The Pilot Travel Center in Salinas is often one of our stops as Dear Hubby and I traverse up and down Highway 101. It's kept clean, the gas is fairly priced compared to competitors, and the cashiers are usually friendly. They keep making improvements - subtle and otherwise - to their food / beverage area to the left as you enter the shop. It's like a mini-mart on steroids as far as the options that are available in the organized aisles. The also have just about every kind of beverage you can imagine. Their snack and quick meal choices are where they keep making changes and improvements. One highlight is that they seem to stock every kind of condiment one might want, whether it's flavored creamers for the coffee, or toppings for hot dogs. It seems like someone put a lot of thought into offering choices that people actually like and use at home, instead of cheaping out with generic and minimal offerings. The restrooms get a lot of use, but are usually well stocked with essentials and kept as clean as possible. The center is shared by passenger vehicles and big rig trucks, but it's laid out in such a way that they don't intersect and get in each other's way. This seems to be a well-run establishment. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Extensive beverage bar area. - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

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This review is only for the Cinnabon counter at the Pilot Travel Center. Stopped in the PTC for gas, and the Cinnabon buns aromatic scent stimulated my olfactory senses. The Cinnabon branded buns and rolls are freshly made onsite. The staff was very friendly. There are several tasty options available. They offer a four-pack of minis, full size cinnamon rolls, to cups of Cinnabons laced with white icing, caramel or both. Quite delicious. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Cinnabon @ Pilot Travel Center -- quite fresh with friendly staff! - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

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I stopped in here for fuel and a hot shower. I've been here multiple times over the years and it's like any other truck stop, busy, homeless predators lurking about and fuel. I knew they had decent showers and was looking forward to it. it was around midnight and after paying for the shower I waited and waited. after ten minutes the clerk told me she called the maintenance guy to come give me a shower stall (she couldn't do it). I waited another ten minutes before getting a refund and moving on. the clerk apologized and said they only had one guy working. come on. it's not rocket science to assign a shower. if you're gonna be short staffed then cross train the clerks. there were two of them sitting around watching me wait 20 minutes for my shower. read more

They have terrible coffee. The light was on to clean the coffee maker. The people that work here were standing around looking cute while the customers did everything through self check out. My gas was cancelled while I tried to get some coffee. Homeless people loiter here with empty tanks looking for free gas. The good prices are the only reason anyone stops here and you could do better near Foods Co. or at the 7 eleven. read more

Management is unprofessional shifting blame for their mistakes on others and not taking responsibility for running store efficiently and effectively.Manager is awful , blaming software. I drove 45 mins for an interview and he brushed me off saying he canceled interview early in am or last night. I got repeated emails and texts saying interview was on and see me soon. Now I see why this location has extremely bad reviews on Yelp. Lost my families business and will be telling friends to avoid this location. read more

Even when not busy, people occupy the pumps while they're inside the building ordering from the restaurant so be prepared to wait 20 min for a pump. Mgmnt said there's nothing they can do! Not one sign or staff willing to prevent this! read more

worse place ever. i travel with husband for work. salinas was our mid way to our destination so we stoped to get a showered and fuel up . i was assigned shower 4 the . number was on a screen i walked to the shower , put the code as i open the first thing i see was some white substance on the toilet.(yes it looked like semen ) i was perplexed i couldn't believe what i was seeing i proceeded to walk to the sink . then the shower just to confirm what i was thinking since i stepped in !It was DIRTY had not been clean at alll! and they had the nerve to assign that for use!! i walked outside i went to the person on the front, told that the shower was still dirty if i can please be re assigned another shower, he proceeded to ignore me and be on his phone. i was in such disbelief when i see the manager he walked to the shower and him too! he didn't even apologize or anything on the contrary he made me feel like if did the wrong, he then started arguing with the janitor. then the janitor started giving me attitude telling me it hadn't been cleaned to step outside. i asked if i can use another one that is clean he Said No ! fast forward no one re assigned me another shower! my husband walked in to hold the door so i could just wash my hair. honestly i don't think it was ethical from any of them. not even apologize or offer a different shower literally was forced by necessity and lack of their professionalism to use that nasty shower. its an insult for the amount of money spent at their station plus the fee to use their nasty dirty semen filled toilet and hairy floor and showers . read more

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Made a stop here on my drive south. It is big, clean, and right off the highway. It looks like they have other amenities other than gas given the size and name. It was super windy but I have started expecting that it is much cooler and breezier in this area compared to the bay area. read more

Pilot Travel Center - a gas pump at a gas station - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

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The staff is trying their best. But there is remodeling in the store. Still have plenty of snacks. Sketchy people are there at night. No more extended parking on the car side. Twenty minutes limit. That does help when the people that would homestead in the parking lot. Still best fuel prices especially if you have the rewards. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Bright lights at automotive fuel islands. - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

My wife and I have been coming here for years and our visits have always been so pleasant, we've always dealt with the night managers sara and.cassie and they are always so friendly, helpful and always accommodating to our needs as customers, and they are very good at their job. Every time we come in it seems like Sara is the only one that's working while or cleaning, Sara is always on the ball taking care of business while everyone else is either talking or they have their face planted in their phone blatantly ignoring customers. We love dealing with cassie too but her and Sara were always working different at times, cassie is also very hard workling she is always so nice and very helpful But My wife and I are very disappointed in finding out that as of recently sara has been let go and I think that is such a shame, sara was a good asset and she worked for pilot for a long time she was a kick ass, hard working employee always getting stuff done. A few years back my wife and I remember how she used to run the store at night by herself and she did an impeccable job, pilot really lost out on a good one with her. read more

Clean secure restrooms. Subway restaurant. Cinnabon. Lots of food items. Showers. Decent fuel prices. Clean.

Convenient rest stop. Loaded on fuel here twice while on a trip to and from central California. Don't let the gas lanes discourage you from entering with your towing rig. I pulled in a 22 foot travel trailer and made it in and out just fine. If your towing vehicle is diesel, even better. Lanes for big rigs has the better clearance. What keeps me coming back to Flying Js and Pilot is the food. Cinnabons will definitely keep you awake on the road with a sugar high. If you are a Good Sam's member you might as well hit it. read more

What a great place to stop and load up on gas and other goodies you might need for your road trip. I filled up my rental minivan with low priced gasoline then went inside to buy lottery tickets. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Low price gas - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

Really good travel spot you can tell by how many people are here. Heavy traffic with trucks which is good but food is perfect and service is fast read more

I've been coming to this gas station and only this gas station (if I can help it) during my trips to and from SF and San Luis Obispo for the past few years. The gas is reliably affordable - prices for sure lower than any other town down 101 - and usually lower than others in the area. The reviewer from 2009 that quoted $2.05 gas prices made me cry a little. The inside of the center has large and clean restrooms, cheap fountain sodas (I live for that monster 44 oz. Diet Coke with the vanilla flavoring), and a Subway. It's all geared towards long-haul truckers, which I like to pretend I am when I roll (screech) up in my sweet 4-door rusted-out Corolla. Service is not always on the ball and I often have to wait 5-10 minutes in line for gas, so that loses 2 stars, plus one for the nostalgia of coming here and its timeless reliability. Pro tip: When you're done pumping gas, don't be an asshole and leave your car parked in the stall when you want to go grab a snack. Park near the shop and go inside for as long as you want - just let the rest of us get our gas quickly and go back to our trip. I can't tell you how many times I've needlessly waited for someone only to find they were inside buying Slim Jims. I've never seen $151 charges on my card, so I dunno what Jen R. was up to. Gas happy, drink happy, drive happy. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Restroom remodel - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

Awful pilot, I travel along the coast and at times will stay at truck stops and stay the night, well I was woke by a tow truck driver saying everyone had to leave, upon speaking with the blue haired manager she said that they don't allow over night parking fyi this is the first pilot I have ever not felt welcome and I've traveled across the us multiple times read more

Area is usually sketchy at night to homeless people so this is a place for truckers, if not go next door to Arco. Semi clean area & decent staff service, but I'm here if nowhere else to go. read more

This is where folks stop to use the restroom on a roadtrip up or down the 101 freeway. It's relatively clean.

We have now stopped here three times in the last three months and their pumps will not take loyalty cards. When you go inside and ask for help the employees stand there behind the counter looking at you like you're speaking a foreign language they're dumber than marshmallows. The machines also won't print out receipts and if you ask for one they say they can't print it out. The restrooms are never tidy definitely not a regular pilot stop. We tried three times we will never stop here again. read more

It's nice to come in here and the manager knows you by name. I come in almost everyday before or after work and the staff is always friendly. Especially Johnny, he has a vibe that feels friendly and caring. I recommend to download the app for cheaper gas prices, and for sales they have. read more

I would occasionally get my gas here as it was a very convenient location. Besides that, it was more of an adventure gassing up here. They have a couple of small food shops here and they offer showers for the many truckers who pass through. They have lots of unique items truckers would like who spend a lot of time on the road. Great coffee and plenty of snack items too. So if you have the munchies and need gas in you truck, then by all means stop here read more

Only one gas pump per island!! WTH, this is a travel center/ truck stop, very busy, add more pumps. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

How I wish I could give this place a minus 10. Absolutely PATHETIC customer service. The manager Arianna is a piece of work. Could care less. read more

My friend and I went in for candy and petroleum jelly. As we were paying a worker told us their manager (tall, glasses, small streaks of hair on top) saw us "stealing" a small box of two small pills (like Advil). We told the manager that he can search us both but didn't want to? Just kept arguing that we stole from them even though he had zero proof. The workers also seemed to be used to it and one even apologized as if he does it often. Been going here for a while and seems that there's always issues. Besides that, place is dirty and there's always people outside asking for money. Overall, just bad service and EXTREMELY bad management. Also, if I were to steal it would've been something other than a 2 dollar box read more

Good luck getting their app or pump to consistently give the promised 3 cents per gallon reward with every gas purchase. Has happened several times at the pump, and online chat's response is "oh well nothing's perfect". Well kiss my business goodbye- I don't have time to get in line to have a cashier force a machine to subtract 3 cents. This is not rocket science! Pilot get your act together if you contacted to promise loyal customers one thing and cannot deliver! read more

minus 10. one of the most filthy places I have ever had the displeasure of having to stop at. this includes many many times I have had to stop here over the last four years due to my trucking job hauling produce. filthy restrooms and horrible staff that watch you like you are going to steal from them. At this moment I have been waiting for a shower over an hour with all showers dirty and no other customer here. its three AM. ridiculous. read more

Cold showers. Tried two different showers, both were lukewarm at best, even though the sink for some reason had piping hot water. Gave up and used the sink. I've run across this before and sometimes if you wait the water warms up, or sometimes the hot water position is not where you think it will be, or sometimes (for reasons I still don't understand) a different shower will actually have hot water. Not this time. I could have kept asking them to switch me to a different shower but I didn't have time for that. No refund, free rewards points free showers or official apology can make up for the disappointment of getting a tepid shower when you were promised a hot one. read more

Its a pilot.. late at night the side street gets backed up with trucks waiting to get in so its kinda tricky to maneuver around them.. unless your like me and you just drive over the median or make illegal u turns. But where else can you fill up for less? Or get a subway sandwich, snacks, drinks, random car accessories, movies, even a tv or a happy ending??! :-P read more

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Pretty cool place because you can get a subway here and there is a variety of knickknacks inside the store. The gas is usually pretty cheap and the lines are not too long. It's open 24 hrs and the line goes fast because there are lots of pumps. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

I can always count on this Pilot to have reasonable prices for gas, a great selection of groceries and clean washrooms. If you find yourself in need of a refuel - for you or the car - stop in!! read more

Very awesome gas station. I like the fact that they have Cinnabon and Subway! Pilot has always been my #1 gas station! The staff was very kind and they were even cracking some jokes! Everyone inside seemed super friendly. read more

Today's Gas Prices: Unleaded $2.05 ... Gas at the Seven Eleven off Hwy 68 at the Stonecreek Center: $2.99 are you out of your mind?' Nuts! read more

We come here because I like not being charged an extra .35 cents for using my debit card. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Time to gas up my car. - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

Very bad attitude from management. Pilot had coupons for free sodas and the manager got angry that I was using them said that I could only use one coupon ever instead of one per visit. Rude dude makes staff be rude towards clients... across the street is AMPM they have usually lower gas pices (by one cent) and they treat clients great! read more

Either you have to wait for an hour or longer to get a shower room or the showers are just down. They might as well close their doors if they can't fulfill the services they are suppose to be offering. Bad management as far as I am concerened. read more

My favorite stop between the bay area and SLO. Lots of gas slots and right off the highway. The store is fun,everything imaginable that you can plug into your car, mostly for the truck drivers but fun to see. They have nice clean bathrooms and a ton of drink choices. Not that I have needed them but you can rent a shower if needed. read more

Be wary, if you pay at the pump, $151.00 charge on your card. It falls off 3 days later, but until then. Nu bueno. read more

This pilot truck stop is the worst travel center in the USA that I have visited. This is my first visit and my last. First the restroom were not cleaned the entire weekend I was there. Paper towel dispensers were always empty. Rears were food was sold counts were always nasty and not being cleaned throughout the day. I tried to make a complaint with the manager, but he was never available, I wonder why? I had to stop a cashier to complain about no paper towels. I refused to eat anything there because if they can't keep things clean where I can see I can only imagine what the kitchen looks like. I tried to go on the corporate website to make a complaint, but there is no complaint place to post. I hope someone of importance reads this post and visit this store and see what I saw and make some well needed changes. read more

Pilot Travel Center - Bathroom - Gas Stations Near Me - Salinas, California

Clean restrooms. Great place to stop. Always best fuel prices. Great coffee, snacks and subway. Large and bright , great place to stop when your on the road. My always place to stop. My only complaint is sometimes they are real busy. read more

Cheapest gas I've seen in miles! The staff are not terribly friendly, but what are you gonna do? It's a truck stop. I was just here to park and sleep. The coffee's good, the store has pretty much everything you could ever want, and there's a Subway attached. If you're gonna park here overnight, be advised: it is SUPER noisy, like most truck stops are. Here they even play terrible pop music all night over the PA system, so... bonus? While free overnight parking is a wonderful thing, I would not recommend this place to light sleepers. read more