NORTH SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Convenience stores and truckstops are getting some unusual exposure on reality TV. Maverik Country Stores Inc.'s reality TV show, Maverik's Kick Start, is set to debut on KJZZ-TV on May 1. The show is meant to change or "kick start" a life by taking a person on an adventure such as river rafting, skydiving, rappelling, wilderness survival or race car driving.
"We take them to the edge and we take them out of their comfort zone," host Ron Duncombe told The Daily Herald. "We get them out of their houses, off the couches and out into the Intermountain West."
The jump into adventure on TV was a natural for the North Salt Lake City, Utah-based retailer, which bills itself as Adventure's First Stop. And founder Reuel T. Call himself was a maverick in the gasoline business in the 1920s, said the report. He created his own independent brand and built two refineries to meet consumer demand.
"His values and character traits were his hallmark," the newspaper said, citing Maverik's website, which adds, "That he was a maverick is a well known fact.... He was not afraid to try things that were less than a sure bet. His natural optimism lead him to believe that he could succeed."
His vision is reflected in the Maverik adventuring image. A kayaker, including the kayak, appears to be running a river in mid air above customers in the Eagle Mountain store. On the mural on the surrounding walls one can find a climber, snowboarder and biker, all with an outdoor theme.
The chain operates about 170 c-stores spread across Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Nevada and Arizona. It opened a news store in early March at The Ranches in Eagle Mountain in Cedar Valley, Utah, said the report.
From nightcrawlers to Krispy Kreme Donuts, Maverik caters to travelers. The entry to the 10 station pumps is wide and its paved lot is spacious. "It's a new format, larger, a lot better for RVs, trucks and motorhomes," manager Lance Fawcett told the paper.
A family-friendly store, the Eagle Mountain Maverik employs 20 to work the Maverik signature bakery and delicatessen and the front counter. Hot breakfast sandwiches, breakfast pizzas, lunch burritos, nachos, Black Angus burgers are served daily.
Four flat-screen high-definition TVs are positioned for guest view.
Click herefor details on Maverik's Kick Start.
Also, LEE HI Travel Plaza in Lexington, Va., will be featured in the Travel Channel's Unusual Travel Plazas. LEE HI has a reputation for great food, owner Bobby Berkstresser told The Staunton News Leader; the truckstop has been serving "home-cooked" meals since opening 50 years ago.
Every aspect of the 55-acre LEE HI Travel Plaza smacks of transportation, said the report, from the miniature replicas of classic cars and antique airplanes that hang from the ceiling of Berky's Restaurant, where diners select entrees with names like "The Cadillac" from the menu, to the model cars on display in the c-store to the rows of tractor-trailers parked outside.
After spending the night at LEE HI, travelers can get breakfast all day, service their cars, wash their clothes at the onsite laundromat and even get a hair cut or a shave at Tangles, the plaza's barber shop. Travelers can visit the chapel in the building's rear. Berkstresser said he added the chapel 10 years ago, not just to give Sunday travelers a place to worship, but because of the strength of his own faith.
"We've become the home away from home for truck drivers," Berkstresser said.
Unusual Travel Plazas will premiere this summer on the Travel Channel.
Also, the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives is featuring one of I-64's hot spots in eastern Kentucky in his latest episode called, "Like Mama Made," said The Herald-Dispatch. In the episode, host Guy Fieri drove around the country to find some recipes that really do come from mama.
The show features a Phoenix gas station where everything is authentic Mexican and the Kentucky truckstop with "real country cookin'," Smokey Valley Truck Stop.
Click herefor upcoming airtimes.
Meanwhile, gas station/c-store/restaurant/soda emporium Pops 66 in Arcadia, Okla., has appeared in a TV commercial for Omaha, Neb.-based department store chain Gordman's.
The location's landmark architecture, which includes a 66-foot-tall pop bottle, windows lined floor to ceiling with thousands of sodas, was featured along with that of several other commercial sites nationwide.
"Gordmans was looking to feature upscale and notable buildings as a backdrop for their commercials," said producer Paul Tompkins. "I previously took notice of POPS and knew it would be a perfect fit for this shoot."
The Oklahoma City commercial will air in U.S. markets nationwide.
"We are thrilled to be selected as a backdrop for such a fun commercial," said Jessica Ockershauser, POPS marketing manager. "POPS is truly the effervescent essence of Route 66: colorful, free-wheeling fun. We are happy to be able to represent such a wonderful part of the state."
Click hereto view a recent CSPTV segment on Pops 66.
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