One of the original Terrible’s celebrated with a grand reopening last week (pictured left) after being closed for about a year for an extensive remodel and expansion.
Back then, the Paradise, Nevada-based convenience-store chain was known as Terrible Herbst; the company recently dropped “Herbst.”
Before the work, the store was a 150-square-foot box (pictured right) in which one employee stood, Kaila Tuvell, director of marketing for Terrible’s, told CSP. The location, on the corner of Main Street and Lewis Avenue, sold just gas and cigarettes. It’s the third Terrible’s ever to open in Las Vegas.
Terrible’s is No. 46 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of c-store chains by size.
“Now, the store is over 3,000 square feet and features all of the standard essentials that our stores are known for, including beer, soda, snacks, etc.,” Tuvell said, adding that there was no beer cave, gaming area or even cooler doors.
During the reopening, there was a ribbon-cutting ceremony with Troy Herbst (left), owner/managing partner, Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman (center) and Matt Osa (right), chief operating officer.
In the 1960s and ’70s, the location, which opened July 8, 1960, had a home office on the property out of which ownership would work, Tuvell said.
The location “operated as just a pumper with gas,” Tuvell said. “We affectionally always called it Pumper No. 3. It used to house one of the original offices on the property and now has a full convenience store, with a gaming area and beer cave.”
Terrible’s, a privately held company, owns and operates 174 c-stores and 80 car washes in Nevada, California, Arizona and Utah.
Promotions include Pump & Pour, which gives a selection of offers redeemable at the register when any amount of fuel is purchased.
Most stores include a Mrs. Terrible's Gaming Lounge with slot machines owned by sister company JETT Gaming. The chain was founded in 1959 by Jerry Herbst, who died in 2018. Sons Ed, Tim and Troy continue to run the businesses.
The location in Jean, Nevada, boasts being the world's largest Chevron, with 96 pumps, according to the website World Record Academy. The store includes a coffee bar that’s 30 feet long and a 700-square-foot beer cave.
The chain is widely known for its mustachioed mascot and giant American flags.
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