Today's Convenience Stores are Healthier and Hipper Than Ever

<img class="category-img" src="http://ftper.newsusa.com/Thumbnail/HealthyHipStores.jpg" alt="Five words or less" width="180" />(NewsUSA) - You're kidding, right? That surely must've been the initial reaction four years ago when Anthony Bourdain -- the chef-turned-TV host who's a god among foodies -- named Joe's Kansas City Bar-B-Que one of the "13 Places to Eat Before You Die." Joe's, you see, is housed inside a convenience store that also sells gas. And, no, far from being a joke, its inclusion on that list, along with the hyper-priced likes of New York's Per Se restaurant, symbolized the huge changes that have swept the nation's more than 152,000 convenience stores over the past several years. "Convenience stores are increasingly becoming food markets for time-pressed consumers seeking fast and healthy choices," says Jeff Lenard of the National Association of Convenience Stores (nacsonline.com). In fact, these days while you can still be in and out with your purchases in a flash -- and gas up your car while you're at it at most stores -- the shelves are also likely to be stocked with the kinds of fresh food normally associated with supermarkets and even traditional restaurants. Sushi. Gourmet sandwiches. And lots and lots of fruit and yogurt "better-for-you" items. Some stores have gone way beyond that -- winning new fans with convenient ways to get fresh food fast. And if that corner store isn't convenient enough, there are ways to make it even more convenient. Casey's General Stores, for example, with 1,880 locations throughout 14 states in the Midwest, not only makes its own pizza onsite, but in 2011 started delivering them to customers' homes -- ultimately becoming the fifth largest pizza operation in America behind Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's and Little Caesars. "Fol