WHAT KINDA FOOD WOULD YOU like to see in a restaurants,that would caters to drivers.

Ya but you don't hear about one getting kidnapped, do ya

 

I drive in Minnesota doing local work. What location are we speaking of? it would help to get some ideas going. My guess is behind the mc Donald's in St. Cloud across from the pilot?

 

Salads, fresh salads at that, fruits, more healthy oriented foods. Maybe some different ethnic foods, hell, I'd love some pierogies from time to time too.

 

Real maple syrup, bake the bacon, good sausage links and patties. fried potatoes with carmelized onions. dont over cook the eggs!! As for the other meals just get creative and make sure the flavor is there. You have to like diner drive in and dives for some awesome ideas. Chilli mac, chicken and noodles with homemade noodles over mashed potatoes, a good meatloaf is always good, I agree with a burger out of fresh 80/20. a stacked open faced w mash potatoes and green beans. Bread pudding with whiskey sauce to top it all off.

 

If truck stops offered HUGE pay by the pound salad bars, with lots of things to choose from, I'd actually eat at them. My trips are usually local with some 2-3 days in length. I pack my own food for the overnight runs because I eat very healthy. I can't believe the crap some OTR guys live on. Aside from that i'm pretty good at real smoked BBQ. If I was the entrepreneur type that's the way i'd go to feed a bunch of hungry drivers. If you do it right your guarenteed to suceed with this crowd.

 

I watched a 400+ pound driver at Iron skillet buffet go for the fried chicken with his bare hands which were filthy. By the time he got to the end of the buffet table his hands were clean.

 

Real vegetables, steamed, no salt. Broiled fish. No-brine poultry. It's possible to make tasty food, without fat and salt. I made Indian turkey chili last night, from left-over turkey. It had about 15 spices, took an hour to make and cook. I served it with baked sweet potato, spinach and corn. It rocked!

Healthy food can taste good, too.

Soy sauce is bad. Cheese is bad. I just want some cooked veggies. How hard is that?

 

Fresh,, fresh, fresh ... I'm tired of the canned, bagged and frozen crud served by 99.9% of the resturants out there.

I've been doing OTR 48 for 3 years now. In that time I've only found 4 places that I make point of trying to stop at if I'm going by there.

Real mash potatoes, real fresh made gravy, meat loaf that isn't packed full of filling, fresh made hash.

I'm a little afraid for you already though. Sounds like you may be trying to do to much. A limited simple menu done well with fresh, quality ingredients would be better than trying to deliver a wide variety. If you're going to do mexican, be a mexican resturant. If your going to do steaks, be a steakhouse. If you're going to do pizza, be a pizza place ... Choose your niche, stick to it and be good at it.

 

the southern friedfoods would be good i would also try and incorporate fresh seafood. personally i would make sure i had await staff with some very pretty girls maybe wearing some low cut tops not hooters extreme but classy and make drivers want to come back. but if the food is good and resonabally priced they should come back anyway. i have always said if a guy could open a truckstop put a hooters resturant inside and a bikini truckwash out back he would have trucks lined up trying to get in.