It was cold and snowy when we arrived at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Sharonville just outside of Cincinnati last night. La Quinta's are pet friendly and seem to be a popular choice for company drivers. La Quinta also provides a decent complimentary breakfast with a good choice of hot and cold food items. I had Raisin bran with skim milk and orange juice, while Phil had oatmeal, yogurt, a banana and coffee. ESPN's Mike and Mike in the Morning was on the big screen in the breakfast room and we watched it together with a couple of truckers from Saia. We noticed that this particular La Quinta seemed to be a popular stop for drivers with Saia as there were at least a half a dozen cabs in the parking lot when we arrived last night.
As one of the purposes of this trip is to look at healthy eating options for truck drivers and I am not a particularly big sports fan, I have to admit that I was much more interested in watching what these drivers were eating, than I was in watching Mike and Mike. As I watched these guys fill up on cereal, biscuits and gravy, orange juice and coffee I thought back to one of the comments that Rochester made last night, that these drivers often eat only one real meal a day, as they do not want to use valuable driving time by stopping to eat.
We were back on the road by 9:30 am hoping that the snow flurries would soon dissipate as we travelled south. We stopped for gas at the Petro in Glendale, Kentucky. It appeared to be a good sized truck stop so we figured it was worth heading inside to investigate.
Petro Truck Stop / Iron Skillet
554 W Glendale & Hodgenville Road
Glendale, Kentucky
The self-serve concession area was dominated by Dunkin' Donuts branding and as a result was more focused on coffee, donuts, soft drinks, and hot dogs. We did not notice any fresh fruit or salads although there was a small refrigerated case with packaged sandwiches, subs and burgers.
Petro Truck Stop / Dunkin Donuts Express
Glendale, Kentucky
In addition to the aisles of chips, cookies and candies they had a good selection of packaged nuts and dried fruit. It was interesting to note that the tubs of natural unsalted and unsweetened nuts and the dried fruit were on the bottom shelf.
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
We noticed the same thing with the energy and protein bars. The chips and salty snacks were all just below eye level and the healthier options were at the bottom. It is a well-known retail practice that you put your high profit margin items and the items you want to sell at or just below eye-level. Items on the top and bottom shelves tend to get missed or forgotten.
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
We had read about the Iron Skillet on a couple of trucker blogs, so decided to make this our first official truck stop meal. As we headed towards the restaurant we got side-tracked by a display of $59 leather biker jackets. Phil has a Vespa and has been sort of looking for a heavier biker type jacket to extend Vespa season. After trying on numerous styles he settled for a jacket that was more in keeping with a Vespa than a Harley and that had good shoulder, elbow and wrist padding and a quilted lining.
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Dividing the space between the Iron Skillet and the Petro store was a sort of trucker mall. There was a barber shop, a game room with video arcade and pool tables, a men's shower area, private phone booths, a television viewing lounge and a small movie theatre. I could not find any women's showers and the women's restroom was a little dirty.
Life Clinic Health Information Centre
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Just outside the entrance to the restaurant we spotted the Life Clinic Health Information Centre complete with a blood pressure monitor and four panels describing areas of particular concern for truck drivers as well as for the general public.
Life Clinic Health Information Centre
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Life Clinic Health Information Centre
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Life Clinic Health Information Centre
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Life Clinic Health Information Centre
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
It was good to see Petro taking this proactive stance by providing at least a basic level of health information although it was an interesting juxtaposition seeing this health kiosk placed immediately adjacent to a large banner for "The Best Fudge on the Highway."
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
I had been excited about our truck stop food project until the moment came when we were actually faced with eating in a truck stop restaurant. I felt as if everyone was watching us as we walked into the Iron Skillet, and they probably were.
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
There is no question we looked out of place. The woman at the Fudge bar cash desk smiled as we walked in. I hesitantly asked if we could look at a menu and was relieved when I noticed Wild Alaskan salmon, grilled flounder, grilled chicken salad and numerous other menu items identified with the Stay Fit heart logo.
Iron Skillet menu selection
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Of course there were plenty of more hearty options such as the Chicken Fried Steak with creamy country gravy, one side and a trip to the soup and salad bar for $9.49. A second piece of chicken could be added for $1. Or a One Pound Top Sirloin with a side and the soup and salad bar for $12.99. And of course the Homestyle Favorites menu featuring Homemade Meatloaf with Texas toast, mashed potatoes and gravy, grilled onions and the soup and salad bar for $9.39; Sirloin Steak Tips for $9.99; Spaghetti with meat sauce and garlic bread for $7.99; Chicken and Noodles served over biscuits for $9.29; Pot Roast for $9.99 and Beef Liver and Onions for $8.49.
Iron Skillet Soup and Salad Bar
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Phil opted for the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and I selected the Grilled Chicken Salad for $7.89. With the exception of the slightly over-ripe cherry tomatoes the salad was crisp, fresh and the chicken was nicely seasoned. I asked for lemon rather than salad dressing and received an abundant amount of fresh juicy lemon wedges. Personally, I could have done without the heavily buttered garlic toast as I did not touch mine, and thought in hindsight that this should almost be an option for those ordering Stay Fit menu items.
Grilled Chicken Salad
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Phil's salad from the salad bar was equally fresh and although it featured only iceberg lettuce there were enough additional vegetable toppings such as cherry tomatoes, green peppers, radishes, and cucumbers to make it interesting. While there were numerous garnishes and dressings including cottage cheese and jello there did not appear to be any identified low-fat or calorie wise dressings.
Salad Bar Salad
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
The buffet was well stocked with a selection of grilled, roast and fried chicken, fish and meat accompanied by potatoes, rice, noodles and vegetables.
All-You-Can-Eat-Buffet
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
While Phil came back from the buffet with a rather monochromatic array of grilled fish, rotisserie chicken, beef stew, corn and baked beans that did not follow the guidelines as stated on the poster we saw on the blood pressure kiosk outside, he declared that the food was fresh and tasty.
Grilled fish, chicken, beef stew, corn and baked beans
Iron Skillet
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
Overall, I have to admit that I was impressed by the Iron Skillet. My salad was good. Not the best or most exciting salad I have ever had, but it was fresh and good value at just under $8, especially compared to many of the $13 salads I have had in the city.
Sitting in the Iron Skillet eating our lunch we realized that truck stop dining is more than just the food. The Iron Skillet tries to make their restaurants feel homey in a familiar nostalgic kind of way. The waitresses know the regulars by name and take the time to stop, chat and make you feel welcome. After introducing herself and asking us our names, she spoke to us by name each time she stopped by the table. Somehow this seemed nice, friendly, welcoming and not fake like it does in the big corporate chain restaurants.
As we overheard snippets of conversation, we once again heard truck drivers talk about how this was to be their one meal of the day. How they had been driving all night and this was their big meal before getting some rest before their drive tonight. Or that it was a quick break in the middle of the day, or their meal before starting out for the day.
Truckers Chapel
Petro Truck Stop
Glendale, Kentucky
As we walked back to the car we noticed the Truckers Chapel trailer parked in the lot. I had noticed the flyers inside, but had not really given it much thought. Being on the road can be a lonely and isolating experience and it is nice to know that opportunities for fellowship are available for those that want or need this.
Southbound I65
Tennessee
We headed back on the road and as we entered Tennessee the weather lifted. Grey skies turned blue and the remnants of snow had all but disappeared.
Southbound I65
Tennessee
There were a lot of trucks on the road as we headed south on I65 towards Nashville. We debated whether we should stop at more of the truck stops along the route, or drive straight through so that we could go for a walk around Nashville. The idea of a walk won. There will be plenty more truck stops for us tomorrow.
Southbound I65
Tennessee
Thanks now I have a much better Respect for Truck driver for what they have to do to keep our food on the table
ReplyDeleteThanks for an very informative report