GasBuddy Reveals 2019's Top-Rated and Top-Visited Gas Station Brands

February 11, 2020

Where to find the best pit stop experience — from coffee to restrooms to customer service — while on the road, based on more than 8.3 million consumer ratings

BOSTON  No longer a last-resort for roller dogs and snacks, today's top gas stations are more likely to offer gourmet coffee or fresh salads. The $654 billion fuel and convenience retailing industry has transformed into a 'one stop shop' for fuel, snacks, and yeseven meals.

GasBuddy, the travel and navigation app that is used by more North American drivers to save money on gas, today issues its 2019 Top Gas Station Brands in the U.S. report, revealing which gas station convenience store brands offer the best-of-the-best experience based on more than 94 million consumer visits and 8.3 million ratings submitted through the GasBuddy app. The report also features exclusive interviews with executives at brands that are redefining the meaning of "gas station food."

“Americans are passionate about their favorite gas stations,” says Frank Beard, convenience store and retail trends analyst at GasBuddy. “Across the United States, it’s common to have debates about which brands have the best coffee or cleanest restrooms. At GasBuddy, we decided to see who generated the best results throughout 2019. It’s telling that all of the brands which made our list have invested heavily in fresh food, friendly customer service, and state-of-the-art facilities.”

Highlights Include:

Buc-ee’s is America’s Top-Rated Gas Station Brand

Texas-based Buc-ee’s claimed the title of America’s Top-Rated Gas Station Brand, based on performance in the “overall” ratings category. In second place is Tennessee-based Twice Daily, followed in third by Wisconsin-based Kwik Trip. Rounding out the top five are Oklahoma-based QuikTrip and Iowa-based Hy-Vee. 

Costco is the Busiest

Washington-based Costco captured the most foot traffic per station of any brand in 2019—more than four times the industry average with a score of 4.24. It was a close call, however,  as Kentucky-based Thorntons followed with a score of 3.87 and Buc-ee’s with a score of 3.77. 

Beyond Fuel

During 2019, more than half of visits (55%) at gas stations and convenience stores lasted longer than five minutes—far more than the average two-to-three minutes it takes to refuel a vehicle. This reflects a continued trend of convenience stores transforming into foodservice destinations for time-starved, on-the-go Americans. 

Friday is the Busiest Day

While convenience stores serve customers twenty-four hours a day, seven days each week, foot traffic increases at the end of the week. Friday was the busiest day of 2019 with 16.36% of all visits. Friday at 5:00pm was the single busiest hour of the year, followed by Friday at both 4:00pm and 12:00pm. 

Clean Stores Drive More Visits

Today’s retailers have invested heavily in quality customer experiences—and it’s paying off. Retailers with above-average cleanliness ratings generated 14.14% more visits than competitors with below-average ratings. 

The full report can be found here.

For the national report, GasBuddy’s data science team compiled ratings and reviews data from January 1 - December 31, 2019, considering stations with more than 30 locations in the United States. 

About GasBuddy

For budget-minded drivers, GasBuddy is the travel and navigation app that is used by more North American drivers to save money on gas than any other. Unlike fuel retailer apps, as well as newer apps focused on fuel savings, GasBuddy covers 150,000+ gas stations in North America, giving drivers 27 ways to save on fuel.  That’s why GasBuddy has been downloaded nearly 90mm times – more than any other travel and navigation app focused on gas savings. GasBuddy’s publishing and software businesses enable the world’s leading fuel, convenience, QSR and CPG companies to shorten the distance between the North American fueling public and their brands.

*Record U.S. Convenience Store Food, Merchandise Sales, NACS 2019