When it comes to food to go, who do you class as your competition? The Tesco down the road or the Greggs in town? The answer of course is that both of them are your competitors but it doesn't end there. Competition in fact ranges from the packed lunch made at home to the burger picked up from the McDonald's drive thru. It's a worrying thought, but being aware of what the competition is up to can help you build your business. You can 'borrow' ideas or simply adapt your offer to complement theirs.

Nutritionists are always saying that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. The reason? Well according to studies, people who eat breakfast are less likely to be overweight, they have a higher intake of key vitamins and minerals, and are less likely to suffer from colds than those who skip it. However skip it we do. According to Kellogg's Mind the Gap report, 23.5 million adults and almost four million children miss breakfast regularly. Time - or rather lack of it - is a key factor, with many people dashing out of the house in the morning on an empty stomach. But this is, of course, good news for forecourt retailers who can offer customers the chance to fill up on fuel, for their cars and themselves, on the way to work.

consumer lifestyle changes mean sales in the food-to-go sector are rising - but customers are getting very picky about what they eat. A growing number want healthier lines - things like wraps, low-fat sandwiches or even sushi - and these products are slowly finding their way onto forecourts.

Busy Britons are said to be Europe's biggest spenders on meals on the go - racking up an average bill of £120 per person a year, according to research company Datamonitor.

Gordon Gekko may have thought lunch was for wimps and dear old Del Boy might have agreed, but forecourt retailers don't want to wimp out on their lunchtime offer because there's just too much to lose. According to Mintel, UK consumers spent £27.5bn on eating out in 2005, and within that, around £7bn was spent on lunches. Of course there are numerous businesses vying for consumers' lunch money but if you get your offer right then you're guaranteed repeat business.

As more time-starved drivers take to the road in the UK, so the need for meals on the move continues to grow, with forecourts being the prime destination for travelling motorists.

Lunchtime is not what it used to be. Gone are the days of the leisurely lunch, or even the standard hour come to that. Research shows that 86% of people take less than half an hour for lunch and that even the timing has become ‘elastic’, with people taking lunch anywhere between 10am and 7pm (source: Ginsters).

Breakfast is big business for retailers these days, with research showing that an increasing number of people are grabbing their first meal of the day out of the home. According to Mintel’s ‘Snacking on the Go’ report (April 2004), ‘breakfast is the most missed meal for many consumers, who do not have the time or the will to prepare a meal in the morning’.

The time-pushed consumer has never had it so good – manufacturers have been busy spending millions on research and technology to come up with meal solutions that are not only quick and easy to prepare but have a quality taste and feel to them too. The market – catering to those on the way home from work or mid-week top-up shoppers – has now expanded to include everything from chilled pasta and ready meals to microwaveable rice and takeaway-style meal kits.

As independent retailers continue to seek alternative ways to make money out of running a petrol station, fast food has become an obvious vehicle to do just that. Forecourts are well placed to cash in on the needs of hungry consumers, and the cash rich-time poor trend has been a big driver of the category.

You’re on your way to work, you’ve a busy day ahead and won’t get time to stop for lunch. You stop at the garage en route for the office, fill up with petrol and at the same time grab something for lunch. Sound familiar? It might not be for you personally but it will be for many of your customers. Busy lifestyles leave little time for lunch, which means many consumers will take advantage of a well-stocked chiller full of lunch solutions. They’ll buy their sandwich and their drink and eat it at their desk later.

Most people know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day – setting you up for the hours ahead. But many people don’t get time for breakfast – either having to head off early for their busy commute or just having to work longer hours.

Cash rich, time poor consumers have no time to wait. If they want a meal they want it now and if not now, then in a couple of minutes.

Forecourt operators are raising the stakes in fast food like never before. Take BP Connect, for example; its Wild Bean Café is going from strength to strength, and the oil company is supporting it with so much gusto that it has even invested in a radio and billboard ad campaign to raise its profile. And let’s face it, it’s a fantastic offer, with everything from traditional bacon rolls to more upmarket paninis.