Hey drivers, just thought I'd let you all know that Chex Truck World in Henderson, North Carolina is open again under a new name: the 85 Truck Plaza. I haven't been in there myself yet but plan to soon and those who have tried it are impressed. The new owner has renovated and cleaned up the property on the inside, although outside still looks like it's from the 70's. The restaurant and truck wash aren't open yet, but the C-store and fuel pumps are up and running. Let's support the owner as a small business and hopefully it will be better than Chex was during the last years of its operation.
Also, I believe it is still pay to park(just how much, I'm not sure), but please realize that the mom and pop truck stops have been forced to do this to keep their cash flow up to compete with the big chains. Many fleets only use major brands anymore and the little guys are having trouble keeping up.
I didn’t realize Chex closed but I haven’t stayed there in some time. It was in terrible shape last time I was there, parking lot was like parking in a land fill. Glad someone else bought it and is hopefully putting some money into it
Me too! I always thought the place had potential, bring the first truck stop everyone sees as they arrive outside of the city. What I hope is that the new owners renovate and maintain the motel rooms upstairs. There's not a lot of those type of places around anymore with lodging onsite.
I hate to hear when an old '70s building has been renovated inside - because they never just restore, it's always a full-on modernization, and modern styles are generally extremely bland, generic and sterile. The original '70s styling of these places has far more charm and character, even when extremely run-down.
I agree. From what I understand, the owner is only gutting parts of the inside. The building has good bones, so likely it will remain the same outside.
That was what unique was about especially the Union 76 truck stops. A spiral staircase to the upper level, separate "driver only" eating areas and rooms upstairs for rent just like a mini motel. They even fueled your truck, cleaned all the windows, cleaned the lower lights on tractor and trailer, some even swept your floors and others would park your truck and leave keys at fuel desk. They sure appreciated us back then.
