More than 300 drivers come through Bridges Travel Plaza in Cusseta, Ala., every day, and they don’t just come for food and fuel. Many of them stop in the Bridges’ family-run western store, Bridges Boot Outlet and Western Store, located across the street from the travel plaza.
DuWayne Bridges Jr. said, “Truckers love the western store.”
The merchandise in the western store not only attracts customers, but it also affords the location additional advertising money. Many of the brands in the store also offer co-op advertising, which the Bridges family uses to fund billboards and radio and TV ads for the travel plaza in addition to the western store. They also use their ads to reach out to local sports fans traveling to the Alabama/Auburn football game.
Patricia Bridges opened the western store and today she runs it with her daughter Karen. Not only does it sell western wear, such as cowboy boots and hats, but it also sells Priester’s Pecans, a local specialty. Built 12-15 years ago, the store includes some unique décor, including an old bank teller cage from the 1800s.
Bridges Travel Plaza was built in 1971 and today can hold 120 trucks in the parking lot. DuWayne Bridges Sr. and his wife, Patricia, own the location. They bought it in 1978 with former NATSO Chairman Lamar Perlis. Years later the Bridges family bought out Perlis to be the sole owners.
Their son DuWayne Bridges Jr. and daughter Karen Bridges Simmons also work at the location. Between DuWayne and Karen, the Bridges Travel Plaza owners are proud grandparents to nine grandchildren. As Bridges Jr. said, “When the kids were little, it wouldn’t be unusual to see a naked child running through the western store.”
In addition to members of the Bridges family, the location has 45 employees, 30 of whom are full time. Everyone is cross-trained on all the profit centers including the Subway and the western store. If it gets busy, this training allows staff to be distributed where it is busiest.
The location has very little employee turnover, and the mid-day waitress in the restaurant has been with the travel plaza since 1978.
When asked what he would tell someone trying to get into the business, Bridges Jr. said, “It is a 24-hour job. You have to be very committed to work hard, and in the beginning, you would need to work a lot of holidays. But we are blessed; [Bridges Travel Plaza] would not be possible without the incredible dedication of our associates.”
 |
This article originally ran in Stop Watch magazine. Stop Watch provides in-depth content to assist NATSO members in improving their travel plaza business operations and provides context on trends and news affecting the industry. The magazine is mailed to NATSO members bimonthly. If you are a member and not receiving Stop Watch, submit a request to be added to the mailing list. Not a member? Join today or submit a request to receive additional information. |
Subscribe to Updates
NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
