Convenience-store retailer Rutter’s is opening two 14,000-square-foot, 21-plus bar and lounge spaces this spring in Johnstown and Milton, Pennsylvania.
The sports bar and convenience-store concept will feature a selection of adult beverages, such as canned cocktails, beer and wine.
It will also have more than 20 65-inch TVs, live sports tickers with real-time updates and five video gaming terminals.
In addition to the entertainment space, the new Rutter’s locations will offer made-to-order food, beer caves, fuel and more.
York, Pennsylvania-based Rutter’s operates 88 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.
It's yet the latest example in the ongoing battle for consumer dollars between convenience stores and restaurants.
To date, the face off has largely focused on c-store competition with fast-food restaurants as convenience stores increasingly offer made-to-order food, value deals and customizable beverages. But Rutter's move into sports bars infringes more on the full-service side of restaurants.
About 140,000 of the country's 151,000 convenience stores currently offer a foodservice program, according to data from sister research firm Technomic, and it's estimated that consumer spending on prepared foods and beverages at convenience stores will reach $27 billion this year, up 42% from 2015.
“There’s one thing that QSRs agree on and that is that you are a competitive threat to [restaurants'] business,” Technomic Principal Hood Crecca said at last month's Convenience Retailing University event in Nashville. “Now I’ve been covering convenience stores for over 20 years. I’ve been covering the foodservice and restaurant industry for a lot longer. And I can tell you, you really do have their attention right now. They recognize they are battling you for consumer occasions and consumer dollars. And from a growth perspective, you’re winning.”
This story originally appeared in sister publication CSP Daily News. Heather Lalley contributed to this report.
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