QuikTrip
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Convenience stores |
| Founded | January 1, 1958 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Founder | Burt Holmes, Chester Cadieux |
| Headquarters | Tulsa , United States |
Area served | Midwestern, Southern, and Western United States |
Key people | Chet Cadieux Jr. (President), Kevin Thornton (CEO) |
| Products | Gasoline, ready-to-eat meals, beverages, convenience merchandise |
Number of employees | 31,000 (2025) |
| Website | www |
The QuikTrip Corporation (commonly known as QT) is a privately owned American convenience store chain based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Established in 1958 by entrepreneurs Burt Holmes and Chester Cadieux, QuikTrip operates more than 1,150 outlets throughout the Midwestern, Southern, and Western regions of the United States as of April 2025. The company employs around 31,000 individuals and reported revenues of US$14.16 billion for the fiscal year 2024.
Currently, Chet Cadieux Jr., son of co-founder Chester Cadieux, holds the position of president, while Kevin Thornton serves as CEO. QuikTrip’s operational focus is on high-volume sales encompassing gasoline, ready-to-eat meals, beverages, and convenience merchandise. Notably, it was one of the earliest retailers to achieve the "Top Tier" gasoline certification through a collaboration with Chevron in 2005, strengthening its market position regarding fuel quality.
The company is distinguished by robust financial results and effective management, earning a place at number 27 on Fortune’s Top 100 Companies to Work For in 2008 and ranking 33rd among Forbes’ largest private companies in 2016. In 2024, QuikTrip secured second place on the American Customer Satisfaction Index within the convenience store sector.
History
The inception of QuikTrip traces back to Burt Holmes’ observation of market opportunities inspired by the success of 7-Eleven during a visit to Dallas. Holmes and Chester Cadieux each contributed $5,000 to open their inaugural store in Tulsa in 1958. Expansion beyond Oklahoma began in 1968, with gasoline sales introduced by 1971 after self-service fueling was legalized in the state.
Under Cadieux’s guidance, QuikTrip streamlined its inventory by prioritizing fast-selling items such as beer, soda, coffee, cigarettes, and candy while discontinuing slower-moving stock. By 1976, it was among the first convenience store chains to operate around the clock and unveiled its recognizable "QT" emblem.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s, QuikTrip extended its footprint into new territories including St. Louis and Atlanta. The company remodeled stores featuring a signature red design and introduced fast food innovations like self-serve soda fountains and coffee bars. It also phased out private-label beer offerings to concentrate on fresh food development.
In recent years, QuikTrip has aggressively expanded geographically: entering Texas markets such as San Antonio and Austin between 2017 and 2018; opening locations in Denver (2022), Oklahoma City (2024), Dayton area in Ohio (2024), and Indiana (2025). In addition to retail growth, it diversified into healthcare services by establishing MedWise Urgent Care clinics near Tulsa in 2020.
Products and services
QuikTrip’s range of products features gasoline, coffee, hoagies, ready-made meals, beverages, snacks, dairy items, and salads. The company emphasizes rapid service and operational efficiency—staff members are trained to assist at multiple registers during peak customer traffic.
Since the early 1990s, QuikTrip has marketed private-label fast food under brands such as "Quick 'n Tasty" and "HOTZI" sandwiches. The introduction of QT Kitchens in 2012 brought company-run commissaries that supply freshly prepared sandwiches, wraps, salads, pastries, and specialty beverages daily. The newest "Gen 3" store formats incorporate these kitchens alongside made-to-order hot food counters to elevate the customer experience.
Travel centers
During its expansion in the late 1980s, QuikTrip introduced travel centers that combined expansive retail areas with numerous fueling stations, including diesel pumps, and incorporated amenities designed specifically to attract truck drivers, thereby broadening its customer base.
Dual-branded stores
Beginning in 1994, QuikTrip experimented with dual-brand store models by integrating Wendy's or Burger King outlets within select locations in strategic markets to enhance customer traffic and create additional cross-selling opportunities.
Non-traditional stores
QuikTrip has explored alternative retail formats beyond traditional gasoline stations, such as operating a concessions-only outlet inside Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center from 2007 to 2013, as well as a store situated within an Atlanta condominium complex that closed in May 2024. Additionally, the company acquired naming rights for the stadium of the Grand Prairie AirHogs in Texas to increase brand recognition.
Locations
By April 2025, QuikTrip manages more than 1,150 company-operated stores spanning multiple states. This includes 102 locations in the Phoenix metropolitan area of Arizona; over 220 stores across the Dallas/Fort Worth and Austin/San Antonio regions of Texas; 139 outlets in Atlanta, Georgia; 75 stores serving the St. Louis metro area across Missouri and Illinois; 89 locations in the Kansas City metropolitan region covering Kansas and Missouri; 33 stores in Des Moines, Iowa; 82 sites in Tulsa, Oklahoma along with new openings in Oklahoma City; 18 outlets including those in Denver, Colorado; as well as presence in Ohio's Dayton area and Indiana’s Daleville where the first store was recently inaugurated.
QuikTrip directly competes with chains such as RaceTrac within the Atlanta and Dallas/Fort Worth markets and faces competition from Buc-ee's in Texas markets including Austin and San Antonio. The company’s business approach emphasizes maintaining contemporary facilities stocked with a wide range of products to fortify its position against local competitors.
Expansion efforts have encountered regulatory obstacles in certain cities like Scottsdale, Arizona, where municipal regulations concerning gas station design have restricted growth opportunities.