Best resturants to have in service plazas?

[wanderer2575]

I want a fast-food chain location open; I don't care if it's burgers or chicken.  Nothing disappoints me more when I plan to grab some eats at a service plaza than to find that the only available options are the convenience mart, Panera Bread, and Starbucks.

[Scott5114]

Same here. In fact, I just learned that after reading this post. But then again, I find the whole subject extraordinarily tiring, untenable, and ultimately unnecessary. A quick re-read of the general timeline of events only strengthens that feeling, to the point that I'm downright disgusted with the fact that it's still brought up almost a decade later.

One tends to feel more strongly about it when one has a connection to the community that Chick-Fil-A sought to harm, especially when by all indications the objectionable donations have merely shifted from being in the name of Chick-Fil-A as a corporate entity to being in the name of the executives who derive that money from the corporate entity. Money spent at Chick-Fil-A still goes to the same place as before.

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

[HighwayStar]

Let's see ...

Roy Rogers  (can't believe I'm actually agreeing with HighwayStar)
Hardee's
Zaxby's  (or similar - to be able to get chicken on a Sunday)
Quizno's

As a fifth "wild card" choice, perhaps a pizza-by-the-slice place (like Sbarro).

And for those who have never heard of "Jesus Chicken" - you do realize it's just a derisive nickname for Chik-Fil-A?

This thread was secretly a conspiracy to find common ground lol.

And yes, I am aware it is an attempt at a derisive nickname, although not a particularly effective one.

[HighwayStar]

My philosophy is that the restaurants should fit the following criteria

• One 24/7 Option
• No two serving the same general items, ie. no two burger places.
• Consecutive service plazas should have little to no overlap, so as to give closer to 8 options rather than 4. Signs posted as needed to clarify this.
• Price points should be fast food or fast casual

So resturants I would like in plazas

McDonalds
Roy Rogers
Wendy's
Chick Fil A
Popeye's
KFC
White Castle
Whataburger
Captain D's
Taco Bell
Taco Bueno
Long John Silvers
Sabaro
Arbys

Did I miss anything?

[Max Rockatansky]

You guys had me thinking for a while that you didn't get the "Jesus Chicken" reference. 

[SkyPesos]

So resturants I would like in plazas

McDonalds
Roy Rogers
Wendy's
Chick Fil A
Popeye's
KFC
White Castle
Whataburger
Captain D's
Taco Bell
Taco Bueno
Long John Silvers
Sabaro
Arbys

Did I miss anything?

Glad you left Burger King off your list; I find their burgers to be mediocre compared to other fast food burger places, and in my perfect world, would love for all service plazas that currently have one to replace it (to specifically Whataburger, where in a hypothetical scenario, it opens locations in the Northeast and Midwest).

[1995hoo]

You guys had me thinking for a while that you didn't get the "Jesus Chicken" reference. 

I assumed it was obvious I was making fun of what I deem to be a silly nickname.

[jmacswimmer]

Something I've noticed with some of the most-recently-reconstructed service plazas (the last few to be redone on the PA Turnpike along with half of the redone Indiana Toll Road plazas) is that they seem to essentially be a Sheetz/Wawa/Royal Farms - i.e. the food offerings inside are nothing more than the convenience store along with a Made-To-Order kitchen (and as best I can tell, Sunoco's "Ladson Grill"  branding at these plazas is just their way of following the Sheetz/Wawa/Royal Farms model).  Not sure what I think of this concept myself for on-highway service plazas (as I haven't stopped at any with this model), but figured I'd throw it out there for discussion.

So resturants I would like in plazas

McDonalds
Roy Rogers
Wendy's
Chick Fil A
Popeye's
KFC
White Castle
Whataburger
Captain D's
Taco Bell
Taco Bueno
Long John Silvers
Sabaro
Arbys

Did I miss anything?

Any sandwich places such as Subway/Quizno's/Jimmy John's/etc?

There's often a coffee joint at service plazas - any thoughts on that? Just Starbucks and Dunkin alternating, or perhaps mix in some other brands? As an example, the Chesapeake House on I-95/JFK Highway has "Peet's Coffee & Tea"  (but the Maryland House has Dunkin).

[HighwayStar]

RE Subway (and really by extension Quiznos)
Saved this from somewhere on the depths of the internet

Saw this post on reddit once that perfectly sums up why Subway is failing: You enter a Subway store, and it's deserted, slightly too cool to be comfortable, slightly too damp to feel clean, and slightly too bright to be inviting. There is one lonely employee, who sheepishly pockets their tiny electronic escape window as the sound of the door drags them back to reality. They do their best not to look at you for those awkward 10 seconds while you walk to the counter before you're close enough to order. They give their greeting, ask you what you want, you begin scanning their workspace. The bins of raw ingredients are sitting askew, separated by steel walls, yet careless hands have dropped some of each on all the others. The preparation area is littered with crumbs and bits of lettuce, maybe the odd olive or onion piece here or there that has wedged itself into the crack between the food trays and the cutting board. This could have been cleaned up while nobody was here, but minimum wage buys minimum effort. For one second you wonder how it got messy in the first place given the lack of customers. Maybe it's staged, like those first few pennies in a homeless person's hat. Do you want it toasted? You do, so you spend a minute in silence with the stranger you disturbed, waiting for the bread to be sanitized. You feign interest in the cookies while the infrasound hum of some overworked piece of machinery builds to an unscratchable itch just behind your forehead. The toaster mercifully releases its hostage, and it is splayed open before you while you call out soggy vegetables to abuse it with. You observe as the employee assembles your sandwich, making sure to painstakingly put each ingredient on only one half of the sub. You ask for sauce and they squeeze it out of a disgusting rubber nipple, then toss the bottle back into its bin like they don't want to touch it either. It weezingly inhales the kitchen scraps and windex aroma that permeates the store. Are they wearing those gloves to keep the food clean, or their hands? You pay, the sandwich heavily sags into a flimsy garbage bag it doesn't really seem to fit in and is handed to you. You walk into the light of the sun. The colors suddenly seem real again and you become aware of your breathing because the air outside feels rich and life giving somehow. The distant memory of tasty subs that brought you here lingers just beyond the edge of clear recollection, like an old acquaintance whose face you can't picture anymore. You carry your catch to the car that your bank owns. When did it get this bad?

This is why I left off the sandwich shops, most are awful. But I will include Pot Belly as an exception to that.

[HighwayStar]

RE Coffeehouses

Dunkin would be fine, and City Brew as well. Starbucks if I must, but I don't like giving them my business.

Also in the similar vein to Whataburger...HTeaO.
(this could be they move north, or better yet we build plazas on all the freeways nationwide)

[webny99]

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

I'm not disgusted by that at all, more so just the fact that people really believe it's different than any other company when in reality, the only difference is the massive publicity. Imagine for a minute simply not knowing where the money made at Chick Fil A is going. Great, now that puts them back on a level playing field with McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, any other fast food restaurant and basically any other private entity ever.

If you don't want your money to go to people who will spend it abusively, which is often subjective anyways, you should probably keep all of it to yourself and not spend one penny anywhere, because chances are some of it is going to a cause you don't support whether you know it not.

[HighwayStar]

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

I'm not disgusted by that at all, more so just the fact that people really believe it's different than any other company when in reality, the only difference is the massive publicity. Imagine for a minute simply not knowing where the money made at Chick Fil A is going. Great, now that puts them back on a level playing field with McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, any other fast food restaurant and basically any other private entity ever.

If you don't want your money to go to people who will spend it abusively, which is often subjective anyways, you should probably keep all of it to yourself and not spend one penny anywhere, because chances are some of it is going to a cause you don't support whether you know it not.

A very good summary of the problem.

And people forget that many people are okay with where Chick Fil A spends its money but are unhappy with where other chains put theirs.

[Scott5114]

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

I'm not disgusted by that at all, more so just the fact that people really believe it's different than any other company when in reality, the only difference is the massive publicity. Imagine for a minute simply not knowing where the money made at Chick Fil A is going. Great, now that puts them back on a level playing field with McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, any other fast food restaurant and basically any other private entity ever.

If you don't want your money to go to people who will spend it abusively, which is often subjective anyways, you should probably keep all of it to yourself and not spend one penny anywhere, because chances are some of it is going to a cause you don't support whether you know it not.

And thus we end up at "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism", no?

[Rothman]

Can't believe all the Roy Rogers love on here.  It's always disappointed me.

[1995hoo]

Some sort of pizza by the slice place

The pizza by the slice place of choice appears to be Sbarro, present in service plazas in Northern Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

I'm not sure when the last time I saw a Sbarro was and I actually wondered whether they were still in business. The last time I stopped at a toll road service area was last May on Florida's Turnpike somewhere in the Orlando area on our way south to Miami. They had a pizza-by-the-slice place that was pretty good and wasn't Sbarro, but I don't remember what it was. I believe we chose pizza because it had the shortest line.

[NWI_Irish96]

Roy Rogers
Arby's (which I haven't seen in a service plaza)
Nathan's
Some sort of pizza by the slice place

I recall seeing one in Indiana.

I don't remember there ever being an Arby's along the IRT. I've seen Hardees, McDonalds, Burger King and Diary Queen. If there was an Arbys it must have been one of the eastern ones and it must have been a long time ago.

[webny99]

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

I'm not disgusted by that at all, more so just the fact that people really believe it's different than any other company when in reality, the only difference is the massive publicity. Imagine for a minute simply not knowing where the money made at Chick Fil A is going. Great, now that puts them back on a level playing field with McDonalds, Burger King, KFC, Popeyes, any other fast food restaurant and basically any other private entity ever.

If you don't want your money to go to people who will spend it abusively, which is often subjective anyways, you should probably keep all of it to yourself and not spend one penny anywhere, because chances are some of it is going to a cause you don't support whether you know it not.

And thus we end up at "there is no ethical consumption under capitalism", no?

Technically, I just think there's a big difference between consumption of a good/service and actually giving directly to a cause. To me, money spent at a fast food restaurant is ultimately just money spent on fast food... nothing more, nothing less.

[roadman65]

Same here. In fact, I just learned that after reading this post. But then again, I find the whole subject extraordinarily tiring, untenable, and ultimately unnecessary. A quick re-read of the general timeline of events only strengthens that feeling, to the point that I'm downright disgusted with the fact that it's still brought up almost a decade later.

One tends to feel more strongly about it when one has a connection to the community that Chick-Fil-A sought to harm, especially when by all indications the objectionable donations have merely shifted from being in the name of Chick-Fil-A as a corporate entity to being in the name of the executives who derive that money from the corporate entity. Money spent at Chick-Fil-A still goes to the same place as before.

Sorry that you're disgusted by people not wanting their money to go to people who will spend it abusively, though.

I never ate much at Chick-fil-A, but not for the usual reasons that most stay away. I guess they don’t appeal to me just as Ruby Tuesday doesn’t either. In other words I’m not just there not because I avoid, because it doesn’t appeal to me.  I’m sure they have good food as the queues are always long, but it’s still not enough. Ditto for Boston Market.  I’ve never yet tried one unlike the six day a week store whom I have at least been in once.



Down to the OP, it doesn’t matter much to me what’s inside the plaza. Just that there is food to grab and it’s tasty.

[Flint1979]

Roy Rogers
Arby's (which I haven't seen in a service plaza)
Nathan's
Some sort of pizza by the slice place

I recall seeing one in Indiana.

I don't remember there ever being an Arby's along the IRT. I've seen Hardees, McDonalds, Burger King and Diary Queen. If there was an Arbys it must have been one of the eastern ones and it must have been a long time ago.

In fact I believe the eastern most service plaza in Indiana has been closed completely. The one right outside of Fremont right by where IN-120 crosses the Toll Road.

[Rothman]

Some sort of pizza by the slice place

The pizza by the slice place of choice appears to be Sbarro, present in service plazas in Northern Illinois, West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

I'm not sure when the last time I saw a Sbarro was and I actually wondered whether they were still in business. The last time I stopped at a toll road service area was last May on Florida's Turnpike somewhere in the Orlando area on our way south to Miami. They had a pizza-by-the-slice place that was pretty good and wasn't Sbarro, but I don't remember what it was. I believe we chose pizza because it had the shortest line.

You still see them around in the North, but it does seem they are dying a very slow death.

[roadman65]

I'm surprised that Sheetz isn't on the PA Turnpike.  They would be great there. Their gas and full service food with their store set up, would work well.

[jeffandnicole]

I'm surprised that Sheetz isn't on the PA Turnpike.  They would be great there. Their gas and full service food with their store set up, would work well.

Wawa has mentioned in the past they want a consistent pricing schedule, so they won't operate in ballparks, airports, and I would assume that would also hold true at service plazas. Sheetz i imagine is no different. Service plazas are also typically run by contracted companies for the entire Turnpike, of which Sheetz, Wawa and similar would need to bid on, which they don't seem interested in doing.

[SectorZ]

I miss Roy Rogers in the Mass Pike rest areas, before they started going away after the state started accidentally burning some of them down. Now we're all stuck with McDonald's, the lowest common denominator of fast food.

[abefroman329]

Roy Rogers
Arthur Treacher's
Nathan's
Big Boy (you laugh, but there was one at the Maryland House as recently as 15 years ago; it might have lasted even longer than that)

[1995hoo]

Roy Rogers
Arthur Treacher's
Nathan's
Big Boy (you laugh, but there was one at the Maryland House as recently as 15 years ago; it might have lasted even longer than that)

For many years there was a Big Boy at the Delaware Turnpike service plaza* as well–Roy Rogers on one side of the building, Bob's Big Boy on the other side.

*I'm aware that plaza is now named after the current president's family, but it wasn't called that when Bob's Big Boy was there.