--- title: "4 Things to Know About HOP Shops Convenience Stores" url: https://burnaze.com/article/985a3bb1-4906-4700-b97b-842ef7de1d69 source: "CStore Decisions" original_url: https://cstoredecisions.com/4-things-to-know-about-hop-shops-convenience-stores/ author: "Erin Del Conte" category: "C-store & fuel" industry: "Retail" segment: "C-store & fuel" published: 2026-05-21T18:00:06.000Z modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:41.033Z image: https://cstoredecisions.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Damon-Bail.jpg --- # 4 Things to Know About HOP Shops Convenience Stores **TL;DR:** HOP Shops, a 15-unit convenience store chain, is differentiating its brand through innovative features like 'disco bathrooms' and new operational updates. The chain is set to launch a proprietary pizza program, mobile ordering, and self-checkout units in the coming months. *By Erin Del Conte, originally published in CStore Decisions on 2026-05-21. [Read the original](https://cstoredecisions.com/4-things-to-know-about-hop-shops-convenience-stores/).* ## Story As consumer expectations continue to evolve, HOP Shops, with 15 c-stores in Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana, is focused on finding new ways to differentiate its stores and strengthen customer engagement. In a recent interview with CStore Decisions, Damon Bail (pictured left), VP of retail operations and marketing for Valor Oil, HOP Shops’ parent company, outlined how HOP Shops is balancing innovation, operational updates and brand identity as it looks toward its next phase of growth. And, it has a number of new programs set to launch in the months ahead. **1.) Disco Bathrooms** HOP Shops has gone viral for its disco bathrooms. About three years ago, Bail introduced a concept called Disco Bathrooms at six of the chain’s 15 stores, and he expects to expand the concept to more locations in the future. Bail explained: “You go into the restroom, and there’s this ominous button. It’s a red button that looks like something you shouldn’t mess with. And right above it is our mascot for HOP Shops — his name is Hopper, and he’s a really lively, mischievous frog — and there’s a sign above the button (in each restroom) that says, ‘Whatever you do, don’t push the button.’” Of course, that inspires customers push the button. When they do the lights go off, a 224-inch diameter disco ball turns on, and a song begins to play. HOP Shops didn’t advertise the new entertainment feature in its restrooms, but some influencers visited the store, and suddenly Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, Inside Edition and more were featuring HOP Shops’ Disco Bathrooms on their programs. “Here’s the cool thing: There’s a different song at every store, and what you see is the kids coming in, dragging their parents with their iPhones, wanting to TikTok it,” Bail said. One of HOP Shops’ employees even had her wedding in the disco bathroom. “We closed the store down, and they came out of the back room, down the fountain machine aisle … and we had all the music playing, and we put on their special song in the bathroom that day. Regional Manager David Biery, an ordained minister performed the ceremony. “We’ve had some other very unique ideas on what to do, so we’re trying to go through those and see what else we can do, but the wedding in the bathroom certainly was one I never saw coming,” Bail said. **2.) Celebrating 60 Years** Valor Oil is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026. The company was founded in 1966, and today, Josh Emmick, a third-generation member of the family business, is president of the company. In 2018, Valor Oil acquired its first set of convenience stores — eight total — in the Florence, Ky., area from Harper Oil, and the chain has grown from there. Today, HOP Shops also has three truck stops among its 15 sites. **3.) New Proprietary Pizza Program Launch** HOP Shops is set to roll out its very own pizza company, called Disco Dough Pizza Co., in about two months, named in connection with its famous Disco Bathrooms. “The pizza is unbelievable. It’s not a pizza. It’s not a ‘gas station slice.’ This is a mega slice that’s a triangle, but it is huge,” Bail said. “It’s a foldable kind of New York-stylish slice. It’s like one you’d see in Vegas that’s like 30 bucks, but we’re going to sell it for (approximately) $4.99…. It’s awesome. It’s an incredible slice of pie, and for us, you can just feel the vibe.” Plus, mobile ordering and delivery are also coming to HOP Shops menus in 2026. “I would say we’ll probably have mobile ordering, probably fully launched comfortably by mid-August, Bail said. **4.) Upgraded Loyalty & Pending Self-Checkout** HOP Shops launched an upgraded loyalty program and mobile app in July of 2025. “We made some tweaks to it. We worked really closely with Rovertown and Paytronix on the customization of the app, and then the back-office in terms of handing all the accounting and the awards and the banking and all that stuff, so for us it’s quite simple,” Bail said. The program is called HOP Shops Ribbitting Rewards, after its mascot Hopper. “You accumulate Hopper Bucks to spend on anything you can think of inside the store,” Bail said. Customers get 10-cents per gallon off their first fill-up, then 20-cents per gallon off the second fill-up, and 30-cents per gallon off the third fill-up. “And then after that, you’ll get 1% back in Hopper Bucks on any purchase outside, and you’ll get 2% back in Hopper Bucks on anything inside,” Bail said. He added that as mobile ordering comes online in late summer or early fall, he expects to be able to offer Hopper Bucks specific to food purchases as well. Rewards are stackable too. “We are very closely affiliated with Marathon Petroleum, so every site we have but one is Marathon branded, and that one will go Marathon branded within the next year. So, you can stack their rewards with ours and really make sure that you can be saving it at our sites,” he added. HOP Shops is also about to launch Mashgin self-checkout units at its stores. While the specifics are still being ironed out, Bail expects the chain to add about 13 Mashgins at about nine sites. One learning HOP Shops took away from a recent study group is that many customers using the self-checkout still want to be able to pay with cash. “We’ll be going with Glory as our cash acceptor of choice with Mashgin, and they pair very well together. So we’re excited about that, and that timeline is kind of on that same mobile ordering-ish timeline (but a little later) more like a September, October, “ Bail explained. When it comes to the self-checkout kisoks, “our goal is to not make them yard ornaments that people just see, so what we’re really going to do is we’re going to focus on changing a couple roles in our stores to what’s called ‘guest ambassadors,’” Bail said. The guest ambassadors will act as more of a waitress or bartender outside of the cash wrap on the sales floor, guiding customers to the self-checkout kiosk and helping them sign up for rewards or get their cigarette order and ring up their items using the self-checkout. ## Entities - Retail (sector) - CStore Decisions (publication) - mobile ordering (topic) - brand differentiation (topic) - Erin Del Conte (person) - convenience store chain (topic) - Paytronix (company) - operational updates (topic) - Damon Bail (person) - pizza program (topic) - HOP Shops (company) - Valor Oil (company) --- Originally reported by Erin Del Conte, CStore Decisions (https://cstoredecisions.com/4-things-to-know-about-hop-shops-convenience-stores/). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/985a3bb1-4906-4700-b97b-842ef7de1d69).