Company News

Love’s to Add 20 New Travel Stops in 2025

Retailer also is expanding its Fresh Kitchen program through new Culinary Innovation Center; Adding Whataburger to its QSR partners
Love's Travel Center
Photograph courtesy of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores

Love’s Travel Stops & Country Stores has big growth plans for 2025—from new store builds to more electric vehicle chargers to a growing Fresh Kitchen program. 

The Oklahoma City-based travel stop chain plans to start construction on 20 new stores this year and begin updating 50 existing locations under its strategic remodel initiative, which launched in 2022. The company has a capital budget of about $1 billion for these new stores and remodels, including other projects, Love’s President Shane Wharton said. 

As part of this, Love’s will update its turnpike location in Stroud, Oklahoma, that it took ownership of as part of its acquisition of EZ GO from Carey Johnson Oil. Co. in April 2023. 

By 2035, Love’s said more than half of its 655 locations in 42 states will be newly constructed or remodeled. 

“As we enter the year, we’re committed to continuing to enhance the customer experience for all,” Wharton said. “This year, we’re excited to introduce new and updated locations, innovative food and drinks and continued improvement of the services and amenities we offer. With our continued focus on the evolving needs of customers, we’re confident we’ll provide an even better experience across our network in 2025.”

Love’s will also add 83 RV hookups to 17 locations in 2025, surpassing the 100-location mark. Customers can use the Love’s Connect app to reserve a space, check in and turn on utilities. 

Wharton said when it comes to Love’s M&A strategy for 2025, Love’s is “always looking at opportunities to build out our travel stop network if any of those opportunities are there.”

He noted Love’s acquired TVC Pro-Driver, a commercial driver’s license protection subscription service, in 2024 and that it is always looking for other opportunities to serve its professional driver customers. 

Foodservice Growth 

In foodservice, Love’s is expanding its Fresh Kitchen program (salads from the program are pictured below) through a new Culinary Innovation Center led by Greg Ekman. Ekman was previously with bp before joining Love’s as its first director of fresh kitchen strategy and growth. The center, located in Oklahoma City, will be used to develop and test food including tacos, salads, sandwiches, snack trays and more. 

Food is important to travelers, Wharton said, and Love’s wants to make sure that EV users charging up at their stores have plenty of options to eat as they’re lingering longer. 

Love's Fresh Kitchen salad

“For years and years, we focused on QSR (quick service restaurant)-branded restaurant offerings—and we’re going to continue that, and that’s worked well for us—but we felt like now with the size and scale of our network that we could really leverage the Love’s brand in terms of trusting what we offer and good value, and so we’re just investing in that and anticipate that we can come up with a lot of good products,” he said. 

  • Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores is No. 16 on CSP’s 2024 Top 202 ranking of U.S. convenience-store chains by store count.

Love’s partners with 19 QSR operators at its travel centers, and it is adding a 20th: Whataburger. Wharton said they are still working through the details on where and when the first Whataburger will open inside a Love’s travel center. The San Antonio, Texas-based chain has more than 1,000 locations in 16 states and is the country’s sixth largest fast-food burger chain, according to CSP’s sister publication Restaurant Business.

Customers will now be able to order ahead using the Love’s Connect app at several of its QSR locations, including more than 100 Arby’s. 

Love’s also will expand its private-label items like new fresh juice options, candy and flavored popcorn.

EV Charging Expansion 

Love's has 31 existing EV charging locations and 165 chargers. It will add 80 chargers to 20 Love’s locations in 2025. 

Love’s is growing its network of EV charging stations, in part, through National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grants. The company was awarded $83 million in 2024 for the construction of chargers in 13 states. 

Construction will start in 2025 on new fast chargers in eight states: Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

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