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Very few dining options along I-90 in South Dakota

Started by A.J. Bertin, September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM

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A.J. Bertin

My partner and I just returned home to Michigan from a road trip to South Dakota and back, but with a detour up to Fargo and the Twin Cities on our way home. I drove a total of 2,758 miles, added 54 new counties, added 3 new states, and got to clinch significant stretches of highways I had not been on before. It was quite an adventure!

This past Friday night we stayed in the tourist-trap town of Wall, South Dakota. The Motel 6 we stayed at did not have any breakfast, so we needed to find something on the road. We were thinking a sit-down place like Bob Evans, Denny's, Perkins, or something local would have been perfect. If we couldn't find anything along those lines, a McDonald's would have sufficed. Well, we had a hard time finding a place to eat breakfast. I was astounded that we didn't see a single McDonald's between Rapid City and Mitchell (I think Mitchell was where the next McDonald's was). Mitchell is 220 miles from Wall and we couldn't wait that long. We eventually found an open diner in the town of Murdo which served a pretty good breakfast. However, Murdo is 82 miles from Wall.

It was crazy that it took us so long to find a good breakfast place. Yes, South Dakota is pretty desolate. However, we were on a frickin' Interstate! I s'pose we could have gone back into Wall's business district, but we just wanted to get on I-90 and made some headway on our drive as early as possible. We did see a couple of Subways, but I really didn't want to try their breakfast at that time.

Has anyone else noticed this along I-90 in South Dakota and been frustrated by it?
-A.J. from Michigan


oscar

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
It was crazy that it took us so long to find a good breakfast place. Yes, South Dakota is pretty desolate. However, we were on a frickin' Interstate! I s'pose we could have gone back into Wall's business district, but we just wanted to get on I-90 and made some headway on our drive as early as possible. We did see a couple of Subways, but I really didn't want to try their breakfast at that time.

Has anyone else noticed this along I-90 in South Dakota and been frustrated by it?

Welcome to the West! At least the 80 mph Interstate speed limits in the Dakotas really help bridge the gaps between services (including the ~140 mile gap I experienced in July, driving south between Fargo and Watertown SD).
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

froggie

QuoteSouth Dakota is pretty desolate.

There's your answer...

Just because it's a major Interstate doesn't mean there's the critical mass to support the types of restaurants you were looking for.

roadman65

That is why there is Wall Drugs.  Tourist trap, yes!  However, after a long drive you will eat anyplace.

Also, did you ever consider buying cold cuts at Safeway and using the rest areas to consume them?  Much healthier option than fast food.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: oscar on September 28, 2015, 06:09:50 PM
Welcome to the West! At least the 80 mph Interstate speed limits in the Dakotas really help bridge the gaps between services (including the ~140 mile gap I experienced in July, driving south between Fargo and Watertown SD).

I obviously don't have a ton of experience driving across the West, so I had no prior idea that it would be as tough as it was for us to find something. Now I know!

I too loved the 80mph speed limit. It was nice setting the cruise at 85 and just flying down the Interstate. We ended up having lunch in the Sioux Falls area and hopped on I-29 north to our evening destination of Fargo. I wasn't paying too much attention to the lack of services on I-29 until we needed gas, but we ended up having enough gas to get to Fargo comfortably.
-A.J. from Michigan

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 09:00:35 PM
That is why there is Wall Drugs.  Tourist trap, yes!  However, after a long drive you will eat anyplace.

I was definitely naive about this. We wanted to get on the road by 6 a.m. Saturday, and we knew that the Wall Drug store didn't open until 7. I think we were under the assumption that the restaurant probably didn't open until at least 7 as well. We could have looked into that further, but again... we were just trying to get on the road early and make some headway on our drive. Live and learn.

Quote from: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 09:00:35 PM
Also, did you ever consider buying cold cuts at Safeway and using the rest areas to consume them?  Much healthier option than fast food.

No we did not consider this. When we travel, we're generally not the kind of people who pack lunches like that. We eat at restaurants when we travel. true, it's not necessarily healthy or cheaper, but it is what it is. Safeway did not cross our minds at all. Plus, our mobile data was limited and we wouldn't have known how far off 90 we would have had to venture to find a grocery store.
-A.J. from Michigan

froggie


jeffandnicole

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
Well, we had a hard time finding a place to eat breakfast....

...I s'pose we could have gone back into Wall's business district, but we just wanted to get on I-90 and made some headway on our drive as early as possible. We did see a couple of Subways, but I really didn't want to try their breakfast at that time....

So it's not that there weren't choices...they just wasn't something that YOU wanted.

Heck, I could be in the middle of a 50 restaurant food court, but if none of those places don't have what I want, should I say I had a hard time finding a place for breakfast?

Brandon

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 11:13:55 PM
Quote from: oscar on September 28, 2015, 06:09:50 PM
Welcome to the West! At least the 80 mph Interstate speed limits in the Dakotas really help bridge the gaps between services (including the ~140 mile gap I experienced in July, driving south between Fargo and Watertown SD).

I obviously don't have a ton of experience driving across the West, so I had no prior idea that it would be as tough as it was for us to find something. Now I know!

It's a bit like driving through the UP on a larger scale.  Longer distances between towns and towns that have the services you want/need.  And if you think South Dakota was bad, try driving through the night along US-6 in Nevada.  There literally are no motorist services for about 160 miles between Tonopah and Ely.  As we were pulling a trailer, we tanked up in Tonopah, and then Ely, just to make sure we had fuel to make it to the next town.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

oscar

Quote from: froggie on September 29, 2015, 08:23:10 AM
They have Safeway in South Dakota...?

Yes, at least two locations in the western part of the state, including Rapid City. But not Wall, Mitchell, or Sioux Falls.

Safeway is all over the place (including Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of Canada), though it isn't everywhere.
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

Brandon

Quote from: oscar on September 29, 2015, 04:09:53 PM
Quote from: froggie on September 29, 2015, 08:23:10 AM
They have Safeway in South Dakota...?

Yes, at least two locations in the western part of the state, including Rapid City. But not Wall, Mitchell, or Sioux Falls.

Safeway is all over the place (including Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of Canada), though it isn't everywhere.

Since being subsumed by Albertson's, it's in a lot more places than it ever used to be, although under the local name (one might just as well say Safeway is now Albertson's).  Growing up, I always thought Safeway and Macy's were Hollywood fake names for grocers and department stores.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: jeffandnicole on September 29, 2015, 01:36:34 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
Well, we had a hard time finding a place to eat breakfast....

...I s'pose we could have gone back into Wall's business district, but we just wanted to get on I-90 and made some headway on our drive as early as possible. We did see a couple of Subways, but I really didn't want to try their breakfast at that time....

So it's not that there weren't choices...they just wasn't something that YOU wanted.

Heck, I could be in the middle of a 50 restaurant food court, but if none of those places don't have what I want, should I say I had a hard time finding a place for breakfast?

Give me a break. This was a new experience for me. I'm just not used to being on an Interstate and not having much to choose from. Again... it was a live-and-learn experience.
-A.J. from Michigan

Rothman

Quote from: oscar on September 29, 2015, 04:09:53 PM
Quote from: froggie on September 29, 2015, 08:23:10 AM
They have Safeway in South Dakota...?

Yes, at least two locations in the western part of the state, including Rapid City. But not Wall, Mitchell, or Sioux Falls.

Safeway is all over the place (including Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of Canada), though it isn't everywhere.

Evidently, "all over the place" includes 17 states + DC. :D
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

oscar

#13
Quote from: Rothman on September 29, 2015, 10:10:10 PM
Quote from: oscar on September 29, 2015, 04:09:53 PM
Quote from: froggie on September 29, 2015, 08:23:10 AM
They have Safeway in South Dakota...?

Yes, at least two locations in the western part of the state, including Rapid City. But not Wall, Mitchell, or Sioux Falls.

Safeway is all over the place (including Alaska, Hawaii, and parts of Canada), though it isn't everywhere.

Evidently, "all over the place" includes 17 states + DC. :D

But widely scattered states, in five time zones (in the U.S. states, missing only Central -- but there's a Safeway in Winnipeg, where I bought gas, and some other Manitoba cities all the way north to Thompson, to cover that time zone).
my Hot Springs and Highways pages, with links to my roads sites:
http://www.alaskaroads.com/home.html

jwolfer

Quote from: roadman65 on September 28, 2015, 09:00:35 PM
That is why there is Wall Drugs.  Tourist trap, yes!  However, after a long drive you will eat anyplace.

Also, did you ever consider buying cold cuts at Safeway and using the rest areas to consume them?  Much healthier option than fast food.
Cold cuts are necessarily healthier. Publix subs are good stuff, but most grocery store subs are not

Alex

As mentioned up thread, there are very little food options between Fargo and Watertown, SD along I-29 as well, and from there south to Sioux Falls (outside Brookings) is vastly devoid of anything too. I am really good at going long distances when roadding without eating though, so the coffee in West Fargo held me over.

The 80 MPH speed limit in SD was great, but the fuel mileage difference was quite noticeable especially as we watched the fuel range drop to below 10 miles just before we gassed up off US 12. Very fuel service stations on that same stretch south from Fargo.

Brandon

Quote from: Alex on September 30, 2015, 03:50:41 PM
As mentioned up thread, there are very little food options between Fargo and Watertown, SD along I-29 as well, and from there south to Sioux Falls (outside Brookings) is vastly devoid of anything too. I am really good at going long distances when roadding without eating though, so the coffee in West Fargo held me over.

The 80 MPH speed limit in SD was great, but the fuel mileage difference was quite noticeable especially as we watched the fuel range drop to below 10 miles just before we gassed up off US 12. Very fuel service stations on that same stretch south from Fargo.

Wahpeton, ND is about 10 miles east of I-29 part way between Fargo and Watertown and has a lot of fuel and dining options from what I saw when I had to stop there.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

froggie

Wahpeton has about 8,000 population (plus 4K more in Breckenridge across the river), so I'd expect them to have some options.

SD Mapman

#18
Quote from: froggie on September 29, 2015, 08:23:10 AM
They have Safeway in South Dakota...?
Yes. We do. 2 in Rapid (maybe 3?) and one in Spearfish.

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
This past Friday night we stayed in the tourist-trap town of Wall, South Dakota. The Motel 6 we stayed at did not have any breakfast, so we needed to find something on the road. We were thinking a sit-down place like Bob Evans, Denny's, Perkins, or something local would have been perfect. If we couldn't find anything along those lines, a McDonald's would have sufficed. Well, we had a hard time finding a place to eat breakfast. I was astounded that we didn't see a single McDonald's between Rapid City and Mitchell (I think Mitchell was where the next McDonald's was). Mitchell is 220 miles from Wall and we couldn't wait that long. We eventually found an open diner in the town of Murdo which served a pretty good breakfast. However, Murdo is 82 miles from Wall.

It was crazy that it took us so long to find a good breakfast place. Yes, South Dakota is pretty desolate. However, we were on a frickin' Interstate! I s'pose we could have gone back into Wall's business district, but we just wanted to get on I-90 and made some headway on our drive as early as possible. We did see a couple of Subways, but I really didn't want to try their breakfast at that time.

Has anyone else noticed this along I-90 in South Dakota and been frustrated by it?
You just have to know where to eat. I don't think the supposed lack of services along I-90 is a problem; they're just really all the same. When you consider that the average population of a town on I-90 between Rapid and Mitchell is about 1,000 (if that!), you have to adjust your expectations accordingly.

I think we only have like 10 Perkins' in the state (or some small number like that). I've never heard of a Bob Evans.

Also, the closest McD's is in Chamberlain, a mile off of Exit 263.

Quote from: Alex on September 30, 2015, 03:50:41 PM
As mentioned up thread, there are very little food options between Fargo and Watertown, SD along I-29 as well, and from there south to Sioux Falls (outside Brookings) is vastly devoid of anything too. I am really good at going long distances when roadding without eating though, so the coffee in West Fargo held me over.

The 80 MPH speed limit in SD was great, but the fuel mileage difference was quite noticeable especially as we watched the fuel range drop to below 10 miles just before we gassed up off US 12. Very fuel service stations on that same stretch south from Fargo.
You just have to learn to be able to eat sketchy gas station food.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

A.J. Bertin

Quote from: SD Mapman on October 03, 2015, 09:17:15 PM
When you consider that the average population of a town on I-90 between Rapid and Mitchell is about 1,000 (if that!), you have to adjust your expectations accordingly.

True. Prior to going on this trip, I hadn't really thought about that. I'm from Michigan and am not used to driving on a long stretch of Interstate with such few dining options. I didn't know in advance that it would be like that. My whole point in posting this topic was to make an observation and give people a head's up who might be planning a drive on this stretch of I-90 who aren't aware of the lack of dining options there. My intent was not to emphasize how naive I was about this, but I clearly did that and have gotten a few condescending remarks that I wasn't anticipating.

Quote from: SD Mapman on October 03, 2015, 09:17:15 PM
I think we only have like 10 Perkins' in the state (or some small number like that). I've never heard of a Bob Evans.

That's cool. I love both of those restaurant chains. I kinda grew up with Bob Evans here in Michigan and didn't discover Perkins until I was a teenager.

Quote from: SD Mapman on October 03, 2015, 09:17:15 PM
Also, the closest McD's is in Chamberlain, a mile off of Exit 263.

We considered Chamberlain but both agreed we didn't want to wait that long. If we had no choice though, we would have.
-A.J. from Michigan

Duke87

Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
Has anyone else noticed this along I-90 in South Dakota and been frustrated by it?

Noticed it? Yes. Frustrated? Nah. My girlfirend and I got on I-90 in Murdo and with it getting to be about lunchtime we said "alright, we'll stop at the next McDonald's or whatever that we see". When she looked it up on her phone and said it looked like the next one was in Rapid City, I just rolled with it and said "okay, on to Rapid City then!"

What's interesting is despite the fact that we came up a non-interstate route (US 83), we experienced a shorter gap between McDonald'ses than you did. Valentine, NE (where there is a McDonald's) is considerably closer to Murdo than Mitchell is.

Quote from: Brandon on September 29, 2015, 03:19:10 PM
if you think South Dakota was bad, try driving through the night along US-6 in Nevada.  There literally are no motorist services for about 160 miles between Tonopah and Ely.

Ha, yes, I intentionally sought out this road for that exact reason. Left Ely at 6 AM or so. Heading west out of town I passed a few vehicles coming the other way but after a bit the oncoming traffic ceased and I didn't see a single other soul for more than an hour, despite covering close to 80 miles in that time. 'Twas quite an experience.

Of course, I thought it was fun because I was prepared for it. I'd hate to be the person who starts this journey with 100 miles of gas left in their tank not realizing it's considerably longer than that until their next opportunity to get any more.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

roadman65

Back in 01 I stayed the night in Fountain, CO and woke up to have breakfast.  Being that Fountain had nothing I wanted as there was nothing as a sit down place, but only convenience stores to eat snack or junk on the run hot stuff, I thought I would catch something along I-25.  Of course being spoiled in the south with high mast signs of the restaurants at interchanges of interstates, I thought I would see them in Colorado Springs, Denver, and places between them, but I did not.

Though I am sure McDonalds, Dennys, etc were in those big cities, I just wanted to move and did not want to play cat and mouse at each interchange taking chances that one mile east or west of I-25 I would eventually find one, I rode until one came into view of the road.  Notta!  It was not until Cheyenne where I found an IHOP, as it was after 11 AM I arrived in Wyoming, and IHOP does serve breakfast all day.  Nonetheless I had my breakfast during lunch time, and later that eve at a whole pizza at a Pizza Hut in Rapid City, my ultimate destination of that trip.

So even a road like I-25 where I rode for four hours (as it is quite a long distance from Fountain, CO to Cheyenne, WY) and did not see one EZ on and off for a simple meal going through two large population centers.  Yes, I might of missed a lot in Denver, but the point to the OP sometimes we fix ourselves on one specific item and we overlook other obvious choices given to us.  And yes Florida and all along I-75 and I-95 are spoiled as food places are everywhere and at the side of the road near the interchanges.  I then learned that all the areas along those two Florida interstates are there because of the snowbirds and summer vacationers as even I-10 does not even have a fraction of what those two have.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

SD Mapman

Quote from: Duke87 on October 04, 2015, 04:50:11 PM
Quote from: A.J. Bertin on September 28, 2015, 05:45:30 PM
Has anyone else noticed this along I-90 in South Dakota and been frustrated by it?
What's interesting is despite the fact that we came up a non-interstate route (US 83), we experienced a shorter gap between McDonald'ses than you did. Valentine, NE (where there is a McDonald's) is considerably closer to Murdo than Mitchell is.
True, but Chamberlain is closer to Murdo. (Not sure why I'm supporting Chamberlain in this...)
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton

noelbotevera

Most of my travels have been in the east and I remember a gap in services between McConnellsburg and Breezewood. There's nothing but mountains.

SD Mapman

Quote from: noelbotevera on October 04, 2015, 09:06:24 PM
Most of my travels have been in the east and I remember a gap in services between McConnellsburg and Breezewood. There's nothing but mountains.
Uh, that's 20 miles.
Wall to Mitchell is like 220 miles (but there is service in there, just not higher-end stuff).
Maybe it's a cultural thing, but I'm completely used to not blinking an eye at hour-long or greater gaps in service.
The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see. - G.K. Chesterton



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