for $515,320. It also bought two adjacent parcels of land for $775,000 each.


McHugh said it’s part of the company’s effort to open “more stores in Iowa than ever before.”


The Kwik Star will be within a half-mile of two Iowa-based gas stations. The nearby Kum and Go on South Gilbert Street is under renovation until December.


Kwik Trip, which operates as Kwik Star in Iowa and Illinois, also owns the Tobacco Outlet Plus on South Riverside Drive in Iowa City.

Kwik Star plans first Iowa City gas station

The 9,100-square-foot store is expected to have an expanded food selection and a car wash, among other amenities.

www.thegazette.com

 

[KFSuperStar]

My town recently got one. Very well ran business.

 

[onlyTheObvious]

They are king. Clean, good employees.

eggs milk bread fruit onions potatoes and other grocery items are cheaper than a grocery store.

IMO it’s the only reason Casey’s has upped their game. Only thing Casey’s does better than Kwik Star is pizza. The frozen Pothole pizzas are Kwik Star are damn good.

if they ever go public I would buy stock. They are outstanding.

 

[Chishawk1425]

Ts and Ps competitors

 

[QChawks]

They built about a dozen in Davenport in the last ten years

enjoy the glazers!

 

[StormHawk42]

I’m sure this has been discussed before but wasn’t there a gentlemen’s agreement between Casey’s and Kwik Star that Casey’s wouldn’t go into Wisconsin and Kwik Star wouldn’t come to Iowa?

One of them must have blinked because Kwik Stars are popping up everywhere and they’re excellent.

 

[cubsMDdmb]

Kwik star has some of the best fried chicken and chicken tenders around. It’s amazing how good it is, especially considering it’s a gas station. It’s always clean. The one close to my house is extremely well run. If more then 1 or 2 people are in line they will always open new cashiers. Casey’s does dominate in the pizza category though. And newer Casey’s are very clean too.

 

[Derekd3408]

Mason City/Clear Lake has 5 already and Iowa City/Coralville doesn't have one yet? What the hell is going on in Eastern Iowa?

On a side note, a friend of mine does a lot of work on Kwik Stars and said they plan to put up 200ish more in Iowa over the next few years.

 

[Brown Dog]

I’m sure this has been discussed before but wasn’t there a gentlemen’s agreement between Casey’s and Kwik Star that Casey’s wouldn’t go into Wisconsin and Kwik Star wouldn’t come to Iowa?

One of them must have blinked because Kwik Stars are popping up everywhere and they’re excellent.

That could be. There are Casey's in Wisconsin too. Newer one in the Appleton area.

 

[yiana]

Is this becoming the new gas station/convenience store of choice for HROT?

 

[onlyTheObvious]

Kwik star has some of the best fried chicken and chicken tenders around. It’s amazing how good it is, especially considering it’s a gas station. It’s always clean. The one close to my house is extremely well run. If more then 1 or 2 people are in line they will always open new cashiers. Casey’s does dominate in the pizza category though. And newer Casey’s are very clean too.

The one I visit in the mornings will sometimes have 6 registers going at once if it’s busy. Far superior than waiting forever at Casey’s (which is like Walmart compared to Kwik Star).

Kwik is my go to food when in a hurry. It’s decent and beats the hell out of waiting forever at McDonald’s.

 

[ConvenientParking]

Is this becoming the new gas station/convenience store of choice for HROT?

Always was for yours truly when I was a northern Iowan

 

[QChawks]

Is this becoming the new gas station/convenience store of choice for HROT?

for everything but pizza 👍

 

[srams21]

Is this becoming the new gas station/convenience store of choice for HROT?

Has been for me for a while. Much better and cleaner than most Casey's.

 

[joelbc1]

I couldn't find the previous post on this, but it looks like it's official:

Kwik Star will open its first gas station in Iowa City at 1907 Keokuk St. on Dec. 2, a company spokesman told The Gazette.


The store will be about 9,100 square feet, spokesman John McHugh said, and will include an expanded food selection, fresh fried chicken prepared in the store and a car wash.


The La Crosse, Wis.-based company purchased the property, which was previously a BP station, in September 2020 for $515,320. It also bought two adjacent parcels of land for $775,000 each.


McHugh said it’s part of the company’s effort to open “more stores in Iowa than ever before.”


The Kwik Star will be within a half-mile of two Iowa-based gas stations. The nearby Kum and Go on South Gilbert Street is under renovation until December.


Kwik Trip, which operates as Kwik Star in Iowa and Illinois, also owns the Tobacco Outlet Plus on South Riverside Drive in Iowa City.

Kwik Star plans first Iowa City gas station

The 9,100-square-foot store is expected to have an expanded food selection and a car wash, among other amenities.

www.thegazette.com

Rumor has it the Casey’s violates a long standing agreement re: competition with each other...and in the last two years or so, Kwik Star has been building them everywhere..especially where there is a Casey’s near by. My opinion, KS is superior to Casey’s in damn near everything....unless your local Casey's Has a good pizza maker.

 

[irunlikeAcieEarl]

I’m sure this has been discussed before but wasn’t there a gentlemen’s agreement between Casey’s and Kwik Star that Casey’s wouldn’t go into Wisconsin and Kwik Star wouldn’t come to Iowa?

One of them must have blinked because Kwik Stars are popping up everywhere and they’re excellent.

I talked to a Kwik Star representative at a bar in Mason City, when they were building here. He confirmed this is one big convenience store pissing contest since Casey's started to enter the Wisconsin market.

 

[TunzaHawk]

Casey’s makes their money in small towns that Kwik would never bother with.

 

[torbee]

I talked to a Kwik Star representative at a bar in Mason City, when they were building here. He confirmed this is one big convenience store pissing contest since Casey's started to enter the Wisconsin market.

The Casey's executive who made the pitch to take on KwikStar in Wisconsin a year later:

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

Kwik Star>Casey's>Kum n Go

 

[StormHawk42]

Kwik Star>Casey's>Kum n Go

5 years ago I would’ve agreed with Casey’s > K&G. While they’re basically the same, K&G really forced Casey’s to modernize so I’d actually give the nod to K&G nowadays.

 

[Hawki97]

Wonder if they’ll borrow Casey’s security guard from up the road?

 

[General Tso]

Love me some Kwik Trip/Star. And now that I can get QC pizza near my house, Casey's pizza is dead to me.

 

[KFSuperStar]

Little tip from a poor like me. When kwikstar first opens a store they send out grand opening coupons. The deals are ridiculous and last a month. 6 donuts for a $1. Dollar burgers. Free car washes. Etc. We ate donuts at work on the regular that month.

 

[the24fan]

Kwik Trip in Minnesota is my choice as well unless it’s donuts or pizza. Then it’s Caseys.
I will say however KT has the best coffee anywhere among convenience stores and INEC. I go to places in other cities and their coffee tastes like hell compared to KT.

 

[IowaMeatMan]

We have 3 Kwik Trips in the town I live in. 2 of them are across the street from each other.

 

[Hendy hawk]

They built about a dozen in Davenport in the last ten years

enjoy the glazers!

This is one thing I hate about the company.
Half the country is obese and diabetic and they push this crap.
They have good prices on alot of items and had become the neighborhood grocery
like a long time ago but to push this is not good in my opinion.

 

[2bagger22]

The one I visit in the mornings will sometimes have 6 registers going at once if it’s busy. Far superior than waiting forever at Casey’s (which is like Walmart compared to Kwik Star).

Kwik is my go to food when in a hurry. It’s decent and beats the hell out of waiting forever at McDonald’s.

Their slogan at the register is if you see three customers to open another register. I love KT/KS, but they sure love to push a donut or slice of pizza when you’re paying, and it is a bit wearing.

 

[Hendy hawk]

Their slogan at the register is if you see three customers to open another register. I love KT/KS, but they sure love to push a donut or slice of pizza when you’re paying, and it is a bit wearing.

Because bakery/pizza is cheap to make and the profit margin is very high.
Worked in a small bakery during my high schooldays. A doughnut back then cost 3 cents to make and sold for 10 cents. Place sold a lot of bakery to grocery stores back then.

 

[hwks4ever]

Living in Wisconsin im very familiar with kwik trip/star (like 1 on every other corner familiar). Just don't understand the love they get. Yes their restrooms are clean and supposedly their coffee is good but otherwise color me unimpressed. Their food items are sub par, certainly not caseys pizza worthy, they're always first to raise their gas prices and when they actually run specials on drinks ect you have to buy more than one to get the deal. Not to mention they are ruthless when it comes to driving out rival stations so they control the market. Reminds me of walmarts business model. But, continue on with the love fest. Me, i always go anywhere else if there is an option...

 

[onlyTheObvious]

I get their apples and pears all the time. Cheaper than hyvee.

 

[eightno2002]

Their slogan at the register is if you see three customers to open another register. I love KT/KS, but they sure love to push a donut or slice of pizza when you’re paying, and it is a bit wearing.

anticipate the “will that be all? No glazers or chicken sandwiches today?”

mrs clerk, I’m fat as hell. The cheese curds and diet dew are sufficient.

 

[QChawks]

Casey’s = Walmart
Kwik Star = Target

 

[ghost80]

Caseys screwed the pooch when they pissed in Kwik Star territory. K&G will also suffer from it...possibly even more since Caseys maintains a small town presence as K&G will have a higher percentage of their stores now facing competion from KS and Caseys.

 

[torbee]

Caseys screwed the pooch when they pissed in Kwik Star territory. K&G will also suffer from it...possibly even more since Caseys maintains a small town presence as K&G will have a higher percentage of their stores now facing competion from KS and Caseys.

Maybe it was 3D chess by Casey’s to stick it to the Krauses? 🤔

 

[ghost80]

Maybe it was 3D chess by Casey’s to stick it to the Krauses? 🤔

I have an investment guy who thinks exactly that. K&G model with outside investors building the stores and leasing them to K&G with compensation icluding a piece of thats stores action could strain K&Gs ability to continue getting adequate outside investors for more stores if brand new KS robs sales from KG.

No idea if that really is Caseys move. If true that is an interesting strategy.

 

[torbee]

I have an investment guy who thinks exactly that. K&G model with outside investors building the stores and leasing them to K&G with compensation icluding a piece of thats stores action could strain K&Gs ability to continue getting adequate outside investors for more stores if brand new KS robs sales from KG.

No idea if that really is Caseys move. If true that is an interesting strategy.

Take a short term hit as KwikStar moves in, but get long term growth and a monopoly on the smallest town stores after KS helps destroy K&G.

Maybe that Casey’s executive is the genius and I’m the dumbass! (That is more likely, TBH, lol 🙂)

 

[ghost80]

Take a short term hit as KwikStar moves in, but get long term growth and a monopoly on the smallest town stores after KS helps destroy K&G.

Maybe that Casey’s executive is the genius and I’m the dumbass! (That is more likely, TBH, lol 🙂)

It's a shrewd move on Caseys part and their pockets are far deeper. They just have to make sure they do not too negatively impact their stockholders.

 

[Speedway1]

I couldn't find the previous post on this, but it looks like it's official:

Kwik Star will open its first gas station in Iowa City at 1907 Keokuk St. on Dec. 2, a company spokesman told The Gazette.


The store will be about 9,100 square feet, spokesman John McHugh said, and will include an expanded food selection, fresh fried chicken prepared in the store and a car wash.


The La Crosse, Wis.-based company purchased the property, which was previously a BP station, in September 2020 for $515,320. It also bought two adjacent parcels of land for $775,000 each.


McHugh said it’s part of the company’s effort to open “more stores in Iowa than ever before.”


The Kwik Star will be within a half-mile of two Iowa-based gas stations. The nearby Kum and Go on South Gilbert Street is under renovation until December.


Kwik Trip, which operates as Kwik Star in Iowa and Illinois, also owns the Tobacco Outlet Plus on South Riverside Drive in Iowa City.

Kwik Star plans first Iowa City gas station

The 9,100-square-foot store is expected to have an expanded food selection and a car wash, among other amenities.

www.thegazette.com

IMHO Kwik Star is the Best between all of the C-Stores.

 

[Speedway1]

I’m sure this has been discussed before but wasn’t there a gentlemen’s agreement between Casey’s and Kwik Star that Casey’s wouldn’t go into Wisconsin and Kwik Star wouldn’t come to Iowa?

One of them must have blinked because Kwik Stars are popping up everywhere and they’re excellent.

Kwik Star has been in NE Iowa for 20 years.

 

[ghost80]

Kwik Star has been in NE Iowa for 20 years.

They were already there and easily within KS distribution envelope.

As KS has expanded deeper into Iowa it has generally been from NE to SW in direction. Wise and natural move to not overstretch their distribution ability.

From a business perspective it is impressive to watch KS work.