America’s favorite convenience store isn’t Buc-ee’s, new customer satisfaction rankings show

Convenience stores are a familiar part of daily life for millions of Americans, providing fuel, food, drinks and other essentials. While Buc-ee’s has developed an especially strong following, new customer satisfaction data indicates that another retailer has taken the top position in the recent national rankings.

Meijer takes the top spot

The latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Convenience Store Study ranks Meijer as the highest-rated convenience store brand in the United States.

Meijer has a score of 82 out of 100, improving by five points from its early score. The retailer is better popular for its large grocery stores, but several of its locations also have fueling stations.


Meijer operates stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky. Its Meijer Express location provides services and products that includes fuel, coffee, grab-and-go food and daily essentials.

As per ACSI, the retailer's fueling stations got the highest customer satisfaction ratings among those surveyed. The company’s rewards program was also emphasized, with ACSI noting that it reportedly saved customers $200 million in the previous year.

Buc-ee’s ranks fourth

Buc-ee’s did not claim the top spot in this year's national rankings.

The Texas-based chain obtained a score of 77, putting it in a tie for fourth place with Maverik, Pilot, RaceTrac and Shell.

Buc-ee’s nevertheless performed strongly in the South. Wawa ranked first in that area with a score of 82, while Buc-ee’s followed one point behind.

QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa tie for second

Three chains shared second position nationally.

QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa each got an ACSI score of 80.

Regional results varied from the national rankings. Sheetz led the Midwest with an 83, while Wawa ranked first in both the Northeast and South. In the West, Maverik and QuikTrip shared the top position.

Kwik Trip falls from first place

Kwik Trip, which led last year's national rankings, faced one of the huge declines in this year's results.

The Wisconsin-based chain dropped six points from its early score of 84, bringing it to 79 and positioning it in a tie with Murphy USA.

What customers evaluated

The ACSI rankings were based on 9,475 customer surveys collected from October 2025 through September 2026.

Customers analyzed convenience stores in many categories. These are food quality, cleanliness, store layout, merchandise selection, employee courtesy, checkout speed, functioning hours and coffee quality.

Overall customer satisfaction with convenience stores reduced by 1% this year, reaching a score of 75.

Customers gave lower ratings to areas including mobile applications, store cleanliness and interactions with workers. Mobile order pickup was measured for the first time and received a score of 82.

National rankings

The ACSI results positioned the leading convenience store brands as follows:

1. Meijer — 82
2. QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa — 80
3. Kwik Trip and Murphy USA — 79
4. Buc-ee’s, Maverik, Pilot, RaceTrac and Shell — 77

Over two dozen convenience store brands were considered in this year's study.

Costco and Sam’s Club were not included

Two major names not included in the rankings were Costco and Sam’s Club.

The reason is associated with the way their locations function. Unlike the convenience stores included in the study, customers generally have to enter their warehouse facilities to buy items such as hot dogs and coffee rather than accessing those items directly from a convenience-store counter near the fuel pumps.

With Meijer at 82, QuikTrip, Sheetz and Wawa at 80, and many chains tied at 79 or 77, the rankings feature how closely customer satisfaction can differ among major convenience-store brands.

Source: Yahoo Finance and WGN-TV

FAQs:

1. Which convenience store ranked No. 1?

Meijer obtained the highest national customer satisfaction score. It scored 82 out of 100.

2. How did Buc-ee’s rank?

Buc-ee’s scored 77 out of 100. It tied for fourth position with many other chains.