⛽ America’s new fave c-store

👋 Good morning. But keep it moving — we don’t need any more friends. Turns out the human brain has limits on how many relationships it can maintain, according to data from a British psychologist. While chimps have an average social circle of ~50, humans have capacity for ~150 stable social relationships. Introverts, don’t hyperventilate just yet. Humans have innermost circles of only five people, and ~60% of your social attention likely goes to just 15.

🎧 On the pod: The decline of the McIntosh apple.

NEWS FLASH

📈 The IPO market might still have a pulse: ...but not all startups are sprinting toward Wall Street. The median age of a company going public this year is 13 years, up from 10 in 2018, according to Renaissance Capital. And a University of Florida study found that those extra years come with bigger payoffs: companies going public in 2024 had a median revenue of $218m, up from $64m (inflation-adjusted) in 1980. Why stay private longer? Because an IPO is no longer the only way to raise capital. North American VC assets are expected to grow to $1.8T by 2029, while global private equity assets could double over the next decade to ~$25T. Still, ringing that opening bell does seem pretty cool.

🥩 What’ll they think of next? While fast-food chains including Taco Bell, McDonald’s, and Wendy’s have doubled down on chicken offerings to court younger consumers who think it’s healthier than red meat, Arby’s has launched Steak Nuggets. Available in packs of five or nine — or on a sandwich or in a bowl — the beef chunks aren’t breaded, but seared, smoked, and seasoned, per Delish’s Amanda Mactas, who described them as “reminiscent of burnt ends.” Makes sense for a company with the slogan, “We have the meats.”

🍕 Also in food news… The purveyor of your drunken college ’za just launched its first rebrand in 13 years with a new logo, employee uniforms, pizza boxes, and signage. Domino's even dropped its first-ever jingle, sung by Shaboozey. A jingle in 2025 feels retro, but the CMO said the move was made with global growth in mind: The rebrand is launching across 12 global markets, and the “mmm” in “Dommmino’s” translates easily across languages. We can only hope that overseas no one else is committing the crime of dipping their large cheese in ranch…

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

It was Col. Mustard: Hasbro Entertainment is partnering with Sony Pictures Television’s The Intellectual Property Corp. and B17 Entertainment on a reality competition adaptation of “Clue” for Netflix, the network that also gave us a reality show version of its hit “Squid Game.”
Tesla on a budget: Tesla is releasing “Standard” Model 3 sedans starting at ~$37k and Model Y SUVs starting at ~$40k. They come with fewer features — e.g., no Autosteer, radio, or leather seats — but are $5k-$5.5k cheaper. The announcement came just days after the $7.5k federal EV tax credit ended in the US.
SoftBank tries again: The maker of Pepper — the big-eyed, “emotional robot” that never took off — is acquiring ABB’s robotics division for $5.4B, pending regulatory approval. The company says its “next frontier is Physical AI” and robots are just the thing to carry it in that direction.

FROM OUR FRIENDS AT MINDSTREAM

Editing a newsletter? No biggy. Editing viruses? Pretty wild.

AI can design proteins — even the dangerous kind, like toxins.

That means the good guys are hard at work on biosecurity screening software to make it harder for people to use AI for harm.

In one study, researchers created 76k digital blueprints for 72 toxic proteins.
Most were detected, but ~3% of the AI-modified versions got through.

Should we be scared?

👉 Read more on Mindstream

THE BIG IDEA

How Kwik Trip became America’s favorite convenience store

Customers have been frequenting convenience stores for their affordable prices, greatly improved food selection, and, well, convenience. Texas-based Buc-ee’s even has its own cult following.

Yet it’s Kwik Trip, a Wisconsin-based gas station chain with 900+ locations across the Midwest, that topped this year’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) convenience store study with 84 points, compared to Wawa and Sheetz’s 82, and Buc-ee’s 79. BP-owned ampm came in last at 73.

Why?

Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI, said via a release that the top convenience brands don’t just sell coffee and snacks, but build communities.

“As in-store sales outpace fuel and digital tools become table stakes, the brands that will win are those that double down on quality, innovation, and authentic connection,” he said.

So how exactly does a c-store build a community? Morgeson noted that because most offer a similar array of items, differentiation is key. That often involves a rewards program, members of which typically:

Visit their store more often
Are more likely to recommend the brand to others
Report greater overall satisfaction

They’re also more likely to use and value a store’s mobile app. While just 34% of respondents reported using a store’s app, that figure increased to 60% among loyalty members.

What sets Kwik Trip apart?

It has a small grocery section, its own bakery, and a branded coffee line, plus offers made-to-order food — key at a time when 92% of consumers say food and drink, not gas, is their primary reason for visiting a c-store.

The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune asked members of the Wisconsin Kwik Trip Enthusiast Club Facebook group, which has 158k+ members, what they liked about it. Respondents appreciated the stores’ cleanliness and food, but also the fact that workers say “See ya next time” when customers leave and the brand’s funny social media presence.

Also of interest: Kwik Trip recently announced it would round down all cash transactions to the nearest five cents to avoid requiring pennies, which the federal government is phasing out. Americans for Common Cents, which has lobbied to save the penny, previously raised concerns that retailers would round up.

🔗

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Quite the feet feat: New Balance has been around a whopping 119 years and the footwear brand remains popular as ever. Seriously, look around — it is everywhere right now. So we asked one of their marketers if we could get a look at their secret sauce for keeping the brand so relevant for so long.

NEWSWORTHY NUMBER

Cases of wine Cameron Diaz expects to sell in 2025.

Diaz is one of several celebrities The Hollywood Reporter highlighted for having a successful side hustle. In Diaz’s case, that’s her organic, low-ABV wine brand, Avaline.

A few other top celeb brands include:

Tracee Ellis Ross, with hair- and body-care brand Pattern Beauty
Selena Gomez, whose Rare Beauty hit $400m in sales in 2024
Drew Barrymore, with lifestyle brand Beautiful
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who has a tequila, energy drink, and men’s self-care brand in his pocket.

AROUND THE WEB

📅 On this day: In 1936, the Hoover Dam began transmitting electricity 266 miles to Los Angeles.

🥘 That’s interesting: Eater’s list of the most influential US restaurants of the past 20 years.

🗞️ Newsletter: The European Correspondent, written daily by local journalists, covers essential stories from across Europe. Subscribe here.

👾 That’s cool: Art from old video game marquees.

🐱 Aww: He had a whole toy and everything.

QUOTE OF NOTE

If you thought “why should we hire you” was a tough interview question, just imagine being thrown this curveball. It’s what Lyft CEO David Risher asks prospective new hires to suss out whether they’re able to put themselves in customers' shoes, per a recent interview with Wake-Up Call at Work. If they can, then he knows they’ll be able to build “customer-obsessed experiences,” which the 60-year-old rideshare exec says is key to driving growth.

The approach, which Risher credits to his time working under Jeff Bezos, has inspired Lyft features like Price Lock and Women+ Connect, and probably explains why the multimillionaire still insists on regularly driving for Lyft on the low.

SHOWER THOUGHT

Your car keys have actually travelled a longer distance than your car. SOURCE

Today's email was brought to you by Juliet Bennett Rylah, Sara Friedman, and Singdhi Sokpo.
Editing by: Ben “Kwik on the uptake” Berkley.

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