Simran Grewal and Arjun Khosa joined the podcast to share about the Refresh Travel Plazas, from its innovative food program to professional driver amenities.
05-11-2022
Today’s consumers are increasingly open to trying new products, which is providing a boost to private labeling that allows truckstops to buy products directly from the manufacturer and then place their […]
03-01-2019 Food sales continue to be a hot area for truckstops and travel plazas, and a lot of operators are turning to food service to drive incremental sales and profitability. Consumer demand […]
11-01-2018 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.”
07-01-2018 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.
06-14-2017 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 […]
04-30-2017 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.
03-01-2017 On December 15, 2016, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (“USDA”) Food and Nutrition Service (“FNS” or “Agency”) published a final rule altering the eligibility requirements for retailers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition […]
12-15-2016 From menu labeling requirements to taxes on sodas, there is a push at the federal and state levels to discourage the consumption of certain types of foods. The trend is […]
08-31-2016 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 […]
06-30-2016 When it comes to food service, today’s consumers are looking for much more than food. By tapping into their customers’ true needs and wants, truckstop and travel plaza operators can […]
05-01-2016![Refresh Travel Plaza Offers EV Charging and New Indian Quick-Serve Concept in Madera, California [Podcast]](https://www.natso.com/wp-content/smush-avif/2024/05/387129-600-400f-3f1f53bb21c0dd8fd4946c2c4b59c53a.jpg.avif)