QuikTrip with a “Q” or Kwik Trip with a “K”? When industry folks talk about these two premier chains, they frequently add such a descriptor.
But when you consider how much they have in common—both family-owned and -operated, employee-focused and with excellent reputations within the retail business—the need to distinguish between them seems arbitrary.
Another example of the separated-at-birth relationship: QuikTrip and Kwik Trip finished within only two-tenths of a point of each other as they clinched first and second place, respectively, in the 2015 CSP/Service Intelligence Mystery Shop. It’s a remarkable performance for two chains that in the 11-year history of the program always seem to finish within no more than one point of each other.
“Maybe the name is all that matters,” jokes Chet Cadieux, president and CEO of QuikTrip Corp. (QT). “ ‘Quick trips’ always win.”
For the Tulsa, Okla., retailer, which has more than 700 locations in 11 states, it marks a return to the top after it finished first in the inaugural and second CSP/Service Intelligence Mystery Shops a decade ago. For 2015, the chain led a triumvirate of retailers—including last year’s winner, Cumberland Farms—to earn overall average scores that broke the 95% barrier for the first time in the program’s history. And QuikTrip did one better, nailing the highest overall score ever—96.1%—in the mystery shop.
The score was all the more impressive given that QuikTrip upped its workforce by 25% to 30% in the past year to accommodate its growing foodservice program. “It made me smile when I heard we’d won,” Cadieux says. “In our employees’ views, we didn’t do as well this year because we had so many newbies. We’ve got a whole bunch of people who don’t know any better but to do it right.”
For Kwik Trip Inc. (KT), a four-time winner, coming so close to first was bittersweet, even though it earned its highest overall score (95.9%) since it began participating in the mystery shop. “You never want to be second,” says Don Zietlow, co-founder and CEO of the La Crosse, Wis., chain. “When first is available, you want to be first.”
In exclusive interviews with CSP, the CEOs of both companies spoke about the culture and strategies behind their success and how they plan to maintain their momentum. Also, check out complete Mystery Shop results and insights!
Table of Contents
QuikTrip: Building a Winning Team (Slideshow)
Kwik Trip: It Pays to Be Nice (Slideshow)
QT vs. KT--An Infographic
Data: C-Stores Bring It!
Cenex Zip Trip's Progress Report
Retailer Report Cards
Industry Views: Customer Experience: Stop the Mediocrity
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