This place basically reset the bar for what a gas station should be, to me. It is clean. Even the restrooms.
The soft drinks from the fountain are always carbonated and mixed right and don't have that funk that some places have. The coffee is always fresh and good. (I drink a lot of beverages. No, I mean A LOT of beverages.)
The breakfast pizza and pizza oven thing is really cool, and shockingly good. They have a better-than-average selection of healthy snacks, and their hotdog bar is much, MUCH better than average.
But mostly, it's amazing to me that the employees there are so friendly, and leap up from stocking the shelves or cleaning to run ring you up at the register. Because this surprised me, I asked the night clerk about how the company treats them. He gushed about the good pay, the retirement, and the education reimbursement that he was offered. This kid was 20, and proud of having two years with the company. He told me without any irony that he was considering retiring with the company in 18 years.
This, to me, translates into the power of the free market. The company treats their employees (who are, after all, the face of the company) well, and they perform better. I have repeatedly asked if they are publicly traded, because I would be buying stock, if they were. Sadly, they are privately held. read more