1800 265 771
Nov 06
Back
convenience store profits

Revolutionise Convenience Store Profits With a Strong Food-To-Go Offer

06 November 2023

Last updated January 2026.

Convenience stores across Australia are strengthening their food-to-go offer to boost transactional spend, help maintain consistent sales and ultimately increase profits.

Success, however, relies on having the right strategy, the right menu and the right commercial cooking equipment in place.

Why Hot Food Is One of the Fastest Ways to Grow Convenience Store Profits

Customers turn to convenience stores for quick food options, especially when travelling or looking for a quick bite. When stores strengthen their hot food offerings, they are better positioned to meet this demand and increase sales.

A strong hot food offer helps:

  • Provide customers with reliable food choices throughout the day
  • Capture more sales during peak and off-peak periods
  • Introduce high-margin food items
  • Encourage repeat visits from customers looking for fresh, convenient options
  • Increase the likelihood of impulse purchases

Commercial Cooking Equipment That Supports a Profitable Food-to-Go Offer

You don’t need a traditional kitchen to introduce a successful food-to-go offer. Modern commercial cooking equipment allows operators to cook, hold and present food consistently — even with limited space and minimal staff involvement.

Here are some commercial cooking equipment solutions that can help you strengthen your hot food offering:

Ventless Electric Fryers

Ventless electric fryers, such as the Perfect Fry, allow convenience stores to introduce popular fried items without requiring a kitchen setup. This compact fryer also requires minimal training, so there’s no need to hire a skilled Chef. Operators can easily load food into the fryer, select from convenient presets or recipes, and let the machine handle the rest.

Food Display Cabinets

Food displays are essential for preserving food quality and presenting products attractively. They help reduce food wastage, encourage impulse purchases and offer customers appealing food choices throughout the day. The right display can have an immediate impact on sales while keeping staff workflows simple.

  • Hot food display cabinets help maintain serving temperature and product quality while showcasing customer favourites. You can place this near the checkout area to maximise visibility and take advantage of high foot traffic.
  • Refrigerated food displays extend shelf life and preserve freshness, making it easier to expand your menu with items such as salads, cakes, and sandwiches.

Convection Ovens

Commercial convection ovens like the Caldobake allow you to prepare pies, sausage rolls, pastries and ready meals efficiently. They enable batch cooking and support stores wanting to expand their range of baked or heated products.

Sandwich Presses

Sandwich presses let you offer toasted sandwiches and other quick, delicious bites. One great example is the Spidoglass commercial sandwich press. With straightforward operation and a compact design, it fits easily into your store setup without disrupting workflows. This also helps you broaden your menu and cater to customers wanting something quick and satisfying.

Menu Ideas Proven to Work in Convenience Stores

The most successful convenience stores offer simple, high-margin items that customers already know and trust. Some popular options include:

  • Chicken tenders and strips
  • Potato products such as hot chips, wedges or hash browns
  • Pies, Sausage rolls and pastries
  • Ready meals
  • Toasted sandwiches, focaccias & wraps
  • Fried snacks and sides

Remember, consistency is key. The right equipment ensures products stay attractive for longer, giving operators more selling time and better profitability.

Build a Stronger Food-To-Go Offer With Meris

Whether you’re starting out or enhancing your existing offer, we’re here to help. Our experience working with supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations, and other businesses enables us to support your goals with the right solutions at every stage.

Contact us today at 1800 265 771 to learn more.

About The Author

Michael Brick is a Partner & General Manager at Meris Food Equipment. For over 20 years he has helped food-to-go businesses boost sales and profitability by introducing innovative food concepts. His passion lies in creating a holistic solution, focusing not just on the right equipment (like Perfect Fryers or Flexeserve displays) but also on perfecting the menu, packaging, and in-store processes for increased sales, basket value, and food traffic.

What Our Clients Say

We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature

“The benefits of the Flexeserve are as promised. We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature, preserving its freshness and increasing the variety of food items we offer, meeting peak mealtimes throughout the day.”

– Clinton & Tanya Loftus, IGA Busselton

We went from $600 to now $5,000 in food a week!

“If you’re not in hot food now, you are 5 years behind. Just go for it and dip your toe in, remember you don’t have to do everything all at once.

We went from $600 to now $5,000 in food a week!”

– John Blazely, Store Owner & Operator, Shell Service Station, Colac

We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature

“The benefits of the Flexeserve are as promised. We have benefited greatly from the individual temperature-controlled shelves, allowing us to hold food at the perfect temperature, preserving its freshness and increasing the variety of food items we offer, meeting peak mealtimes throughout the day.”

– Clinton & Tanya Loftus, IGA Busselton

Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

Sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%

Sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%

“The results were almost immediate. Within 2 months, sales were up by 37%. In just six months, sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%”.

– Ashlee Plucke, Store Manager, Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

FoodWorks

“When we were looking to purchase a heated merchandiser for our chickens and hot food, we got a quote on the Flexeserve from Meris as well as an alternate unit from another supplier. The Flexeserve® was more expensive, so we went with the other unit. From day one of installing the other unit we had a myriad of issues.

After three months of this and an inability for anyone to be able to fix it, we re-approached Meris about the Flexeserve® unit, and they helped us out. The Flexeserve has done all the things they told us it would, and we have not had an issue. Clearly, you get what you pay for, and the Flexeserve® is worth it”

Shane Cantania - FoodWorks
Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

“Our previous hot food display was too hot to touch and was melting the food packaging. The harsh heat was drying the food out, which was limiting shelf life and leading to more food wastage.

With Flexeserve, the results were almost immediate. Within 2 months, sales were up by 37%. In just six months, sales increased by a staggering 41%. With year-on-year sales up by 81%. ”

Ashlee Plucke, Store Manager - Country Grocers & Liquor Ballan

“The FlashGrill is so good.

Always such an even cook. Never have to worry about re-heating, it’s always at temp.

Super easy to clean and nothing ever sticks.

We cover the plate with 30 frozen burgers, cook them, then add another 30 straight away with no change in cooking time between the first lot and the second and get the same great result. It’s really impressive”

Katrina Sanderson, Food Operations Manager - Bowser Bean and Vantage Fuels

It enhances flavours by cooking at low temperatures.

“FlashGRILL completes any food. It enhances flavours by cooking at low temperatures. It can perfectly caramelise and grill the products. It is great for white meat and fish. It is very satisfying to cook different kinds of meats and ensuring clients can fully perceive the differences in tastes due to the specific flavour of each product being preserved.”

Chef Francesco di Maria, - LA FIORENTINA Ristorante-Pasticceria Roma - Italy

“Since I have had the possibility to cook at lower temperatures, meat does not stiffen or burn. It remains evenly cooked and intact, and enhances flavour. Thanks to FlashGRILL, which keeps the temperature even on the full cooking surface, I managed to optimise cooking in my work kitchen. I also use the CLOCHE every day. Thanks to it, I obtain great results with meat and fish, like tuna. I am extremely satisfied.”

Chef Diego Asara, - GINGER SAPORI E SALUTE Roma - RM
How can Meris help my business?