Which convenience store makes the best cup of coffee? The people have spoken…

By Eric StraussSeptember 2, 2014 at 3:16 PM

QuickChek scored a 96 percent in "Overall Beverage Quality (coffee)." -(QUICKCHEK)

Technomic Inc.'s 2014 survey, “Consumer Brand Metrics: Convenience Stores,” has apparently answered that age-old question voiced by road-weary travelers and cramming college students everywhere: Where can you get the best cup of coffee in the middle of the night?

The answer: Whitehouse Station’s own QuickChek.

The company said in a news release that the survey of customers at 22 chains found that QuickChek ranked first in both coffee quality and food quality.

Its distinctive green stores scored a 96 percent out of 100 in “Overall Beverage Quality (coffee)” and a 94 percent out of 100 in “Food Quality,” QuickChek said.

QuickChek, which ranked 11^th in NJBIZ’s 2014 list of the Top 100 Privately Held Companies, had 2013 global revenue of $1.03 billion. It operates 138 locations throughout New Jersey and New York.

Interestingly, QuickChek was not among the 20 largest convenience store chains chosen for the survey. Instead, it — along with the Pilot/Flying J chain — was chosen for its “distinctive offerings,” it said in the release.

The chain was — pardon the expression — quick to point out that it was also the only convenience store to score in the Top 5 in every category, including finishing second in “Food Taste and Flavor” (a 91 percent score) and “Convenient Location” (a 95 percent score), as well as fourth in “Pleasant, Friendly Service” (a 91 percent).

Technomic, a food industry research company, collected data from 2,413 people who rated the 22 chains on 50 different attributes, according to QuickChek’s release.