Topics: Food Service

Trend to Watch: Fresh Offerings Add Up to Big Success at Your Truckstop

Those truckstop and travel center operators who have embraced food as part of their conversion rate, experience and store environment improvement plan are really knocking it out of the park. More

Check Out the Exceptional Offerings at The Thumb in Arizona

During a visit to Scottsdale, Arizona, a friend told me we had to have to lunch at The Thumb. She raved about the barbecue, then she added with a smile, “It is a gas station.” Although the sign at The Thumb says it is “just your average gas station,” the location is anything but average. More

Truckstops Use Private Labeling to Build Loyalty and Boost Profits Members Only Join or Login

Private labeling of products can increase profits as well as customer loyalty. More

Truckstop Operators Use Varied Food and Offerings to Appeal to Travelers and Locals

Wendi Powell, co-owner of Big Boys Truck Stop in Kenley, North Carolina, knows that travel centers need to be all things to all people, and she tries to create solutions that appeal to all types of customers, whether they are locals, the traveling public or professional drivers. “The more creatively we can make the mix work, the better for us,” Powell said. Although convenience and time are always important, local customers love favorites while travelers like experiences. “It's my goal to create a mix,” Powell said. At Busy Bee, a regional chain of travel centers in Florida, local customers are in the store weekly and form close relationships with the locations and teams. “We see them coming in to not only to fill up their cars, but also meet daily/weekly needs from grocery items to our locally made cakes,” said Elizabeth Waring, president of Busy Bee. “However, with our traveling guests the needs slightly vary. When they stop in at our facility, they are there to fill a more immediate need. We have tried to build those relationships so that as they travel they look to us first to fill that—or empty that.” More

Truckstop Operators Fill The Room with Great Ideas at NATSO's Conference

The sharing took place during the Great Ideas! for Independent Operators Workshop during The NATSO Show 2017, and operators tackled everything from food service to point-of-sale technology. More

A Destination Spot for the Professional Truck Driver and the Local Community in Columbia, South Carolina Members Only Join or Login

This spring, TravelCenters of America (TA) opened a new Petro Stopping Center in Columbia, South Carolina. The 42,000-square-foot facility has eight diesel lanes, parking for 134 trucks, 10 showers, a CAT Scale, a Minute Mart convenience store, a very large game center, a t.v./movie room and a workout room. More

Top Highlights of NATSO’s July Food and Fuel Tour in Chicago

Food and fuel are two of the most important offerings at a truckstop or travel plaza, and the NATSO Foundation has handcrafted a customized Food and Fuel Study Tour to give operators a behind-the-scenes look into a biodiesel plant, two successful travel plaza locations offering biodiesel and some of the hottest foodservice locations in Chicago. More

Manage Food Costs to Increase Margins and Maximize Profits Members Only Join or Login

Managing food costs is a key way to improve restaurant margins, and even small changes can result in big savings over the course of a year. Truckstop and travel plaza operators said they take a multifaceted approach to address supply costs as well as food waste and theft. More

Great Idea: Add Eclectic Items to Your Truckstop Buffet

After concluding that drivers are tired of eating the same foods everywhere, L.G. Truckers City dba TA Wapakoneta in Wapakoneta, Ohio, started putting unusual meat products on its buffet. Items include duck in orange sauce, lamb, frog legs and pastisio, which is a Greek lasagna. More

Food From the Best at Columbus West Members Only Join or Login

In the 11 years since it opened, Columbus West Travel Center in Columbus, Wisconsin, has grown from a convenience store to a full-service truckstop. “It started out as a convenience store and then as truck traffic increased, it was converted over to a truckstop by adding seven diesel fueling positions, three showers, laundry, game room, lounge, Arby’s restaurant and hot food, prepared on site,” said owner Richard Sheard. More

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