What happened to "real" restaurants at truckstops? What stops still have them?

Scotty’s exit 16 off I87 Wilton NY.
Good Food

 

Long gone... I suggest investing in cooking equipment for truck and a refrigerator. Only way you will eat healthy out here. Stick to the outer aisles in the grocery store. Stay away from bread and pasta.

 

Shortly after 9-11 or roughly around that time, by then many good old truckstops were bought and replace with parasitical big box stores among other things.

Then they started building or replacing some TA's with full services with just walk in TA's that have crappy fast food and deliberately no place to sit and do paperwork in the interest in turnover. Lancaster Texas comes to mind.

By then as a team that year we did everything in the truck ourown self. Food for 6 weeks fluids for same and inverter to run anything your house can run. We stopped at Truckstop only for fuel and shower. And not too often. The money from us to truckstops essentially dried up became a fraction of what it was once.

Many truckstops we stopped in for purposes of morale etc are now closed today. One would imagine if I was to get back out there, there isnt any point. Hardly anything worth going into unless one is very careful. Even the petro here in Little Rock which I have been passing through since '90's or so show signs of becoming crappy.

To wit there is a new Loves in Searcy built last year or so, but it has a fast food hardees. To be fair you can bobtail anywhere in searcy to get better eating. But not that much better. Some...

 

Have you tried the taco stand in Pasco?

 

For the most part chain truckstop food is inedible. The old Country Market & The Cookery at the J’s was about as foul as you could get. Thank God the shut them all down. Denny’s while not much better at least servers food not slop. Iron skillet was actually ok before the merger, T/A has destroyed that.

I always look for malls off the interstate, you can always find parking at a mall. Decent restaurants will be near by.

 

I ate at the K&H.

 

TTT in Tucson.

Mary's Diner on US 89 just north of Flagstaff.

A lot of the Country Prides have gotten a lot better, but it's a 100% random.

The TA on 94 near Michigan City is awesome. Service & food.

Same for the one on 80 at Laramie Wyoming.

Some can't even boil water.

 

That AA truck stop is Ohio's best kept secret. They have everything you need, nice restaurant, cheap fuel, nice showers, huge parking lot. If your traveling the I-90 Thruway in New York, check out that Indian Reservation truck stop in Irving, NY. It's called Native Pride. It's exit 58 off 90. Fantastic restaurant. I love when they have the Jambalaya soup, and they always have cheap fuel!!!!

 

If you're traveling in West Virginia, there's a steak house right across the street from the TA near Wheeling. You'll spend about $25, but the amount of food for your money is inhumane.

 

Ruttenbuck’s. Food is great and yes, you get plenty of it. Great steaks and really good mashed potatoes as a side