Emergency Road Food

OK, when I am on the road, I often try to hit a place the Stern's or somebody on this website recommended.  Not always possible.  Sometimes I have a road trip food emergency, often at some off hour when real eating places (even most fast food places) are closed  That when I resort to a convenience store (or travel plaza).
 
Are there any convenience stores or travel plaza (truck stop) chains that offer reasonably good food (at least a decent snack)?
 
In Pennsylvania, we have Wawa and Sheetz which make an OK sandwich.  Wawa has made some improvements to their coffee and it's not bad these days.
 
Any other recommendations?

On the Interstates, TravelCenters of America, (FormerlyTruckstops of America) are usually pretty good.
http://www.tatravelcenters.com/

The Petro chain of truck stops run 'Iron  Skillet' restaurants in most of their business sites. I recommend the CFS if you are pretty hungry...You can get one or two 8 oz+ steaks on the order (regular or Large Order)...CFS and eggs gives you three eggs, hash browns or home fries, the CFS and toast for about $10.

I agree with Al! Pretty good, fresh food.......

I agree too. The only one in NJ is about 45 minutes away in Bordentown (off the Turnpike) and we've actually driven there a couple of times as a dining destination for thier buffet. It certainly beats the chain buffets locally available around here.

Petro's Iron Skillets are good. Last February' during our trip to Nashville for the Glee Club gathering we stopped at a Petro on I-65 and I grabbed a hot dog from inside near the cashier's desk and it was absolutely delicious. I wish Petro hadn't bought Flying J and switched from the company's own terrific restaurants to Denny's.  Boy, did they have a fantastic country fried steak. Not Denny's.
 
Edit: Sorry, Petro didn't buy Flying J. Pilot did.

Foodbme


On the Interstates, TravelCenters of America, (FormerlyTruckstops of America) are usually pretty good.
http://www.tatravelcenters.com/

I will agree to that.  Unfortunately, no Petro Truck Stops near me.

This is a site that covers all of the happenings in the wonderful world of the Convenience Store...

http://www.foodservice.cs...d1-foodservice-c2.html


Improve? Wawa coffee is wildly popular. You just say Wawa and someone usually mentions deep love of the coffee.

<<This is a site that covers all of the happenings in the wonderful world of the Convenience Store...

http://www.foodservice.cs...d1-foodservice-c2.html
 
Yikes! That website could have been an online issue of The Onion and I wouldn't have known the difference.

It's the inside scoop for all things you never knew you wanted to know.

Truck Master tell you everything you'd want to know about every truck stop in the world....by location...type...etc.

http://www.findfuelstops.com/

On those occasions when we go down to Lexington, KY to visit relatives we often make a stop on the way back at the TA in Florence, KY. They have a Popeye's inside and we usually pick up dinner there and bring it home. There's also one a bit farther south from there than has a diner in it. I had a great BLT there many years ago.

I realize that this isn't an answer to your question, but I've found the best food and much closer to real Roadfood by hitting the deli at any large supermarket. It beats bad pizza or hamburgers or the now generic Sysco-like offerings at Bob Evans. I will have Popeyes now and then but unlike many ff stops, the quality really can vary.

I'm glad that I'll never have any real emergencies that will force me to drive to an intended destination in the middle of the night. Therefore  when I do drive and there are no Roadfood restaurants in the area or Roadfood restaurants that I care to go to, Other than a select few forum members on Roadfood I've found recommendations on yelp and urbanspoon to be much more reliable , but again, you have to know how to use these sites in order to gauge their reliability.

Oh snap.

Some good beef jerky and a few bottles of water are all I need if I am trying to make good time on the road. 

Oh, when it's a matter of not stopping, except for fuel for the vehicle, then I just rely on my steel vacuum bottle filled with coffee and something along the lines of Ritz cheese Crackerfuls.

My friends make ROADFOOD jerky.. and they're pretty damn good at it!

http://www.slantshackjerky.com/

We carry water and Pringles when we travel (only time we eat Pringels!) But we have to travel on Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Day a few times due to family situations and we have good luck with truck stops, a few seem to be destination dining for locals. We had one sorry Christmas about 5 years ago when MIL was in a nursing home with the beginning of Alzheimer's and was pretty much bed ridden. Our only option for dinner on Christmas Day was a Chinese buffet, anyplace else was already booked. 

 
Waffle House and Huddle House.  I think all Waffle Houses are 24/7/365, as well as most, but not all, Huddle House locations.   Well done, crispy hash browns can hit the spot late at night. 
 
 
Glenn
 
 

Rural Illinois doesn't have much let alone 24/7. Thankfully we could take interstates almost all the way.

Some truck stops have Huddle House. The Petro on Interstate 70 in Claysville, Pennsylvania has one. I've stopped there a couple of times. The trouble with Huddle House is the fact that the chain won't cook a burger any way other than well done.