Ask any successful convenience-store retailer the top business priorities to drive the customer experience higher, and convenience is at the top of the list. Price, product selection, value, customer service and safety are squarely at the top, too.
While important, “customer dignity” isn’t an oft-used retail phrase. But at Duck Stop Travel Center in Hodgkins, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, patron dignity is a thing—a big one.
In that context, the chain starts with providing supreme space, comfort and cleanliness across the store, starting with immaculate restrooms. Many leading independents and chains also tout the same, but Duck Stop takes it to another level. The company proudly boasts “The Cleanest Restrooms on the Road. Period.”
“What we aim for is bringing dignity to the travel center (model), and that starts with clean restrooms. We polish restrooms—and the entire store—24 hours a day. We’ve redefined what a convenience stop should feel like,” said Johnny Terz, one of several managing partners in Duck Stop, a team that includes seasoned industry vets, including a long-time Portillo’s restaurant executive.
Each of Duck Stop’s 14 private bathroom suites are designed “family style,” steam-cleaned hourly for peak freshness and safety. “No crowds, no mess, no worry—just a spotless, comfortable space for you and your family every time you visit,” according to the company’s website.
To promote the comforts of home, Duck Stop restrooms are outfitted with home-grade Charmin and occupancy indicator lights. Professional drivers have access to 12 individual showers plus two extra private bathrooms on the second level, plus a headset-friendly TV lounge designed for peaceful downtime without background noise battles, the company said.
On Duck Stop’s strong commitment to professional drivers, the travel center, located off Interstate 294, obtained significant input from over-the-road drivers about what they wanted most in an optimal travel center.
“What they desired was a safe, convenient and quality place to stop,” Terz said.
‘Bunch of old ducks’
Of course, the name “duck stop” is a purposeful, frivolous offshoot of “truck stop,” but that’s where the frivolity ends.
Driving the customer experience at Duck Stop is an experienced team of executives across professional capacities that include construction, real estate and foodservice. Said Terz: “We’re a bunch of ‘old ducks’ who have used our experiences over decades to meet the total needs of professional drivers and local customers.”
Terz told CSP that the company’s penchant for offering supreme food emanates from experiences formed in their youth.
“Speaking for myself, I was privileged to eat in great restaurants growing up, which included truck stops,” said Terz, who brings real estate expertise to the party.
“My father took us to local truck stops and always believed they were known for serving the best food—not so-called institutional food,” he said.
Investing in what Terz calls an “old-school kitchen” that’s also technologically advanced, the partners made a significant investment to update the foodservice equipment, and the results are evident.
The menu features standout items such as $6.95 burgers with “perfectly melting cheddar,” the company’s website says, and beef tallow fries that remain hot and fresh for travelers. The brand offers a bold “first-bite guarantee” that states, “if it’s not delicious, we want to know,” according to the website. Lavazza-brewed coffee is served.
About the fries: Knowing that many truck drivers like to grab food and get back on the road, fries are made to travel, Terz said. Instead of highly processed cooking oil, Duck Stop’s deployment of beef tallow enhances the quality.
The store is also equipped with a soft-serve ice cream unit where the finished product consists of 10% butter fat.
“Years ago, I befriended a third-generation custard maker out of Milwaukee,” Terz said. “He said that if you plan to do something (with retail food) you better do it right. We were able to get the custard recipe from him. We sell 10-ounce cups for $4.99 and sundaes for $5.99.”
Getting fueled
Other notable features that drive the Duck Stop experience include Mobil Synergy fuel, regarded as quality grade crucial to professional drivers, Terz said.
At the forecourt, attendants are in place to assist motorists, guiding them through the app and making sure they’re back on the road in quick time. From premium gasoline to EV charging, Terz said the experience delivered is a “smooth, modern one that respects your time and elevates every drive.”
The company also can legally sell liquor to customers at their drive-through service windows. There are currently three drive-thru lanes, and it’s built for six. On its website, the company calls its liquor license “smartly designed for quick value, and sharp pricing powered by high-volume efficiency rather than corner cutting.”
Indeed, the organization was built by a coalition of construction, fuel and restaurant experts committed to long-term quality over quick profits, Terz said.
With the knowledge comes a laser-sharp game plan: Duck Stop said it has a scalable vision with 19 additional travel center sites in the works in Illinois and hundreds of jobs potentially available.
Duck Stop “is building a national model that treats drivers like people, not throughput,” the company said.
“We are looking for your business and hope to give you the safety, quality and dignity you’re looking for—we’re very focused on the customer experience and want to turn people into believers of Duck Nation,” Terz said. “Give us the honor of taking care of you.”
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