When it comes to new opportunities for growth, bakers and snack producers are turning to gas stations and convenience stores, two channels now experiencing a huge expansion in food service offerings. In fact, some progressive c-stores like Sheetz, based at Altoona, Pa., with 475 locations across six states and sales of $5.23 billion, consider quick-service restaurants as their main competitors for breakfast sandwiches, luncheon sandwiches, pizza and more premium items for the roller grill, noted Louie Sheetz, retired vice-president of sales and marketing, during a retail panel at the Snack Food Association’s Executive Leadership Forum late last month.

In fact, food service selections and “fresh snacks” — Mr. Sheetz defines sandwiches as a snack, a.k.a. an “immediate consumption food” — are perhaps the fastest and most profitable departments for many chains. Individually wrapped muffins and single-sliced loaf cakes — shipped frozen and slacked out at store level — are hot sellers, especially if they’re positioned as an accompaniment to the ever-expanding array of premium coffee choices as c-stores try to compete with the Starbucks and McDonald’s of the world.

“We make it very easy for people to stop and get their breakfast,” Mr. Sheetz said.

Made-to-order deli sandwiches, which carry a nice-sized margin, are becoming more common, despite the labor involved. Mr. Sheetz noted the company’s new stores — those built within the last five years — even allot 1,500 square feet for dining. The company recently renamed itself Sheetz Convenience Restaurants.