Iowa convenience-store retailers Ellen and Pat Determan’s latest mantra could well be, “winner, winner, no more chicken dinner.”
The owners of Clinton, Iowa-based Lyons Filling Station discontinued inside broasted chicken merchandising, selling a fryer and warmer last December. The original intention to incorporate chicken had been to spark dinner tickets, which never panned out. Always remaining one step ahead of the game, Determan scuttled it.
“We were suffering with nighttime volume,” said Pat Determan. “Kwik Star got in the game. Jewel supermarkets see it as a loss leader. It had been fierce competition, and the cost factor was the biggest thing. … Price and profit was impossible.”
The Determans, who have owned the CITGO-branded store since 2007, found a buyer for the Broaster 1800 fryer and chicken warmer via a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, retailer. “We paid $17,000 for the warmer and fryer and sold it for $7,000. It’s been a cutthroat market and getting rid of chicken also freed up my kitchen area.”
In response to the foodservice void created, Determans simply pivoted to new profit streams. About the inside foodservice game plan at his branded “Det’s Diner,” the retailer “went back to basics by touting sub sandwiches, chicken and tuna salad sandwiches, wraps, and more—cold refrigerated fare,” he said. (Determan is also contemplating investing in an ice cream machine and offering swirly cones.)
And, when it comes to overall foodservice lore, everyone in these eastern Iowa parts knows about Lyons Filling Station’s outside lunchtime grilling program, particularly strong on Wednesday and Fridays.
That’s where Determan grills pork tenderloin, burgers and 4-ounce marinated chicken breast sandwiches. (Thus, chicken offered onsite has not totally disappeared.) “I built a grill shack on the side of the store to house all the equipment. We wheel them out on Wednesday,” he said.
Each season, Determan relies on his Big Green Egg smokers, churning out upwards of 300 burgers during a three-hour lunch-time window on one July afternoon.
‘Mayor’ of Clinton
It wouldn’t be a stretch to call Pat Determan the unofficial “mayor of Clinton, Iowa.” He and wife Ellen have forged lasting relationships to win the sale amid multi-retailer competitors across several channels. In the c-store arena, Kwik Star hovers always. With competitive threats, Determan opts to zig when competition zags.
The long-time retailer and former beer distributor has been busy this summer filling it up from a brand-building standpoint, identifying several creative strategies to stoke revenue and profits. The Determans won a local Clinton-sponsored burger content in June to add additional cred to the offer;. They also threw added sponsorship bucks behind a popular country music fest that indirectly provided a bump in business.
Lyons Filling Station in 2024 doubled its sponsorship with country music fest “Tailgates N’ Tallboys,” moving from $2,500 sponsorship to $5,000. The event runs over three days (Thursday, Friday and Saturdays during a weekend in Clinton before heading back to Bloomington, Illinois.)
“We have a three-year contract. I’m the only c-store to have a sponsorship, which provides a huge advantage. People come from 44 states. Many who go to the show typically find their way to our store the next day for food and fuel.”
Being an upgraded Tailgates N’ Tallboys sponsor allows the Determans “to get closer to the stage. There’s a large projection screen behind the stage. We created 30-second commercial snippets around our business—showcasing both the inside and outside food, plus all other categories offered.”
Burgers Double Down
If Determan didn’t already have an edge with his famous burgers—an allure that attracts a throng of locals to the store from the tantalizing aroma—he further solidified his competitive position by winning the 9th Annual Burger Cook Off sponsored by the Lyons Business & Professional Association in late June.
Going up against the likes of Hooks Pub, Mike’s Fun Foods and Rastrelli’s Restaurant, Lyons Filling Station’s burgers ($4.50 per 6-ounce burger served on a homemade bakery bun supplied by local Sweetheart Bakery) walked away with first place. Attendees bought burger samples for $1 each from participating vendors and then voted for their favorite.
Indeed, retail life is good for the Determans, who continue to thrive identifying new opportunity—always ready to pivot.
One prime example: In 2023, Determan forged a working relationship with nearby Naeve Family Beef, which had debuted a new manufacturing facility. The arrangement saw the supplier mass producing Determan’s burgers, which helped offload arduous thumb-pressing burgers that monopolized time and resources at Det’s Diner.
“We had wanted to bolster overall time-management and product efficiency, so instead of us pressing patties, we partnered with them on direct-store delivery of already-pressed patties.” He said. “But, the plant went belly up after eight weeks.”
Always ready to pivot, Determan reverted to his existing burger prep method. “We’re back buying beef from the local Fairway Grocery store and performing our own thumb pressing. As it turned out, some customers actually like the old way we prepared burgers.”
Even when there’s an operational hiccup, the Determans find a way to thrive.
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