Gas station food.

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 12/15/2018 at 09:24 • Filed to: None

0

27

Here in Georgia, and a lot of the southeast , QuikTrip and RaceTrac have recently ( as of like 5 years ago)   been exploding as... restaurants, essentially. Both now have full, attended kitchens cooking hot food on demand, as well as your typical pizza and hot dog rollers. But when I visit my family in Michigan, stopping at the gas station for lunch is a laughable suggestion. They still pretty much just carry junk food, tobacco, and booze around there.

So I’m wondering... other than RaceTrac, QuikTrip, Wawa, and Sheetz... what gas stations are evolving into fast food? Are there any more? What other places are missing out on this phenomenon?

DipodomysDeserti > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 09:41

2

Along with QT, there are  a few independent stations here that have delis in them. However, I wouldn’t say people are missing out by not getting to eat food from a gas station.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 09:42

4

Royal Farms is another one, located around the Mid-Atlantic. I’ve heard good things about their fried chicken, but I don’t think there are any nearby. Richmond is a Sheetz/Wawa overlap territory. Truck stops (Pilot, Love's)  also frequently have fast food chains...Subway, Wendy’s, and Arby’s all exist at truck stops around here.

daender > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 09:42

3

I’m starting to see more of major oil companies (Shell, BP, etc.) gas stations with a McDonalds or some fast food franchise built into them.

smobgirl > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 09:58

1

Is it Dodge’s fried chicken that are also gas stations in the south? We used to eat there in college. They have sweet potato pies that are amazing.

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 09:58

1

Circle K is still sticking to their guns with cheap, awful roller grill food.

One of them serves egg rolls that are actually really good, though.

Captain of the Enterprise > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:00

1

Taystee’s Burgers in Dearborn is pretty good and is in a gas station. It’s close to U of M Dearborn where I work and go to class and they are good. 

nermal > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:10

1

The CoGo’s in my area have awesome freshly made pepperoni rolls.

There’s also a new American Natural that went in and is trying to be more upscale and healthy looking inside. TBD if that catches on anywhere. 

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:12

2

I think Cumberland Farms is on its way there. Some of the bigger ones already have hot sandwiches and hot dogs.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:20

1

In Texas, it’s Buccees and Stripes. Buccees has some decent BBQ sandwiches. Stripes has breakfast tacos that could go head to head against any taco truck. 

fhrblig > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:29

1

Maverik (part of Flying J) has halfway decent fast food like pizzas and sandwiches, but only when it's fresh. 

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:36

2

There is a chain of gas stations in Southern NM called P ic Q uic k with a “Santa Fe grill” in them that makes hot burritos to order 24 hours a day. They are legitimately good, and they stock a selection of local and regional craft beers to boot.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:37

1

Spinx, but they are mainly SC only. 

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 10:57

1

dont really have proper food gas stations here... most will have a selection of warm stuff like sausage rolls and some have proper made to order sandwiches

but mostly on the highways we leave the food to proper restaurants/hotels that appeared near gas stations

Aremmes > interstate366, now In The Industry 12/15/2018 at 11:15

0

Royal Farms has been expanding within the past couple of years from its home region around Baltimore. They have been threading their way through Wawa country around the Philly suburbs, often placing a store about a mile from a Wawa.

One big difference between them is that most (all?) Royal Farms stores have tables where one can sit down and eat, while Wawas usually don’t. I know of only one Wawa with tables, and they placed them outside, while Royal Farms has either indoor or both.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > smobgirl 12/15/2018 at 11:16

0

They seem pretty few and far between now. 

Spamfeller Loves Nazi Clicks > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 11:30

2

I have a local Marathon that made their own high-end sandwich and coffee store. And when I say ‘high end’ I mean ‘smoked pork, beef, and chicken from a regionally famous BBQ joint stuffed into a roll made fresh daily.’ The coffee is ... it’s where I get my coffee, OK? And I refuse to buy coffee at Starfucks.

Sheetz is built around their whole ‘MTO’ thing now . The junk food, gasoline, and car wash is a “well give ‘em something to do while they’re waiting” at this point.

wafflesnfalafel > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 11:36

1

W e have a few stations that were built with small McDonalds or Subways right inside them though mostly in rural locations. There has been a more recent trend for existing stations to lease out a spot for food trucks, (we have one with a taco truck not too far from us that is great.)

AfromanGTO > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 12:14

1

Don’t forget Loves and TA!

interstate366, now In The Industry > Aremmes 12/15/2018 at 12:18

0

Around here a lot of the older (early-mid 00s) Wawas have been renovated in the past couple years, but none to my knowledge have added any  seating. Most Sheetz locations around here have at least outdoor seating and many have added it indoors as well. The only one I can think of that has no seating at all is much smaller than a typical Sheetz. Royal Farms hasn't expanded into the Richmond area, but there are some in other parts of Virginia. I'm surprised neither they nor Sheetz have tried to get into the Hampton Roads market yet, as it's pretty much all Wawa and 7-Eleven down there.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 14:10

1

I predict that trend will continue as gas stations eventually fight to stay relevant by adding BEV chargers combined with coffee shops and restaurants as more and more people drive BEVs.

In Ontario, we have OnRoute centers that are a combo of fuel stations, rest stops and restaurants.

OmerCarrothers333 > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 14:22

0

Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Wyoming, and maybe Colorado have Maverik. No lie,  their burritos and pizza are awesome. A lot of the newer ones have kitchens, and a Cinnabon. I’m a fan of their fountain drinks and coffee.

OmerCarrothers333 > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 14:25

0

Florida has a chain of gas station/chicken joints called Dodge’s Fried Chicken. I’m a fan of any place that serves fried chicken 24 hours a day.

jimz > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 14:25

0

there are plenty of gas stations with an attached restaurant in Metro Detroit, but they’re typically fast food like McPuke’s and Sbubby.

Though when I worked in Livonia about 10 years ago, the gas station at the nearby corner expanded and included a (really good) Lebanese restaurant. I think there are more; I know another one is at 12 Mile & Coolidge. Also there’s one on Michigan Ave. in Dearborn which has two, a Papa John’s on one end and a sandwich shop on the other.

but honestly the most elaborate ones are the big “rest stops” near the Ohio Turnpike, but those are a different case. 

Tristan > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 17:42

0

Here in the land of Oregon where we pay over a buck a gallon more than most of the country s o we can pay talented petroleum dispensing experts to take forever to fill  your car, scratch your paint and spill gas down the side of your car, the gas stations are basically pumps with a small cinder block shack in the middle. No one gets out of their cars, so no one goes inside to buy stuff.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > Rainbow 12/15/2018 at 20:05

0

I recently crossed the river to go to a gas station that had a full bar and Peruvian restaurant located where the services bays used to be. I don’t think I had anything to drink, and the food was just OK, a lbeit better than the other Peruvian joint in the area, a full restaurant that set me back $50 for a mediocre meal. This is in the Midwest, which I wouldn't say is a hotbed of migration from Peru.

Stef Schrader > Rainbow 12/16/2018 at 01:27

0

hot take: WTT Buc-ee’s for Wawa.

I don’t need hugeness, but I need the ability to add buffalo sauce to almost anything through a handy menu.

Stef Schrader > DipodomysDeserti 12/16/2018 at 01:29

1

Here, w e’ve got whole good bakeries (Czech Stop, Hruska’s) inside gas stations here that I wouldn’t miss. Also, the Laredo Taco Company is surprisingly legit for being mostly found inside gas stations.