It was a real Kwik takeover.
Wawa is no longer the king of America’s convenience store scene. Kwik Trip dethroned the Pennsylvania mart to take the top spot, per a recent survey by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) Convenience Store Study 2025.
The ACSI noted that while, like other spots, the Midwestern-owned convenience and gas distributor employs a food-focused model to appeal to a wide range of customers, but elevates itself via a “stout commitment to building a positive culture that places a heavy emphasis on the customer experience.”
The list was compiled based on 8,601 completed surveys by customers who were chosen at random and contacted via email between October 2024 and September 2025. The stores were then given scores out of 100.
They found an 11-point gap between the highest and lowest rated stores, which they chalked up to a serious discrepancy in how the candidates approached business.
“This striking gap in satisfaction should serve as a wake-up call for brands to rethink what truly drives loyalty today,” said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “The brands rising to the top are doing more than just selling coffee and snacks.”
They added, “They’re building communities inside their stores. As in-store sales outpace fuel and digital tools become table stakes, the brands that will win are those that double down on quality, innovation, and authentic connection.”
Coming in first was Kwik with a score of 84 after surging 8% from last year. Last year’s champ Wawa (unchanged at 82), meanwhile, tied for second which Sheetz, which improves 4% year over year.
Rounding out the top five were QuikTrip (80), Buc-ee’s (79), and ACSI newcomer Love’s (79) while placing last in this mart-athon was ampm, which boasted an abysmal ACSI score of 73.
Meanwhile, Casey’s General Stores saw the largest satisfaction decline, down 5% to 75, despite a significant expansion campaign.
The top ten convenience stores:
- Kwik Trip (84)
- Sheetz (82)
- Wawa (82)
- Buc-ee’s (79)
- Love’s (79)
- Maverik (78)
- Meijer (78)
- Murphy USA (78)
- RaceTrac (78)
- ExxonMobil (77)
Other trends included the fact that reward members seemed happier with their overall store experience than non-members, while a third of respondents (34%) revealed that they had used the store’s mobile app.
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