A look at the gas stations of tomorrow

I put K & G in my Quicken financial program. They have a brand new store near us and I do fuel up there but I don’t like the name at all.

I think the coke of the early 50s was in either 6 1/4 or 6 1/2 oz bottles, Pepsi was 8 and Royal Crown was 12.

I don’t blame them for keeping up with the times but I prefer to get my gas and leave. I don’t need to hang around at some fancy shop/ restaurant. All I ask is that it be clean.

@oldtimer-11
I think Pepsi came in 12 oz bottles. I remember the beginning of the Pepsi commercial song:

Pepsi Cola hits the spot
twelve fluid ounces. that’s a lot

Royal Crown may also have come in 12 oz bottles.

Actually, their jingle was as follows:
Pepsi-Cola hits the spot,
12 full ounces, that’s a lot,
Twice as much for a nickel too,
Pepsi-Cola is the Drink for you!

I think it is funny that the title of this post is “A Look at the gas stations of tomorrow” and it immediately fell into a discussion of the gas stations of the past. :slight_smile:

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@Mustangman makes a good point. In my area, I’ve seen three generations​ of gas stations in my lifetime on the same lot. Texaco had standard shaped block buildings. These were replaced by more modern faux stone structures. Both had bays for servicing cars. These latter buildings came along in the early 70s. These buildings are now gone and replaced by “convenience” marts that sell gasoline and snacks and a few grocery items. No auto servicing is done. Texaco no longer sells.gasoline under its brand name. Gasoline pumps have been upgraded to include a screen that gives news flashes, weather reports and.commercials. One convenience mart that replaced a Texaco station and sold Marathon gas now sells.Shell gas. Many of the corner gas stations are gone. My guess is that in the next generation we will have bigger convenience stations but fewer of them. They will probably have bigger restrooms.

I lament the loss of “service stations” that had a mechanic “on duty.” I bought from a local station until he closed it because he was a small local businessman and he had one of the best AC guys around… And I don’t do AC. I had them mount and balance tires for me, race tires and street tires. I could count of them to fix my wife’s car if I was out of town. Sadly, most of these types are long gone.

I love, however, the credit card swipe machines since that eliminates me from interacting with the somewhat sketchy characters in the local gas stop/quickie mart at night.

That ambiance must be cleaned up to make those electric car drivers comfortable hanging around for 30 to 60 minutes. Sort of like the best truck stops. Very similar to German highway stops I’ve seen. Gas pumps, parking, gift store and a cafe perched on the hillside with a picture postcard view of the foothills of the Alps. Yeah, I’d hang out there for a while while my Tesla charged up.

If you ever had a chance to stop at any of the rest stops on Italy’s Autostrada del Sole, you would be REALLY impressed. Each one is run by a major food company, each features gourmet chefs, and there is genuine competition for the title of “best rest stop food”. In fact, at dinner time on weekends it is necessary to book a reservation for dinner if you want to dine at some of them!

Each meal is cooked to order, so naturally this is not fast food. I can recall having lunch at one of these places about 30 years ago, and I was blown away by the quality of both the cooking and the olive oil that is supplied at each table. I am not kidding when I say that the absolute best-tasting Extra Virgin Olive Oil that I ever tasted came from a bottle sitting on my dining table at one of these rest stops. (In the US, the bottles would undoubtedly be stolen!)

How’s that for a vast difference from US highway rest stops, where fast food is the only fare?

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Sounds like I need to travel more. :grinning:

…and, much of the parking at those rest stops is underneath carport-like structures. The Italian sun is very strong, and being able to park under those structures is a really nice luxury.

Here is an article from a few years ago, regarding the food that can be found at the rest stops on the Italian Autostradas:


:heart_eyes:

Good Grief! There’s no need to travel all the way to Italy for food at gas stations! We have our own version right here in the U.S.A.

CSA :stuck_out_tongue_closed_eyes:

You don’t like the pizza they serve in a gas station?

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Then there is this gas station food.

http://www.rrtaqueria.com

It’s in a strip shopping center next to the gas station now. It was originally a food counter inside the gas station convenience store. The new store is the house that gas station tacos built.

There are less and less gas stations near me, here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of the smaller corner stations are long gone, and what’s left are convenience stores with 8 or 12 pumping locations. I almost never have a reason to go inside. Air costs $1 for a token. No mechanic has been at any of these places, ever, except to buy gas just like me. People get their oil changed at some chain “Hurry-Up” place that specializes in wallet flushes, tires from Costco, WalMart or a chain tire store, and repairs? What’s that? Just lease another car.

In spite of all that, cars are much more reliable, run far longer and the comfort and convenience they offer is so much better than that old car in the 3rd posting.

I worked pumping gas in a National Park 2 summers during college. We had a cash operated gas pump at the station that took dollar bills and served up $1 of gas, at about 40 cents a gallon. It was on all night so people coming in or out of the Park could keep moving. That was 1970.

I don’t buy my gas from a restaurant, nor do I buy my food at a gas station. In fact I don’t even buy any food at restaurants, either from the inside of the places or driving through on the outside.

I haven’t eaten from a restaurant in several decades. I am too careful about healthful food choices to leave some of it up to strangers. I choose and prepare my own. I’m practically one of those damned vegetarians or vegans! Oooh! It feels so good, too!

The money I’ve saved will come in handy for other things. I’ll add it to my maxed out Social Security when I start taking it at age 70.

I need a gas station with food like I need tap dance lessons! I liked it better when the stations stuck with just gas and Velvet Elvis Paintings!
CSA :scream_cat:

What about dogs playing poker??

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…and, for some reason or other, it seemed that most of the gas stations selling Elvis on Velvet were Sunoco stations. I mentioned my observation to a few friends, and within a few days they all reported to me that my observation was correct.

Go figure!

Not anymore… :grin:
Good catch, though.