Kwik Trip

Kwik Trip, Inc.
Kwik Trip
(in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan)
Kwik Star
(in Iowa, Illinois, and South Dakota)
Company typePrivate
IndustryRetail
Founded1965 (1965) in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
FounderJohn Hansen, Don Zietlow
HeadquartersLa Crosse, Wisconsin
Number of locations
878 (Jul. 2024)
Area served
Key people
  • Scott Zietlow (CEO)
  • Tom Reinhart (COO)
  • Jeff Wrobel (CFO)
Products
  • Coffee
  • Hoagies
  • Prepared foods
  • Gasoline
  • Beverages
  • Snacks
  • Dairy products
  • Salads
Services
OwnerZietlow Family
Number of employees
36,457 (2024)
Websitewww.kwiktrip.com

Kwik Trip is a chain of convenience stores founded in 1965 that has locations throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan under the name Kwik Trip, and in Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota under the name Kwik Star. The company also operates stores under the name Tobacco Outlet Plus, Kwik Spirits, and Stop-N-Go. The company is privately owned by the Zietlow family and is headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

Unlike many other convenience store chains, Kwik Trip is a food service leader; the company is vertically integrated across most of its product lines. Kwik Trip also has an internal bakery operation that provides bread, doughnuts, and muffin products to its stores, along with a store-brand snack line called "Urge!". The company maintains branding partnerships with several Upper Midwest professional sports teams, including Minnesota's Twins, Vikings, and Wild and Wisconsin's Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Milwaukee Bucks.

All locations have small grocery sections selling basic fruits, bread, canned food, frozen food, sliced cheeses, and ice cream, along with traditional convenience store food such as bottled drinks and hot dogs. Notably, the chain has sold bananas, baking potatoes, and yellow onions for 39 cents per pound as a loss leader, along with fresh beef, hot dogs, bratwurst, and chicken. All stores also have heated and ready-to-eat food, and will cook food to order off a small menu.