Weigel's more than tripled the annualized run rate of its delivery business between December 2025 and July 2026, the Knoxville, Tenn.-based chain revealed in July. Nick Triantafellou, director of marketing for the 90-store east Tennessee chain, attributes the growth to a shift in mindset rather than any single tactic.

"The answer is not a list of things we did but actively making an effort to make sure we met the customer where they wanted to be met," Triantafellou told CStore Decisions. "We stopped treating delivery like a small add-on channel and began merchandising and marketing it as another Weigel's storefront."

The growth accelerated when Weigel's added DoorDash in December 2025, alongside Uber Eats, which launched earlier that year. That put the chain in front of more customers on platforms they were already using. But listing alone was not enough. Weigel's made essentially the entire store available through Vroom, its delivery technology partner, so customers could complete a full convenience trip instead of choosing from a limited food-and-snack menu. The chain recently split Weigel's and Weigel's Kitchen into separate storefronts to capture two distinct missions: convenience-item searches and meal searches.

From there, Weigel's drove awareness in-store and digitally. It promoted delivery heavily within DoorDash and Uber Eats while using its own channels to remind existing customers the service existed. Vroom provided the infrastructure to manage and scale the storefronts without running each one as a separate program.

"We created more opportunities for customers to find Weigel's, gave them more reasons to order once they found us and treated delivery as a meaningful part of the business," Triantafellou said.

Vroom connects the chain's ordering channels — its own app and website plus third-party marketplaces — through one system that manages assortment, pricing, availability and incoming orders. Loyalty carries across channels, too: DoorDash customers can link their MyWeigel's Rewards account, earn points and keep building toward their next tier. The capabilities are not identical across every channel, but Weigel's wants to recognize customers wherever the transaction begins.

Full-store assortment is the strategy's backbone. Convenience customers rarely shop a single category; one order might include dinner, beverages, snacks and household essentials. Triantafellou argues convenience stores occupy a unique space between restaurants and grocery. "A customer can order a fresh meal, drinks, snacks, ice, household essentials and something for breakfast the next morning in one transaction," he said.

Weigel's partners with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates, and it is working toward joining Grubhub. Triantafellou frames the marketplaces as incremental business. "This customer didn't come to our app or our website, and they are currently in an active need state for food or convenience," he said. "If we weren't there, they aren't ordering from us, and those dollars are going to competition."

Eighty-six of Weigel's 90 stores offer delivery. The four that do not sit close to other Weigel's locations, so the chain still has full delivery coverage across its markets. Location type has mattered less than execution: the top-performing delivery store operates in a fairly rural market, while another strong site sits in a growing Knoxville suburb with a 24-hour factory less than three blocks away.

"The key is not a particular type of location," Triantafellou said. "It is making sure the entire store is available to the customer, executing consistently and delivering the same warm Weigel's heart that customers have come to expect when they walk into one of our physical stores."

Timing patterns shape operations. Weigel's commissary sends fresh doughnuts to stores at 11 p.m. because doughnut orders peak between midnight and 1 a.m. More broadly, 51.7% of delivery sales occur between 4 p.m. and midnight, and 42% fall between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Customers order dinner, late-night snacks, beverages and 21+ items, often in the same order.

"We are not trying to predict on specific delivery occasion," Triantafellou said. "We are giving customers the ability to build the trip that fits their needs in that moment." With a Grubhub launch on deck, Weigel's plans to keep widening the funnel where convenience customers already shop.