While cold-brew coffee on draft and chicken curry rice balls are part of 7-Eleven’s arsenal in luring more customers to the world’s largest convenience-store chain, a rival based in Pennsylvania is taking a different approach with sports bars.
Rutter’s said it's opening two locations this year in Johnstown and Milton in Pennsylvania that feature sports bars serving up alcoholic beverages and TVs tuned to games. If it proves successful, Rutter’s added it may install sports bars at more of its dozens of stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia, or build stores with sports bars.
Convenience stores are looking for ways to get customers to spend more money and time at their locations, especially as sales of electric vehicles continue to rise. Some chains are adding EV charging stations, but it takes longer to recharge a vehicle than it does to fill up the tank with gas. Thus, convenience stores need to provide motorists with something to do while they wait, such as eating or watching football while drinking a beer.
Rutters, based in York, Pennsylvania, declined to say how much it is spending on the sports bar initiative. A spokesman also declined to say if the company has hired an architect or general contractor. Rutter's has 89 locations in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia.
The new Johnstown store will be located at 1609 Scalp Ave. and the Milton store will be at 921 Industrial Park Road.
Each of the new locations will be about 14,000 square feet and the sports bar section will have more than 20 TVs and video-lottery game terminals. The bar will serve canned cocktails, beer and wine.
Updated March 24 to include address of Milton store.