Parker’s Kitchen, the Savannah-based chain of convenience stores popping up in the Augusta market, didn’t always operate under its current business model of restaurants with gas pumps.
Owner and CEO Greg Parker opened the first Parker’s store in Midway, Ga., in 1976, and for years the chain ran under the “gas, cokes and smokes” template commonly associated with the fuel service industry.
The stores gradually evolved into the present form over six or seven years, states Parker, who underscores that one impetus for the chain’s rebranding is a focus on “the working mother.”
“She is the most discriminating, the most time-starved, the most demanding of all customers because she has to be, because she has more stuff going on than anybody,” said Parker, who refers to himself as a “futurist” who is always looking to the horizon, anticipating the wants of consumers.
There are now some 76 Parker’s Kitchen locations throughout Georgia and South Carolina, with substantial presences near coast of both states, including Charleston.
Over the last few months, the stores have been staking claims in the CSRA. One is already under construction at the intersection of Windsor Spring and Tobacco Roads. Plans for stores along Wheeler Road, Barton Chapel Road, as well as in Columbia County along William Few Parkway and Lewiston Road have stirred up controversy at commission meetings. A Parker’s Kitchen gas station is also underway on the South Carolina side of the river, along Jefferson Davis Highway as well as on Pine Log Road in Aiken.
The Augusta area was always on Parker’s radar, and he began making moves when he no longer had to compete with his friend Andy Jones, after Jones sold his Sprint chain of gas stations to E.G. Group in 2021.
“We’re growing in growing areas,” said Parker. “We’re growing where our brand value has presence.”
Defining itself primarily by food service has led the Parker’s Kitchen to spend between $7 million and $10 million to build each new location, equipping its sites with full-service kitchens, stocked with fresh ingredients and boasting robust menus.
Visitors can sit down in the morning and choose from an elaborate breakfast selection that includes the usual fare such as sausage and bacon and eggs; or come in the afternoon for lunch and choose between everything from chicken tenders to fried pork chops and macaroni and cheese.
Each site is staffed with both kitchen managers and store managers — as well as assistant managers for each—to balance both sides of the business.
“When we come to a community, the other convenience stores have to step their game,” Parker said. “If they don’t, they’re closing their doors.”
Alongside the sit-down and dine-in model and the intricate architecture of the store locations, Parker’s Kitchen also touts its philanthropic efforts, such as its Fueling the Community program, donating a portion of its gas profits to local schools.
As of now, none of the Richmond or Columbia County locations planned will be truck stops, or “hybrid locations,” the CEO noted. And while no hiring has commenced yet, the company expects to be seeking a district manager within the next 30 to 60 days, after which hiring will begin for the 22-member teams at each store.
Skyler Q. Andrews is a staff reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at skyler@theaugustapress.com.
