Happy Birthday, Kwik Trip! The Story of a Midwest Icon

Kwik Trip just released a Mountain Dew-flavored dunker. They've given us banana and pink lemonade dunkers in the past, but as far as I know, they've never done a birthday cake donut. Maybe today's the day they start working on that.

Today is Kwik Trip's birthday. Keep reading to learn how a small Eau Claire grocery store became a Midwest cultural icon.

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Kwik Trip: From Small-Town Grocery to Midwest Empire

John and Donna Hansen opened the very first Kwik Trip on June 16, 1965, as a small grocery store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Believe it or not, they didn't sell fuel for the company's first five years.

The company made a massive move in 1973 by building its first distribution center and relocating its corporate headquarters to La Crosse, setting the stage for a major regional expansion. By 1986, the chain officially hit the 100-store milestone.

Kwik Trip Expands To Iowa

In 1993, the brand expanded into Iowa, adopting the name "Kwik Star" to avoid any confusion with the Oklahoma-based QuikTrip.

Then in 1999, they completely changed the game by launching their own in-house trucking fleet. Instead of relying on outside drivers, they took control of their entire supply chain, which is why every single store can (and does) get a fresh shipment of supplies every single day.

The Zietlow Family Takes Over

In 2000, the Zietlow family bought out the Hansens to become sole owners, kicking off an aggressive expansion strategy with a heavy focus on store cleanliness and fresh food. (Do you know about the hidden Easter egg that honors Don Zietlow? You can find it inside every single Kwik Trip and Kwik Star.)

Kwik Trip's legendary "Glazers" and the iconic "hot spot" both debuted in 2003, transforming the local gas station into a go-to spot for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

By 2016, Kwik Trip was operating 500 stores in the upper Midwest.

Then on January 1, 2023, longtime CEO Don Zietlow retired, handing the reins of the multi-billion-dollar empire to his son, Dr. Scott Zietlow - a former Mayo Clinic trauma surgeon.

Today, the company's focus remains exactly the same: killer customer service, great food, and the cleanest bathrooms in the country. Kwik Trip currently operates 924 stores across Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Michigan, and the Dakotas, with plans to expand into Nebraska.