FIELD NOTES

Concepts and inspirations observed in stores around the world, and what a read would measure at yours

We photograph promising concepts in stores wherever we go, from Texas to Seoul. They're inspirations, not proof. Each note shows what we saw, why it's noteworthy, why we're confident it could be adapted to new contexts, and how a read would determine whether it pays off at your stores. For 9 of them, a Fit Check shows which of your stores look like the places where the concept works.

How strong is the evidence?

Spotted: seen in stores, with our photos. A concept worth measuring.

Measured: read at stores that made the change, with a range. As reads come in, notes change from Spotted to Measured.

At your stores: what a measured concept would be worth at each of your stores. This one needs your data.

Sell the salad for cheap, upsell with pricey proteins, toppings and sides

Spotted

H-E-B, Frisco, Texas (January 2026) · Wegmans, Westchester, New York (May 2026) · Sprouts Farmers Market, Las Vegas (October 2026)

Wegmans case of single protein portions, each labeled, with protein grams on the shelf strip — Wegmans, Westchester, New York

Sprouts Farmers Market meal-prep case under Build a meal and Pick a protein signs — Sprouts Farmers Market, Las Vegas

H-E-B case of protein salads in tubs under a Protein Salads sign — H-E-B, Frisco, Texas

H-E-B salad wall with rows of packaged entrée salads, side salads and small dressing cups — H-E-B, Frisco, Texas

Close-up of H-E-B chef, Cobb and Southwest chicken salads at $5.68, topped with egg, ham, cheese, pecans and black beans — H-E-B, Frisco, Texas

H-E-B dressing cups at 50¢ each, such as ranch, Caesar and honey mustard, below grain salads at $7.99 — H-E-B, Frisco, Texas

An H-E-B Meal Simple cranberry pecan turkey salad lettuce wrap, labeled 21g of protein, $7.59 — H-E-B, Frisco, Texas

What we saw

Wegmans sells single portions of chicken, salmon, shrimp, eggs and tofu next to its salads, with the grams of protein on the shelf strip. Most are $5 to $6.
Sprouts signs "Build a meal" and "Pick a protein," with seared chicken breast at 2 for $2.99 next to salads that are mostly $9.99.
H-E-B sells protein salads by the pound right next to entrée salads that are mostly $5.28 to $5.68, with dressings at 50¢ a cup.

Seurat's take

The salad's price competes with the cheapest lunch nearby, and shoppers who want more protein pay extra for it. This "modular" way of eating also fits a variety of diets, whether low-carb, low-calorie or calorie-restricted on a GLP-1 medication.

What a read would measure

At stores that add protein portions next to the salads, vs. their twins: salad sales, how often shoppers add a protein, how it affects the rest of the basket (for example, whether a pricey add-on means a shopper skips the drink), and the margin left after food costs and waste.

Will this work at my stores?

The full note with photos →The Foodservice read →

Tried this, or thinking about it?

Scope a read

Promote the snack of the month at the pump, to everyone

Spotted

TotalEnergies, Berlin (September 2024) · Rausch's chocolate shop on Germany's A2 (September 2024) · Nouria, Marlborough, Massachusetts (August 2025)

A sign on a TotalEnergies pump island in Berlin promoting the hot snack of the month, a Leberkäse roll — TotalEnergies, Berlin

Close-up of the pump island sign: Heißer Snack des Monats, Der Leberkäse ruft!, with 2 Leberkäse rolls — TotalEnergies, Berlin

A banner on the fence beside an EnBW charger at Rausch, suggesting a break with a tartlet — Rausch, Peine, Germany

A Nouria's Kitchen sign at the pump island: 2 hot dogs for $4, Frankly Delicious — Nouria, Marlborough, Massachusetts

What we saw

A TotalEnergies station in Berlin put a sign on the pump island for its "hot snack of the month": a roll with Austrian Leberkäse, a kind of meatloaf, under the line "Der Leberkäse ruft!" ("The Leberkäse is calling!").
The sign means hot as in warm, but it sparked a different concept: show every driver what's hot right now.
At Rausch's stop on the A2, banners beside the chargers suggested a break with a tartlet from its café.
Both show every driver the same item, rather than a personal offer to each one.
Nouria does it in the US: at its station in Marlborough, Massachusetts, one sign at the pump island shows one item, 2 hot dogs for $4 from Nouria's Kitchen.

Seurat's take

Even the most well-targeted, personalized offer can't get someone who isn't in the mood to buy to come inside your store. Showing every driver what most people like — what's trending, or what the store makes especially well — is a stronger provocation to bring in more customers. A snack of the month gives regulars something new to try, and it also works with limited-time offers.

What a read would measure

At stores that promote a snack of the month at the pump, vs. their twins: sales of the promoted item, what else sold with it, inside sales per fuel transaction, and whether the item kept selling after its month ended. Within the stores that ran it, the read also compares shoppers who bought the snack of the month with everyone else: basket size and the mix of what's in the basket.

Will this work at my stores?

The Deal and promotion read →

Tried this, or thinking about it?

Scope a read

Create LTO excitement with trending toppings or signature ingredients on items you already sell

Spotted

Żabka, Warsaw (June 2026) · Wawa (2025) · Rutter's (2026)

A Żabka hot food counter with staff, high-speed ovens and menu screens showing loaded fries — Żabka, Warsaw

A Żabka employee at a high-speed oven behind the counter, next to a loaded fries price sign — Żabka, Warsaw

A Wawa ordering kiosk's crispy chicken sandwich menu, with a limited-time Dill Pickle Ranch Crispy Chicken — Wawa ordering kiosk

A graphic of 9 Wawa menu items made with Dill Pickle Ranch, from burgers and a turkey sandwich to a flatbread and wraps — Wawa's Dill Pickle Ranch menu, via @speculite on Instagram

A Wawa ordering kiosk's club sandwich menu, led by a Dill Pickle Ranch Oven Roasted Turkey — Wawa ordering kiosk

The Wawa app's limited-time Dill Pickle Ranch Oven Roasted Turkey, with crispy pickles and Dill Pickle Ranch — Wawa app

A Wawa sign outside the store: Kick up your hoagies, wraps & more! Spicy Jalapeño Ranch — Wawa, Budd Lake, New Jersey

A Rutter's poster announcing that Spam is back, framed by sandwiches, burgers and wraps made with Spam — Rutter's, via Instagram

A Rutter's graphic for its new Spam Dog, stamped temporarily sold out — Rutter's, via Instagram

What we saw

Żabka sells loaded fries as its signature hot item, in named combinations, such as fries with salami, sausage or jalapeño.
A high-speed oven behind the counter lets a small store serve hot food without a cook.
Wawa added Dill Pickle Ranch and crispy pickles to breakfast, lunch and dinner items in 2025.
By September 2025, Wawa had followed with Spicy Jalapeño Ranch, on a sign outside its store in Budd Lake, New Jersey: "Kick up your hoagies, wraps & more!"
Rutter's brings back a Spam menu every year, now in its 5th year of partnership with Hormel, and launched a Spam Dog in January 2026.

Seurat's take

One base item and a few toppings give a small store a hot menu that's simple to run and easy to refresh. A signature condiment or topping can add newfound excitement to an existing menu item and create a new LTO or reason to return. It's also cheap, because it goes on items you already sell.

What a read would measure

At stores that launch the new toppings, vs. their twins: hot food sales, what sold with them, whether new toppings kept sales up after the launch weeks, whether new versions took sales from the old ones, and whether total sales grew.

Will this work at my stores?

The Foodservice read →

Tried this, or thinking about it?

Scope a read

Turn the ramen aisle into a browsable adventure and a reason to linger

Spotted

CU and GS25 stores in Seoul and Incheon, South Korea (early 2026) · Korean Air's lounge at Incheon

A wall of instant ramen packets in a CU store in Seoul, labeled Ramyun Library — CU, Seoul

Shoppers at tables shaped like giant instant ramen cups in CU's Ramyun Library in Seoul, with a wall of ramen behind them — CU, Seoul

A GS25 eat-in corner in Seoul with ramen shelves sorted by spice level, cooking machines and seating — GS25, Seoul

A ramen library of backlit wooden shelves in an airport lounge at Incheon — Korean Air lounge, Incheon Airport

2 instant ramen cooking machines at a GS25 in Seoul, under a screen and a poster showing how to use them — GS25, Seoul

Shoppers at the tables and orange benches of a GS25 eat-in corner in Seoul, near its ramen shelves and cooking machines — GS25, Seoul

What we saw

Ramen libraries: walls of instant ramen in far more varieties than a normal store stocks, a whole library of options to browse.
Hot water and cooking stations next to the shelves, with counters to eat at.
The concept has spread beyond the stores: even the airline lounge had a ramen library.

Seurat's take

An item that sells for under $2 becomes a reason to visit. Shoppers who sit down to eat add a drink, a snack or a dessert, and take selfies that bring their friends in.

What a read would measure

At stores that add a ramen wall and cooking station, vs. their twins: ramen sales, basket size, drink, snack and other sales, and whether the store drew more visits overall, which would include friends who came to try it.

Will this work at my stores?

The Foodservice read →

Tried this, or thinking about it?

Scope a read

See 23 more notes, from an automat wall in Amsterdam to high-protein snacks for shoppers on GLP-1s

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Or run a Fit Check on your stores.

Suggest the items most people buy together, at the kiosk and the cash register

Spotted

Lagkagehuset, Copenhagen Airport (June 2026) · Nouria, Avon, Massachusetts (May 2026) · Wawa, Budd Lake, New Jersey (August 2025)

Label prepared meals by diet and by taste

Spotted

H-E-B, Frisco, Texas (January 2026) · Żabka, Warsaw (June 2026)

Become known as the go-to stop for high-protein snacks before the demand wave hits

Spotted

Convenience stores in Vancouver, Canada (early 2026)

Pair a signature or seasonal item with a drink deal

Spotted

CU, Seoul (March 2026) · Relay, Sofia Airport (June 2026) · Meal deals in the UK (April 2024) · A French highway rest stop on the A1 (April 2024) · Wawa, Budd Lake, New Jersey (September 2025)

From vending to automat walls: Make self-serve enticing

Spotted

FEBO, Amsterdam (September 2024) · A Shell highway rest stop in the Netherlands (September 2024) · 7-Eleven GO, Copenhagen Airport (June 2026) · Tesla Superchargers, Merklingen, Germany (September 2024) · Pizza Cat, Detroit Metro Airport (September 2025) · Sprinkles, Houston airport (September 2024) · Rusty Lantern Markets, Cumberland, Maine

Put up a cart rail of single-serve snacks

Spotted

Snack shops in Zhangjiajie, China (early 2026) · Stores in Tokyo and Shanghai

Perfect a signature item, chain-wide, and make it the one reason people return to your store

Spotted

Royal Farms, Laurel, Maryland (November 2025) · FamilyMart, Shanghai (March 2026) · Loop Neighborhood Market, Novato, California (summer 2026) · Wawa, Manahawkin, New Jersey (July 2026) · Chestnut Market

Make sandwiches where customers can watch, so the effort shows

Spotted

Orlen, Warsaw (June 2026) · Rusty Lantern Markets, Maine · Alltown Fresh, New England · Wawa · Sheetz, Brownstown, Pennsylvania (November 2024)

Display food beautifully and make it appetizing, the way a bakery does

Spotted

Orlen, Warsaw (June 2026) · A Shell highway rest stop and La Place in Leiderdorp, the Netherlands (September 2024) · Rausch's chocolate shop on Germany's A2 (September 2024) · Bakeries and cafés in England, France, the Netherlands and Denmark

Sell packaged, shelf-stable versions of classic baked goods

Spotted

M&S at highway rest stops in England (April 2024) · Greggs, a highway rest stop in Rugby, England (April 2024)

When the town bakery, café or diner closes, sell what it was known for

Spotted

Small towns in Germany

Bring in a turnkey food program instead of building your own

Spotted

NACS Show, Las Vegas (October 2026) · Bolla Market, New York · ONroute, Highway 401, Ontario (September 2025) · Highway rest stops in Germany

Add a private label where the shelf has none

Spotted

Royal Farms, Baltimore and Laurel, Maryland (November 2025) · Loop Neighborhood Market, Novato and south of San Francisco, California (August 2026) · Casa de Fruta, Hollister, California (January and February 2024) · Forecourt stores in Germany and France

Say less at the pump: clean up the offer soup

Spotted

Circle K, near Corona, California (March 2025) · Casey's, Itasca, Illinois (October 2025) · Royal Farms, Laurel, Maryland (November 2025) · Maverik, Las Vegas (January 2026) · Circle K, north of Dallas (January 2026) · Shell stations south of San Francisco (August 2026) · BP, Hartsdale, New York (December 2024) · Scarsdale, New York (March 2025)

Let shoppers order ahead and skip the line

Spotted

Sheetz, Brownstown, Pennsylvania (November 2024) · Nouria, Falmouth, Maine (August 2025) · Casey's, Itasca, Illinois (October 2025) · QuikTrip, Atlanta (April 2026) · Rusty Lantern Market, Brockton, Massachusetts (May 2026) · McDonald's, Dunkin', Panera, Firehouse Subs, d'Angelo and Chopt (2024 to 2026) · Travel plazas in Ontario and England

Ask for the rewards number at every sale

Spotted

McDonald's, Darien, Connecticut (October 2024 and August 2026) · Casey's, Itasca, Illinois (October 2025) · Royal Farms, Baltimore and Laurel, Maryland (November 2025) · Chestnut Market, Harrison and Putnam County, New York (November 2025 and May 2026) · Terrible's, Jean, Nevada (March 2026) · 7-Eleven, New Hyde Park, New York (April 2026) · Loop Neighborhood Market, Novato, California (August 2026)

Put the member price next to the regular price

Spotted

Mobil, Belleville, Michigan (September 2025) · Casey's, Itasca, Illinois (October 2025) · Wegmans, Norwalk, Connecticut (October 2025) · Royal Farms, Baltimore and Newport, Delaware (November 2025) · Loop Neighborhood Market, Novato and San Bruno, California (August 2026)

Put self-checkout only where the line pays for it

Spotted

Nouria, Falmouth, Maine (August 2025) · Rusty Lantern Market, Augusta, Maine (October 2025) · QuickChek, Eatontown, New Jersey (December 2025) · GS25, Seoul (February 2026) · Shanghai (March 2026) · Circle K, Waterville, Maine (August 2026) · A Shell station, Orono, Maine (August 2026)

A remodeled or rebuilt store raises the bar for the older ones nearby

Spotted

Nouria, Falmouth and Scarborough, Maine (August 2025 and August 2026) · QuikTrip, Broadview, Illinois (October 2025) · Casey's, Itasca, Illinois (October 2025) · Royal Farms, Laurel, Maryland (November 2025) · RaceTrac, McDonough, Georgia (April 2026) · Bolla Market, Calverton, New York (May 2026) · A forecourt store near Sofia, Bulgaria (June 2026) · Wawa, Manahawkin, New Jersey (July 2026) · Alltown Fresh, Hopkinton, Massachusetts (August 2026)

Add a paid tier to the free loyalty program + EV driver perks

Spotted

Albert Heijn, Leiden, the Netherlands (September 2024)

Give EV drivers a reason to come inside

Spotted

3 road trips across Spain, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and the UK · New England (August 2026) · Rausch's chocolate shop on Germany's A2 (September 2024) · Wawa near Allentown, Pennsylvania (January 2025)

Highlight the store's offerings on the charger screen, and make them delicious and contextually relevant

Spotted

Chestnut Market, Harrison, New York (November 2025) · TotalEnergies on France's A1 (September 2024) · A Shell highway rest stop in the Netherlands (September 2024) · Charging sites across Germany (2024) · Electric Era's chargers in the US (2025, found online)

Brand your charger, and make charging cheaper while the store is open

Spotted

McDonald's, Aalsmeer, the Netherlands (September 2024) · McDonald's in Italy (2015, found online) · Wawa, Alachua, Florida (January 2026, found online)

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