QuikTrip facts for kids
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QuikTrip location in Cedar Park, Texas
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| Private | |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded | September 25, 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founders | Burt Holmes Chester Cadieux |
| Headquarters |
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United States
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Number of locations
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1,155 (April 2025) |
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Area served
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Midwestern, Southern, Western United States |
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Key people
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Chet Cadieux (president) Kevin Thornton (CEO) |
| Products |
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| Services | |
| Revenue |  US$14.16 billion (FY 2024) |
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Number of employees
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31,000 (March 2025) |
QuikTrip, often called QT, is a well-known chain of convenience stores in the United States. It started in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and now has stores across the Midwest, South, and West.
Burt Holmes and Chester Cadieux opened the very first QuikTrip store in Tulsa in 1958. The company grew quickly, expanding outside Oklahoma by 1968. By 1971, QuikTrip began selling gasoline. Today, Chester's son, Chet Cadieux, Jr., is the company's CEO.
QuikTrip is known for its high-quality gasoline. In 2005, it was one of the first retailers to get a "Top Tier" rating. This rating means their gasoline additives are better than the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Major car companies like General Motors, BMW, and Toyota approved this rating.
The company is also recognized as a great place to work. Fortune magazine has listed QuikTrip among the "100 Best Companies to Work For" many times. In 2024, customers ranked QuikTrip very high in a survey of convenience stores.
The Story of QuikTrip
How QuikTrip Began
The idea for QuikTrip came from Burt Holmes. He saw how successful 7-Eleven stores were in Dallas. He decided to open a similar small grocery store in his hometown of Tulsa.
Burt asked his friend Chester Cadieux to be his partner. They each invested $5,000 to start the business. Three other investors also helped with money.
The first QuikTrip store opened in a Tulsa shopping center in 1958. It sold a small selection of groceries. The prices were a bit higher because of the convenience.
Growing Across the States
The chain grew fast. The first store outside Tulsa opened in 1964. QuikTrip expanded to Missouri in 1968 and Iowa in 1974.
The company was first called "Quick-Trip." But an art director suggested changing it to "Quik-Trip." This made the sign look more balanced.
In 1971, QuikTrip started selling gasoline. This happened when states made it legal for people to pump their own gas.
New Products and Services
In the early 1970s, co-founder Chester Cadieux made some big changes. He removed items that didn't sell well, like canned vegetables. Instead, he focused on popular items like soda, coffee, and candy. These items were priced low to sell a lot.
By 1976, QuikTrip became one of the first convenience store chains to be open 24 hours a day. That same year, they introduced their famous "QT" logo.
In the 1970s and 1980s, QuikTrip even had its own branded products. They had "QT Beer," which stood for "Quittin' Time." Their commercials featured a dog named Lamar.
Innovations and Upgrades
Chester Cadieux was recognized for many new ideas in the convenience store world. In 1987, he was honored for being the first to offer self-serve fountain drinks. He also created a fast-food section and was one of the first to use computers in stores.
In 1988, QuikTrip began updating all its stores. They changed the colors from earth tones to bright red. The new stores had red counters and floors. They also improved the landscaping around the stores.
By the early 1990s, QuikTrip started offering fast foods and fountain drinks. They were the first convenience store to have self-serve soda and coffee bars.
Expanding to New Cities
In 2017, QuikTrip announced plans to open stores in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The first San Antonio store opened in October 2018.
In 2019, QuikTrip shared plans to expand into the Denver, Colorado area. They aimed to open five stores there starting in 2022.
In October 2020, QuikTrip announced a new venture. They planned to open 15 MedWise Urgent Care clinics in the Tulsa area.
In 2021, QuikTrip announced it would open its first stores in Oklahoma City. The first two stores opened in 2024. This move was a big deal because QuikTrip had not been in Oklahoma City before.
In 2024, QuikTrip expanded into Ohio. They opened locations in the Dayton, Ohio area. This area is a major crossroads for highways. Many other convenience store chains are also expanding there.
In April 2025, QuikTrip opened its first store in Indiana. This location in Daleville, Indiana was part of QuikTrip's plan to open many new stores across the Midwest.
What QuikTrip Offers
Fast and Friendly Service
QuikTrip wants to make checking out quick and easy. Employees are trained to open new registers if there are too many customers waiting. They direct customers to the fastest available checkout.
QT Kitchens: Fresh Food
Since the early 1990s, QuikTrip has sold its own brand of fast food. These included "Quick 'n Tasty" and "HOTZI sandwiches."
In 2012, QuikTrip started making fresh food daily at its own bakery and commissary. This is called QT Kitchens. They offer fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruit, and pastries.
Later, QuikTrip added actual kitchens inside their stores. These kitchens make hot food to order and specialty drinks. Many older stores were updated to include these kitchens. New stores, called "Gen 3" stores, are designed around the QT Kitchens counter. They offer grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches and pizza slices.
Special Store Types
Travel Centers
In the late 1980s, some QuikTrip stores became large "travel centers." These were like smaller truck stops. They had big stores, many gas pumps, and special diesel pumps for large trucks. They also had truck scales and stores for truck drivers.
Stores with Restaurants
In 1994, QuikTrip tried a new idea. They added a 3,000-square-foot Wendy's restaurant to some of their convenience stores. In Des Moines, a QuikTrip store opened with a Burger King. It had a separate entrance and a drive-through, but you could also walk between the store and the restaurant.
Stores Without Gas
In 2007, QuikTrip opened a store inside the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This location only sold snacks and drinks, not gasoline. It closed in 2013. Another store without gas opened in midtown Atlanta in a condominium building. This store also closed in May 2024.
In 2008, QuikTrip even had a stadium named after it: QuikTrip Park. This was the home of the Grand Prairie AirHogs baseball team. The stadium had a QuikTrip booth selling QT Kitchens products.
Where You Can Find QuikTrip
QuikTrip has over 1,000 stores. They are located in many parts of the United States:
- Alabama: Tuscaloosa and Auburn areas (2 stores)
- Arizona: Phoenix and Tucson areas (122 stores)
- Arkansas: Little Rock area (2 stores)
- Colorado: Fort Collins, Denver, and Colorado Springs areas (18 stores)
- Georgia: Atlanta area (139 stores)
- Illinois: Bloomington–Normal, Champaign–Urbana, Chicago, and Rockford areas (18 stores)
- Indiana: Muncie area (1 store)
- Iowa: Des Moines area (33 stores)
- Kansas: Wichita area (39 stores)
- Kansas / Missouri: Kansas City area (89 stores)
- Louisiana: Shreveport and West Monroe areas (3 stores)
- Mississippi: Jackson area (5 stores)
- Missouri / Illinois: St. Louis area (75 stores)
- Nebraska: Omaha area (16 stores)
- Nevada: Las Vegas area (1 store)
- North Carolina / South Carolina: Charlotte area (48 stores)
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma City and Tulsa areas (84 stores)
- Remote Store Network: Joplin, Missouri; Lindale, Texas; Waco, Texas (3 stores)
- South Carolina: Greenville / Spartanburg and Columbia areas (30 stores)
- Tennessee: Memphis, Nashville, and Chattanooga areas (7 stores)
- Texas: Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin / San Antonio, Abilene, Houston, El Paso, and Laredo areas (224 stores)
All QuikTrip stores are owned and operated by the company itself.
In cities like Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth, QuikTrip competes with RaceTrac. Both chains have new, clean stores with lots of lighting. Often, they are located right across the street from each other. In Austin and San Antonio, QuikTrip competes with Buc-ee's.
QuikTrip opened its first store in Abilene, Texas, on June 3, 2021. It was a travel center near Interstate 20.
Because QuikTrip operates in Iowa and Illinois, another chain called Kwik Trip uses a different name, Kwik Star, for its stores in those states. This is to avoid confusion.
QuikTrip has many stores in the Phoenix, Arizona, area. However, there are no QuikTrip stores in Scottsdale, Arizona. This is because Scottsdale has special rules for how gas stations must be designed. QuikTrip has not built a station that fits these rules, and Scottsdale has not made an exception.
The company has faced similar challenges in Overland Park, Kansas. This is because the city wants to be more "pedestrian-friendly."
Images for kids
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Map of QuikTrip locations as of October 2020.
