Editor's note: Darren Schulte, NATSO vice president of membership, frequently visits NATSO members to review their locations and offers impactful merchandising and operations improvements. Contact Schulte at dschulte@natso.com or (915) 526-5820 to learn more about the costs and details of this service.
For Davis Travel Centers, which operates three locations in Virginia, meeting the needs of the traveling public and the community has always been a priority, and the location in Stony Creek offers everything from special treats for those traveling with pets to healthcare.
Earlier this month, a doctor’s office opened at the location, repurposing office space to create an exam room and a waiting room. Bill Decker, manager of the location, said the space used to hold a lottery machine and a checkout room where cashiers would close out their registers.
Decker said Davis Travel Centers has partnered with a local physician that is affiliated with South Hyde Medical Hospital. The new medical office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and accepts insurance. It has also partnered with a local pharmacy so patients can get their prescriptions filled there. In addition to treating drivers, the location can perform drug testing.
More and more professional drivers and travelers are taking their pets along with them when they are out on the road, and Davis Travel Centers has seized the opportunity. There is a dog park at the location, and those with pets will find plenty of fun offerings within the location’s Bark Zone inside the store.
A fun touch is the pet of the month feature. Customers can visit Davis Travel Center’s Facebook page and upload a picture of their pet for a chance to be featured.
The location also has an exceptional mix of food offerings, which is so important to capturing the many different types of customers that walk through the door.
There are hot offerings on the counter, grab-and-go items, and a beautiful display of pastries.
About a year ago, Davis Travel Centers opened a Wendy’s and Popeye’s at the location. Decker said sales have exceeded expectations.
The location has also found success with its Beer Cave and has a nice selection of wines.
Everything is well marked, making it easy for customers to know where to go.
The location is branded Mobil on the gasoline side and Davis Travel Centers is an AMBEST member.
The location is warm and inviting.
Everything is clean and bright and draws you in and makes you feel welcome.
/// Did you know most weeks can find Darren Schulte, NATSO's Vice President of Memebrship, visiting a NATSO member truckstop location, spending three to four days, using his merchandising and operations expertise to help them grow their business? Learn about NATSO’s Profitable Retail Review program here.
Photos Credit: Darren Schulte/NATSO
Subscribe to Updates
NATSO provides a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas’ ability to meet the needs of the travelling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
