It will still happen. it just wont sell alcoholic beverages
It will still happen. it just wont sell alcoholic beverages
May & NW Ex:
It would be ironic if QT decided to "fully" integrate into OKC and acquire all OnCue locations! I do not know if this would happen, however, name the right price $$$ and it could become reality!
QT pursuing the OKC locations, doesn't seem too far fetch. They would have little interest in the non OKC Metro locations.
However, there are some things that OnCue does better than QT, like the covered canopy, drive-thru window, fully integrated kitchen/indoor eating area with the Grill concept.
OnCue CEO Jim Griffith has been in the C-Store business a long time and is probably in his late 60's at this point, and obviously has had great success with OnCue in OKC, his daughter Laura Griffith Aufleger seems to be in line to take over operations once her dad retires as she is the current president from what I can find online.
It will be interesting to see when QT opens the two travel stops in OKC if they do significantly more business (with the local following) than places like Joplin or Shreveport QT Travel stops that are non QT C-Store markets and just have the truck stop/travel stop stores.
Personally, I love OnCue and their operation in OKC. If I visit Tulsa or travel, of course QT is at the top of the list for a gas station stop, but I don't think we are missing out on as much since OnCue has really stepped up in the past decade in OKC.
I’m not trying to make a hate on Tulsa post, but all the QTs I’ve been to Tulsa(around 4-5 of them) have been very ghetto and ran by staff with an I don’t care attitude. I have yet to see a single OnCue like this. Now the new QTs in Texas and Arizona are a different story. Very nice stores. I think Quick Trip needs to show some of its older Tulsa stores some love before their continued expansion.
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I stopped at the Sapulpa QT a few weeks ago, and unless they were undergoing a reprogram or a remodel or something of the sort it was shockingly run down and neglected feeling. Lots of missing inventory, store in disarray and felt grimy. In fairness I haven't been to other QTs lately, but if this was any indication I think I'd rather stick with OnCue, which has felt just as nice (or even better) than QT for some time, anyway.
I have noticed the staff at OnCue’s Getting more of an I don’t care attitude than they used to have. But for the most part they’re pretty good. Stores are kept up. The lots kept up. The gas is kept up.
The only thing I wish they would add and it’s not a big deal, but I wish they would have automatic sliding doors.
I was in the Gainesville QT last week and they had completely rearranged the store into a spiral maze.... Not sure if it was to try and encourage more impulse buying or reducing inventory shrink but it wasn't enjoyable to navigate.
I visit the OnCue at S 44th and Shields every other week. I have always found the employees there to be super friendly.
I lived in Tulsa from 1988 - 1998 and lived at QT (stopped by about once a day). When I go back now, they remind me of how 7-11's were here in OKC when I moved here for college in 1999.
I think OnCue has the advantage of serving one metro area (not counting the one store in Houston and the handful of rural Oklahoma locations) and most of their stores are less than 10 years old. They can pivot quickly on implementing changes across the brand. They also have the advantage of knowing the mistakes other C-Stores made in the past before building the bulk of their stores in OKC. 7-11 is building new stores in OKC, but many of the smaller Brown family corner stores still remain.
When compared to QT or even 7-11, they are much bigger chains to implement brand-wide updates and consistency across stores. QuikTrip is still replacing Generation 2 stores in Tulsa with Generation 3 which was introduced back in 2011!
OnCue matches a lot of the Generation 3 layout of QuikTrip, but has some strong advantages like touchless and much bigger restrooms on the same side of the store, double door and/or automatic door main entrances, lots of egress around entrances.
If you have seen the movie "The Founder", I imagine QuikTrip, 7-11, OnCue, and others all have store mock ups and are consistently trying the best may to move product and people efficiently.
On top of that QuickTrip does franchising, where it looks like OnCue may not. If that is the case, then OnCue would have direct control on how staffing, stocking, cleaning, and other things go. Where QuickTrip probably has to deal with hundreds of individual owners, which probably have decent amounts of control in how they manage their locations.
The OnCue at NW 10th & Czech Hall appears to be in the process of adding a kitchen.
The steel is up and tanks have been delivered for the location at May/NW Expressway.
I ordered a few items from the Oncue grill for the first time a couple of days ago. Fried pickle spears are a game changer!
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