Kwik Trip convenience stores are planned for two Moorhead locations (including 1100 30th Ave. S.), one Dilworth site at 1200 Center Avenue West, and two in Fargo at 4480 Calico Drive South and 2530 12th Avenue South.

Construction of the first of five Kwik Trip and Kwik Star convenience stores began May 5 at 1409 SE Main Avenue in Moorhead. The fuel and food store will open Oct. 3. (Photo/Nancy Hanson.)

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Kwik Trip, a Wisconsin-based chain of fuel and convenience stores, has begun construction on two locations in Moorhead, the first of at least five planned for the FM area. Another is slated for Highway 10 in Dilworth, along with two more in south Fargo – the company’s initial foray into North Dakota.
Crews began work on the first Kwik Trip at 1409 SE Main Avenue on May 5. According to Ben Leibl in the corporation’s headquarters in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, construction of the second at 1100 30th Ave. S. starts Monday, May 19. A date has not yet been set for the third store at 1200 Center Ave. W. in Dilworth.
The first of what may eventually become four Fargo Kwik Star locations is scheduled for June 16 at 2530 12th Ave. S. Construction will begin on a second at 4480 Calico Dr. S. on June 30. Though part of the same Kwik Trip corporation, the North Dakota stores will be branded as Kwik Stars.
The Fargo stores mark the expansion of the Wisconsin company’s footprint into a seventh state. While its convenience stores in Moorhead, Dilworth and the rest of Minnesota, as well as Wisconsin and Michigan, market as Kwik Trips, the new Fargo C-stores and those in Iowa, Illinois and South Dakota are known by the alternate name, due to a naming conflict with another chain.
Leibl predicts each Kwik Trip and Kwik Star will open 110 days after construction commences. In Moorhead, that’s Oct. 3 and Oct. 17.
From launching its initial business in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, in 1965, the private, family-owned corporation has grown to some 900 stores. All emphasize food as well as fuel, and include car washes.
Though many think of Kwik Trips as truck stops, the first established back in the mid-1960s didn’t sell gasoline and diesel at all. Instead, they were small grocery stores modeled on the convenience shops already becoming popular in the West and South. Unlike full-scale groceries, the stores emphasized customers’ convenience with long hours and seven-day operation, including on holidays.
The first gas pumps were added in 1970. Car washes became a staple of the brand in 1997. But, true to their roots pleasing hungry shoppers, all emphasize the preparation of grab-n-go food. “Our chicken is number one,” Leibl stresses. The stores’ hot spots also serve burgers, cheese curds, mini tacos, hot dogs, ready-to-go meals, and Glazers, doughnuts inspired by Krispy Kremes.
Grocery essentials are shelved in the C-stores, including fruit, bread, dairy products canned and frozen food, sliced cheeses and fresh meats. The corporate spokesman notes that the stores are rather famous for their rotating grocery specials.
Wikipedia calls Kwik Trip a “cultural icon of the Upper Midwest.” Leibl says its popularity is grounded in the people who work there. “It all boils down to our people,” he says. “Our coworkers pride themselves on providing exception guest services.” The company is known for giving about 40% of its annual profits to them as bonuses.
He adds, “Our stores are exceptionally clean.” Kwik Trip is highly regarded for its cleanliness, particularly in restrooms, and has consistently ranked as one of the cleanest gas station brands. USA Today has named it America’s best gas station several times, most recently in 2024.