Red River Co-op convenience drive-thru pilot passes test

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This article was published 11/10/2024 (550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lottery tickets, beef jerky and pints of ice cream trade hands at one Red River Co-op drive-thru in Winnipeg.

Ryan Stewart has a joke with his colleagues: “If it’ll fit through the window, we’ll sell it.”

For the past year, the co-operative has been piloting a drive-thru at its 717 Lagimodiere Blvd. gas bar. Classic gas station items such as gum, candy, chips and bags of ice are on the menu. Coffee and sandwiches are also available.

Red River Co-op is analyzing its data and having internal discussions about whether to replicate the drive-thru model elsewhere, said Stewart, the company’s vice-president of energy.

The Lagimodiere Boulevard site “made sense” as a test location, he continued. It’s among the co-operative’s newest gas bars and it’s along a high-traffic route.

The gas station opened in 2022. Its built-in drive-thru launched later — staff had to figure out equipment and operational needs, like how to organize the space for fast service. Lottery tickets are near the window; they’re big sellers, Stewart explained.

“It’s one of those, ‘If you build it, will they come?’ type scenarios,” he said.

They seem to be — Red River Co-op is tracking growth each month, according to Stewart. However, he didn’t have definitive plans to share regarding more drive-thrus.

If it’s a viable business model in the long-term, new gas bars could include the quick-access lane, Stewart said. Some existing locations “with the appropriate real estate” may also be converted.

Forty-nine Red River Co-op gas bars dot Manitoba and western Ontario.

“A drive-thru is really good,” said Frances Oligbo, who fuelled up near the lane Friday. “It’s nice that Co-op has one.”

She was surprised — she doesn’t visit the location often. If she pulled her car away from the gas pump, she could’ve driven through the new concept and ordered sunflower seeds and a 15-inch frozen pizza to go.

“It’s convenient. Everybody lives a busy lifestyle,” said Rene Massicotte, another Red River Co-op customer.

The location is ideal because “people are on the run” near the Lagimodiere thoroughfare. It’s competition for gas stations offering Tim Hortons and other company drive-thrus, Massicotte noted.

Stewart maintained Red River Co-op’s objective was to make shopping easier for customers and to grow sales.

“Does it increase our competition in the market? Sure,” he added.

Red River Co-op opened its latest gas bar near Grant Park Shopping Centre. The site doesn’t have a drive-thru; 717 Lagimodiere Blvd. is the only one of its kind.

OnCue, an American convenience store and gas station, is among the brands to implement drive-thrus to sell gum, newspapers, tobacco and other items.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com