Al Pastor, Birria, Carnitas: Why C-Store Food Programs Are the Next Big RTH Opportunity

Your foodservice program is growing while total in-store sales fall. The taquitos on the roller grill outsell the coffee counter. And the customer who drives to Laredo Taco Company for quesabirria is not stopping for a hot dog anymore. In 2024, c-store foodservice hit 28.7% of in-store revenue and 39.6% of gross profit, according to NACS. The operators capturing that margin all share one move: they added Mexican RTH proteins to the program.

The chains that bucked that trend share a common move: they added Mexican proteins to their food programs. 7-Eleven added quesabirria to its Laredo Taco Company menu. NACS Show 2024 featured birria steak fajita street tacos on the exhibit floor. One c-store operator implementing a Mexican food program reported a 50% jump in year-to-date foodservice sales versus 2024, with profit margins of 50 to 72% on Hispanic food items.

This is not a trend that peaks and retreats. Mexican restaurants are the third-most-popular cuisine type in the US, behind American and pizza/Italian. The consumer demand for al pastor, birria, carnitas, and carne asada at convenience store price points is not experimental. It is proven.

Why Mexican Proteins Work in C-Stores

Three factors make Mexican protein programs particularly suited to c-store operations.

The first is equipment compatibility. Al pastor, carnitas, and carne asada can be prepared on roller grills, steam warmers, and small griddles. Equipment most c-stores already have. No capital investment required to add birria tacos or pastor burritos to a food program.

The second is throughput. Pre-seasoned, ready-to-heat proteins require minimal kitchen labor. A c-store food program built on RTH proteins that arrive pre-seasoned can be operated by staff without culinary training. The flavor is in the seasoning system, not in the cook. When the protein is marinated or injected upstream, yield and absorption are set at the plant, which is where brine injection and tumble marination differ.

The third is margin. Datassential data shows nearly two-fifths of consumers interested in global flavors and options without artificial colors or flavors. And C-store Dive reports margins of 50 to 72% on properly executed Hispanic food programs. That margin profile is significantly better than traditional c-store food categories.

The Flavor System Behind the Counter

A c-store food program built on Mexican proteins does not produce the food directly. It sources RTH proteins from a manufacturer who does. That manufacturer applies the seasoning. Which means the flavor of the c-store's birria or pastor is determined entirely by the seasoning system the manufacturer uses, not by what happens at the c-store kitchen.

This is the critical supply chain point that most c-store operators discover only after launch: the consistency of their food program across 500 locations depends on whether their manufacturing partner uses a seasoning system that delivers the same result in every batch.

If the manufacturer uses a seasoning supplier with batch-to-batch variation, the birria at the Salt Lake City location tastes different from the birria at the Phoenix location. The consumer complaint goes to the c-store. The problem is three steps back in the supply chain.

This is why the seasoning system matters as much as the protein. An al pastor or birria coating that delivers a consistent flavor profile. Clean label, same application rate, same result in batch one and batch one thousand. Is what makes the food program scalable.

The authenticity gap between US-formulated and Mexico-formulated profiles is significant. Read why the same carnicería program tastes different every location.

Where FISA Lab Fits

FISA Lab's carnicería and prepared foods seasoning systems. Pastor Mexico City Style, Birria Jalisco, Carnitas, Fajita, and Carne Asada. Are formulated for batch-to-batch consistency from the start. Every bag contains the same profile, documented with the same application specification.

For manufacturers supplying RTH proteins to c-store programs, this means the birria in Phoenix and the birria in Detroit start from the same flavor base. The c-store still controls heat and assembly. The seasoning system removes ingredient variability.

See our Pastor, Birria, and Carnitas seasoning systems.

C-store buyers are also demanding cleaner labels. See our clean-label solutions and what the Red Dye No. 3 ban means for your program. The same profiles run behind the counter in the Hispanic channel: see our program for carnicerías and prepared foods and how Hispanic supermarkets scale prepared foods.

Frequently Asked Questions