Break Time (convenience store): Difference between revisions

| logo = [[File:Break-time.png|200px|center]]

| type = Private, [[Cooperative|Co-op]] <ref name="6q">{{cite journal |last1=Morrison |first1=Mitch |title=6 Questions About MFA Oil's New Store Prototype |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/csp-magazine/6-questions-about-mfa-oils-new-store-prototype |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=[[Winsight Media]] |date=9 May 2017}}</ref>

| industry = {{Unbulleted list|Convenience Stores| Gas Stations}}

| num_locations = 71 <ref name="ComLoc">{{cite web |title=Locations |url=https://mybreaktime.com/locations/ |website=Break Time |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>

| key_people = {{Unbulleted list|Jon Ihler, President & CEO <ref name="5ceo">{{cite journal|title=MFA Oil Names Fifth CEO in Company's History |url=https://csnews.com/mfa-oil-names-fifth-ceo-companys-history |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ |date=7 August 2019 }}</ref>|Curtis Chaney, Sr. VP retail <ref name="newVP">{{cite journal|title=Break Time C-stores Get New Leader |url=https://csnews.com/break-time-c-stores-get-new-leader |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ |date=18 November 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MFA Oil completes hiring for senior management team |url=https://www.columbiatribune.com/article/20150110/Business/301109936 |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=[[Columbia Daily Tribune]] |publisher=[[Gannett]] |date=10 January 2015}}</ref>}}

| owner = MFA Petroleum (a division of [[MFA Oil|MFA Oil Company]]) <ref name="17top202">{{cite journal |title=Top 202 Convenience Stores 2017 - MFA Oil Co./BreakTime |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/top-202-convenience-stores-2017/mfa-oil-cobreaktime |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=Winsight Media}}</ref>

| homepage = {{URL|https://mybreaktime.com/}}

| products = {{Unbulleted list|Prepared food|Beverages|[[Motor fuel]]}}

| revenue = [[US$]]132.6 million [[Revenue-based financing|ACV]] <ref name="csnTop100">{{cite journal|last1=Kress |first1=Melissa |title=2020 Convenience Store News Top 100 |url=https://csnews.com/secure-file/36369 |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ |date=July 2020 |format=PDF}}</ref>

| num_employees = 1,900 (2019) <ref name="5ceo" />

[[File:Breaktimewiki2.jpg|alt=|right|thumb|A Break Time store located in Warrensburg, MO]]

[[File:Break Time convenience store footprint.png|right|thumb|Map of ''Break Time'' convenience stores<font size=1><br>(blue: stores branded with [[CHS Inc.|Cenex]] fuel)</font>]]

'''Break Time''' is chain of [[convenience store]]s and [[gas station]]s with 71 locations<ref name="ComLoc" /> across Missouri, generally in rural areas.<ref name="6q" />

Most store's fuel is self-branded, or branded as "MFA Oil", however 8 store's fuel is branded as [[CHS Inc.|Cenex]]. <ref>{{cite web |title=Find a Cenex Store |url=https://www.cenex.com/locations |access-date=25 February 2021}}</ref>

Parent company [[MFA Oil]] operates the convenience stores through a subsidiary called ''MFA Petroleum'' (which also operates their [[Jiffy Lube]] and [[Big O Tires]] franchises).<ref name="17top202" /> As a separate company, ''MFA Oil'' has gas stations (without convenience stores) under its own brand, as well as ''Petro-Card 24''. <ref name="csnTop100" />

''Break Time'' was nationally ranked #83 (as of April 2020) by [[trade magazine]] ''Convenience Store News'' (using data from [[Nielsen Holdings|Nielsen]] TDLinx)<ref name="csnTop100" />, and nationally ranked #92 (as of year-end 2019) by ''CSP Daily News'' (using data from [[McLane Company]]). <ref name="20top202">{{cite journal |last1=[[McLane Company]] |title=Top 202 Convenience Stores 2020 - MFA Oil Co. |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/top-202-convenience-stores-2020/mfa-oil-co |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=Winsight Media }}</ref>

''Break Time'' traces its origins back to 1981, when ''MFA Oil'' purchased a single convenience store in Columbia, Missouri. <ref name="quill">{{cite news |last1=Hess |first1=Abby |title=Farmer-owned co-op MFA Oil Company pays its members back |url=https://www.westplainsdailyquill.net/features/business/article_6ff1df92-cccf-11e8-b61f-bb44de164091.html |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=West Plains Daily Quill |publisher=Phillips Media Group |date=11 October 2018}}</ref>

The brand began, in earnest, in 1985 with the acquisition of a chain of 39 stores from the purchase of ''Mid-State Oil Company''. <ref name="quill" /><ref>{{cite journal |title=MFA Oil Company |url=https://www.oilmonster.com/company/mfa-oil-company/65559 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=OilMonster |publisher=Scrap Monster Inc.}}</ref>

Like most US convenience stores, ''Break Time'' began a stronger emphasis on [[Fast casual restaurant|fast casual food]], including the 2015 hiring of a Food Services Development Manager. <ref name="foodsvc">{{cite journal |last1=CSD Staff |title=Mahoney Inspires MFA's Push for Excellence |url=https://cstoredecisions.com/2019/02/13/mahoney-inspires-mfas-push-for-excellence/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=CStore Decisions |publisher=[[WTWH Media, LLC]] |date=13 February 2019}}</ref>

Also in 2015, two Columbia, Missouri locations were closed because the properties could not be expanded to include food service. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Stice |first1=Alicia |title=MFA Oil Co. closes two Columbia Break Times |url=https://www.columbiatribune.com/article/20150509/Business/305099916 |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Columbia Daily Tribune |publisher=Gannett |date=9 May 2015}}</ref>

In 2017, the company opened a new, {{convert|5000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} prototype store (described as "food-forward") in [[Lee's Summit, Missouri]], and remodeled a {{convert|6000|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} location in [[Clinton, Missouri]]. <ref name="6q" /> The stores feature a new logo, by ''GS&F'' <ref name="6q" /><ref>{{cite web |title=Break Time: Rebranding |url=https://gsandf.com/articles/case-study/break-time-rebranding/ |website=GS&F |date=19 December 2019}}</ref>, (a [[Nashville, Tennessee]] based [[advertising agency]]).

Other such stores opened in October 2020, in East Columbia, MO<ref>{{cite web |title=Break Time - Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/BreakTime85/posts/10157862735074397 |access-date=25 February 2021 |date=15 October 2020}}</ref>, and February 2021 in [[Ashland, Missouri]]. <ref>{{cite web |title=Break Time - Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/BreakTime85/posts/10158155702504397 |access-date=25 February 2021 |date=16 February 2021}}</ref>

==Amenities==

===Food Service===

Many stores offer any or all of the following;

*breakfast<ref>{{cite journal |title=Top 202 Convenience Stores 2019 - MFA Oil Co. |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/top-202-convenience-stores-2019/mfa-oil-co |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=Winsight Media}}</ref>, made in-store,

*[[doughnut]]s<ref>{{cite web |title=Take a break with made-from-scratch doughnuts |url=https://www.haroldsdoughnuts.com/playbook/2019/5/6/take-a-break-with-made-from-scratch-doughnuts |website=Harold's Doughnuts |access-date=24 February 2021}}</ref>,

*sandwiches from their [[in-house brand]] ''Dashboard Diner''<ref name="20top202" />, and prepared in the company's commissary kitchen in Missouri<ref name="foodsvc" />,

*[[Hunt Brothers Pizza]]<ref name="foodsvc" />,

*''Smokestack Bar.B.Q.'', which the company adapted as a [[take-out]] concept, from a [[Kansas City, Missouri|Kansas City]] brand<ref>{{cite journal |title=Break Time rolls out carryout food partnership with Jack Stack Barbecue |url=https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/1191-break-time-rolls-out-carryout-food-partnership-with-jack-stack-barbecue |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Supermarket Perimeter |publisher=[[Morton Sosland|Sosland Publishing]] |date=4 January 2017}}</ref> with a history dating back to 1957. <ref>{{cite journal |title=Break Time Entering New Markets With New Store Concept |url=https://csnews.com/break-time-entering-new-markets-new-store-concept |access-date=24 February 2021 |work=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ |date=4 January 2017 }}</ref>

===Fuel===

All stores carry gasoline labeled as [[Top Tier Detergent Gasoline|Top Tier]]. 49 stores carry [[diesel fuel]], 5 of which also offer [[Diesel_fuel#Taxation|red-dye diesel]], and 3 of those carry [[Diesel exhaust fluid]] (as of February 2021). <ref name="ComLoc" />

Two locations offer [[REC-90|non-ethanol premium]] gasoline.

''Break Time'' was one of the first chains to offer [[E85]] fuel<ref>{{cite news |last1=Pauline |first1=Pauline |title=MFA Oil Petro-24 Opening Called 'Step Toward Fuel Independence' |url=https://www.emissourian.com/local_news/union/mfa-oil-petro-24-opening-called-step-toward-fuel-independence/article_397657b3-27f0-5705-946f-a70a8d1999e5.html |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=[[Washington Missourian]] |publisher=Missourian Publishing Company |date=9 May 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Zimmerman |first1=Chuck |title=MFA Oil And Mid Missouri Energy |url=http://energy.agwired.com/2006/05/26/mfa-oil-and-mid-missouri-energy/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=AgWired |publisher=ZimmComm New Media, LLC |date=6 May 2006}}</ref>, and in 2014 was graded "A+", by the [[Renewable Fuels Association]] for offering E85 or [[Common_ethanol_fuel_mixtures#E15|E15]] at 25% or more sites. <ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lindenberg |first1=Greg |last2=Oller |first2=Samantha |title=Which Retailers 'Passed,' 'Failed' on E15, E85? |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/fuels/which-retailers-passed-failed-e15-e85 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=Winsight Media |date=10 July 2014}}</ref> As of February 2021, 21 stores offer E85. Of those, 6 also carry E15, and 6 offer E30. <ref name="ComLoc" />

===Car Wash===

Six stores have on-site [[Car wash]]es. ''Break Time'' Senior VP Curtis Chaney describes them as a separate profit center, but also marketing tool (to influence increased customer visits). <ref name="6q" />

Car wash customers are incentivised with a 20-cent per-gallon discount on any single, same-visit purchase of any fuel. <ref name="6q" />

===Gaming===

====Lottery====

On November 11, 2020, a [[Powerball]] ticket worth {{Currency|amount=1000000}} (pre-tax) was purchased at a ''Break Time'' in [[Jefferson City, Missouri]]. <ref>{{cite news |title=MO Lottery: Friends Win $1 Million Powerball Prize in Jefferson City |url=https://www.powerball.com/article/mo-lottery-friends-win-1-million-powerball-prize-jefferson-city |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Powerball |publisher=[[Multi-State Lottery Association]] |date=25 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mid-MO Friends Win $1 Million Powerball Prize in Jefferson City |url=http://www.molottery.com/media/news_release.jsp?articleId=14638 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=[[Missouri Lottery]] |date=25 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Group of friends wins $1M Powerball prize in Jefferson City |url=https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2020/nov/25/group-friends-wins-1m-powerball-prize-jefferson-city/850351/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=[[Jefferson City News Tribune]] |publisher=[[WEHCO Media]] |date=25 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Taylor |first1=Leslie |title=Winning $1 million Powerball ticket sold in Jefferson City |url=http://www.kjluradio.com/newsroom/winning-1-million-powerball-ticket-sold-in-jefferson-city/article_5df8be14-2506-11eb-9525-337f2394bbbc.html |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=[[KJLU]] |publisher=Lincoln University (Missouri) |date=12 November 2020}}</ref> Five friends split the proceeds of the winning ticket which matched all 5 of the "white balls".

Other notable lottery wins purchased at ''Break Time'';

* January 13th, 2021, a woman from [[Bland, Missouri]] won {{Currency|amount=114000}} from the state's [[Missouri_Lottery#Show_Me_Cash|"Show Me Cash"]] game, from a ticket purchased at the [[Vienna, Missouri]] location. <ref>{{cite news |title=Bland Woman Wins $114,000 Show Me Cash Prize |url=http://www.molottery.com/media/news_release.jsp?articleId=14763 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Missouri Lottery |date=17 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Missouri Lottery: Elana Dodson Wins $114,000 Show Me Cash Prize |url=https://stl.news/missouri-lottery-elana-dodson-wins-114000-show-me-cash-prize/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=STL.News |publisher=STL.News, LLC |date=18 February 2021}}</ref>

* December 26th, 2020, a Columbia, MO man purchased a {{Currency|amount=50000}} winner at a store in that same town, playing Powerball. <ref>{{cite news |title=$50,000 Powerball Prize Won in Columbia |url=http://www.molottery.com/media/news_release.jsp?articleId=14750 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Missouri Lottery |date=9 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=MO Lottery: $50,000 Powerball Prize Won by James Kern |url=https://stl.news/mo-lottery-50000-powerball-prize-won-by-james-kern/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=STL.News |publisher=STL.News, LLC |date=9 February 2021}}</ref>

* A Jefferson City man won {{Currency|amount=50000}} from a "Show Me Cash" ticket bought at a ''Break Time'' in his city. <ref>{{cite news |title=$50,000 Powerball Prize Won in Columbia |url=http://www.molottery.com/media/news_release.jsp?articleId=14584 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Missouri Lottery |date=21 September 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Jefferson City man wins $50,000 lottery jackpot |url=https://www.newstribune.com/news/local/story/2020/sep/22/jc-man-wins-50000-lottery-jackpot/842312/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Jefferson City News Tribune |publisher=WEHCO Media |date=22 September 2020}}</ref>

* {{Currency|amount=100000}} was won on a [[Scratchcard|"scratcher"]] ticket a [[Fulton, Missouri]] resident purchased at his town's ''Break Time''. <ref>{{cite news |title=Fulton Man Wins $100,000 Scratchers Prize |url=http://www.molottery.com/media/news_release.jsp?articleId=14427 |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Missouri Lottery |date=26 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Fulton resident wins $100K Scratchers prize |url=https://www.fultonsun.com/news/local/story/2020/mar/29/fulton-resident-wins-100k-scratchers-prize/822444/ |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Fulton Sun |publisher=WEHCO Media |date=29 March 2021}}</ref>

====Slot machines====

In 2019, before a [[Missouri House of Representatives|Missouri House]] committee hearing, ''MFA's'' Vice President of Government Affairs, James Greer, along with representatives from other convenience stories and restaurants, testified support of legislation to allow slot machines (also known as [[Video lottery terminal|VLTs]]) in their establishments, stating that they have saved convenience stores in other states. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Hauswirth |first1=Brian |title=Missouri Senate President Pro Tem to file slot machine legislation for 2020 |url=https://www.missourinet.com/2019/11/14/missouri-senate-president-pro-tem-to-file-slot-machine-legislation-for-2020/ |access-date=25 February 2021 |work=Missourinet |publisher=Learfield News & Ag, LLC |date=14 November 2019}}</ref> He said ''Break Time'' would probably use the games in 25 of their stores, if lawmakers approved slot machine legislation. (VLTs are legal for convenience stores nearby [[Illinois]].)

===[[Loyalty Program]]===

In 2016, ''Break Time'' replaced its paper punch-card rewards system with an electronic system called ''MyTime Rewards''. <ref>{{cite journal |title=Break Time to Roll Out New Rewards Program |url=https://csnews.com/break-time-roll-out-new-rewards-program |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ |date=13 October 2016}}</ref> The program uses four tiered plan (which customers must maintain month-to-month) with greater rewards for an increased quantity of qualified visits. <ref name="Raward">{{cite journal |title=Break Time's Tiered Loyalty Approach Earns Award |url=https://csnews.com/break-times-tiered-loyalty-approach-earns-award |access-date=26 February 2021 |issue=Convenience Store News |publisher=EnsembleIQ}}</ref>

In 2019, the chain won an industry award for its program, from ''Paytronix'' (the software company with which they developed the program) for its marketing innovation, and economic impact. <ref name="Raward" /><ref name="Rasults">{{cite journal |last1=Lewis |first1=Jackson |title=Break Time Wins With Tiered Loyalty Program |url=https://www.cspdailynews.com/technologyservices/break-time-wins-tiered-loyalty-program |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=CSP Daily News |publisher=Winsight Media |date=27 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Reid |first1=Keith |title=MFA Oil Break Time Wins Paytronix Award for Tiered Loyalty Program |url=https://fuelsmarketnews.com/mfa-oil-break-time-wins-paytronix-award-for-tiered-loyalty-program/ |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Fuels Market News |publisher=[[National Association of Convenience Stores]] |date=21 November 2019}}</ref>

Early results reported a 2% increase in gallons pumped and a 25.6% increase in customer spend, as a result of this updated program. <ref name="Raward" /><ref name="Rasults" />

==Controversies==

===Construction===

In late 2012, residents in a south east Columbia neighborhood petitioned [[City Council]] to disapprove [[Zoning|rezoning]] that would have been required for ''Break Time's'' plans for a new store. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Hollins |first1=Sarah |title=Opponents of new Break Time to re-collect petition signatures |url=https://www.kbia.org/post/opponents-new-break-time-re-collect-petition-signatures |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=[[KBIA]] |publisher=[[University of Missouri]] |date=2 October 2012}}</ref> As a result, the company withdrew the rezoning request, when it became clear it would not be approved. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Sostaric |first1=Katarina |title=Petition prevails: MFA Oil withdraws request to build Break Time convenience store |url=https://www.kbia.org/post/petition-prevails-mfa-oil-withdraws-request-build-break-time-convenience-store |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=KBIA |publisher=University of Missouri |date=16 October 2012}}</ref>

In early 2013, ''Break Time'' approached a local athletic organization to advise on how to address the public's expressed concerns about [[Road traffic safety|pedestrian safety]], and, more generally, how to build more cycling and runner friendly convenience stores. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Lask |first1=Jen |title=MFA Break Time Finds Ally in Athletic Store |url=https://www.komu.com/news/mfa-break-time-finds-ally-in-athletic-store/article_b36e015e-37d3-58c0-9416-4455d17c6c07.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=[[KOMU-TV]] |publisher=University of Missouri |date=14 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Puricelli |first1=Tony |title=MFA Oil trying again to build Break Time on Rock Quarry Road |url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/mfa-oil-trying-again-to-build-break-time-on-rock/article_755a02ae-4dfc-5d83-a027-0a1dfded53c2.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=[[Columbia Missourian]] |publisher=Missourian Publishing Association |date=29 January 2013}}</ref>

===Tobacco===

In 2015, ''Break Time'' was twice fined totaling {{Currency|amount=2500}} for 3 separate incidents, dating from 2013 to 2014, for selling [[cigarette]]s without checking for a valid form of [[Identity document|ID]] for such purchases. One of its Columbia stores had a 30-day ban of tobacco sales imposed upon it for the infraction. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Schmitt |first1=William |title=Columbia Break Time faces 30-day tobacco ban for illegal tobacco sales |url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/columbia-break-time-faces-30-day-tobacco-ban-for-illegal-tobacco-sales/article_19e9ee5e-7e72-11e5-a4e1-cbc0560a483c.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=[[Columbia Missourian]] |publisher=Missourian Publishing Association |date=29 October 2015}}</ref>

The [[Food and Drug Administration|FDA]], the agency that's in charge of such regulation, described that ban as "first of its kind", at the time. Company representative Curtis Chaney acknowledged and conceded to the five violations that occurred during three compliance check visits. ''Break Time'' paid the fines, while waiving the right to contest the claims.

In 2019, Columbia City Council initiated a tobacco retailer licensing program, intended to prohibit tobacco sales to anyone under 21 years of age. Company representative James Greer was one of two members of the public to object to the amendment that created the program. He said that he didn’t disagree with fines or a license for tobacco retailers, but the amendment made it possible for a person to suspend a retailer’s license for no reason. Regardless, Council unanimously approved the amendment. <ref>{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Max |title=City Council Creates Tobacco Retailer License |url=https://www.kbia.org/post/city-council-creates-tobacco-retailer-license |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=KBIA |publisher=University of Missouri |date=20 February 2019}}</ref>

==Work environment==

After years of battling employee turnover issues, ''Break Time'' instituted several initiatives to improve staff retention in 2015. <ref>{{cite news |last1=O'Conner |first1=Tim |title=Break Time |url=https://www.columbiamissourian.com/news/local/columbia-break-time-faces-30-day-tobacco-ban-for-illegal-tobacco-sales/article_19e9ee5e-7e72-11e5-a4e1-cbc0560a483c.html |access-date=26 February 2021 |work=Retail Merchandiser Magazine |publisher=Finelight Media |date=19 January 2016}}</ref> An internal company study determined that, aside from pay increases for nearly all of their employees, other minor benefits would help with retention. Within the first 6 months, the employee turnover rate dropped 22%.

[[Indeed|Indeed.com's]] employee reviews average 2.7 out of 4 stars for ''Break Time'' employment. <ref>{{cite web |title=Working at Breaktime: Employee Reviews |url=https://www.indeed.com/cmp/Breaktime/reviews |website=Indeed.com |publisher=[[Indeed]] |access-date=26 February 2021}}</ref>

==External links==

* [https://www.mfaoil.com/break-time/ Break Time at MFA Oil's website]