Sheetz Coming To Barboursville

[herdgirl72]

My only question is why barboursville, they stuck the sonic out there, and now a sheetz. why cant we get anything decent in the charleston area? seems like everything new and decent heads towards that crap-bucket we call huntington

Not that you're bitter...

no, this is just something that has baffled me over the last few years... i'm not bitter at all... yet....

Hey how about Ashland? I would love to have that Sheetz in Ashland....or Sonic(not that I go there) or Panera...anything...

[cgarison]

Hey how about Ashland? I would love to have that Sheetz in Ashland....or Sonic(not that I go there) or Panera...anything...

Ashland does have Cheddar's. Although it does not impress me enough to frequent it.

And I have to say the Ashland Starbucks is the most vile location in the chain. Everything coffee based beverage from there has been horrible. From the regular coffee to the Lattes and Frappuccinos, it is always too strong or weak than what is served at other locations.

Panera is good, but I have really yet to see the fascination with the chain. I would much rather find a sandwich shop that uses locally produced meats and breads. (Having one of those "dammit I am a Philadelphian" moments because shying away from generic styled national food chains for local eateries.)

[Cameron]

Anyone want to open any of the following in the Ashland-Area?

Chipotle
Chili's
Steak n Shake
Popeye's or Bojangles
P.F. Chang's
Cracker Barrel
Something with decent Thai food and sushi bar and/or Benihana
Buca Di Beppo
California Pizza Kitchen
Denny's
Red Robin
Darden Group (Red Lobster/Olive Garden)

...any five or all of them would be just fine.
Thanks.

[The Interpreter]

I would add:

Krystal (which was ALMOST where Skyline was, but Mr. Cartee vetoed it, thinking it would compete with his Arby's)

White Castle

Gold Star

Blimpy's

Quizno's (though the Huntington one failed)

Taco Del Mar

Taco Cabana

[cgarison]

Didn't Blimpy's fail in Ashland back in the mid-1990s. I think it was located in the Exxon station across from the old Hecks and Shoney's across from 35th Street.

[The Interpreter]

Miami Subs was also later in that location...I think that was a poor operator with poor operations, AND a bad location, especially while the Bluegrass was still open and half-way decent. Location matters a lot. Look at the difference between the Ashland and Huntington Penn Stations (or Moe's!)!

[cgarison]

I think that was a poor operator with poor operations,......

Look at the difference between the Ashland and Huntington Penn Stations (or Moe's!)!

Applebee's has to be the worst for inconsistency between locations throughout the chain. The Ashland and Huntington Applebee's are very good. The Kanawha City Applebees (10 years ago) was fantastic while that poor location at South Ridge S. Charleston was horrible as of 4 years ago. Even in Philly, each location is terribly different in quality. Champ's, Chili's, and Friday's also swing in quality from location to location which eventually leads to a pretty a pretty high failure rate in eastern PA and New Jersey.

One of the most consistent chains and my favorite steak house for everything is Longhorn. I have never had a bad experience at one of these anywhere. All very consistent. 99 has been pretty solid across the chain as well (at least in this area.)

[fearpeddler]

I think that was a poor operator with poor operations,......

Look at the difference between the Ashland and Huntington Penn Stations (or Moe's!)!

Applebee's has to be the worst for inconsistency between locations throughout the chain. The Ashland and Huntington Applebee's are very good. The Kanawha City Applebees (10 years ago) was fantastic while that poor location at South Ridge S. Charleston was horrible as of 4 years ago. Even in Philly, each location is terribly different in quality. Champ's, Chili's, and Friday's also swing in quality from location to location which eventually leads to a pretty a pretty high failure rate in eastern PA and New Jersey.

One of the most consistent chains and my favorite steak house for everything is Longhorn. I have never had a bad experience at one of these anywhere. All very consistent. 99 has been pretty solid across the chain as well (at least in this area.)

sadly the charleston applebees locations have only gotten worse....

[The Interpreter]

And Longhorn has been acquired by Darden, the operator of such fine establishments as Olive Garden and Red Lobster (sigh). Meanwhile, Applebees is now owned by IHOP, but with no obvious changes since, at least to moi.

The funniest Longhorn story I ever heard was when they thought they were going to compete with Texas Roadhouse in Ashland, and thought they could get a City of Ashland liquor license merely by applying and making payment therefor. HA! Meanwhile, Katey's Corner is putting a bar on the second floor...and has a State but not City liquor license, so far. May work, though, since the Beanery bit the dust, and that license is purportedly available.

[cgarison]

Another sign that I have been in Philly too long (other than I am now a pro labor liberal) is that I feel that Kentucky's conservative, bible thumping approach to the sell of alcoholic beverages needs a severe update. I have several friends who have one time or another turned down nice jobs at Kentucky facilities because they are located in very dry areas of the state and the nearest place to purchase beer or wine is a 60-90 minute drive away.

I hope Beshear continues to help the Bluegrass state to become more modern. This would be a great place to start.

And Pennsylvania also need a huge rework of their liquor laws as well, but that will be another thread.

[genlock]

The Eagles lost.

[Mr. Jones]

WV Gazette:

January 19, 2009
Sheetz convenience stores plan to move into local metro areas
By Davin White
Staff writer

CHARLESTION, W.Va. -- Over the next two years, developers with Sheetz convenience stores plan to open seven or eight new stores in the Huntington and Charleston metro areas.

Sheetz, which is known for its made-to-order sandwiches, subs, hot dogs, salads and coffee, has not yet opened a store in West Virginia south of Weston, said Errin Hensley, real estate project manager for Sheetz.

After 2010, Sheetz might expand beyond the seven or eight new stores, he said.

A new, 5,000-square foot store is already under construction off the Barboursville/Mall Road exit of Interstate 64, Hensley said. For 2009, the company also has commitments in the Hurricane, Milton and Huntington areas, he said.

Hensley, who works out of Ashland, Ky., said Sheetz hopes to expand into Charleston within the next two years.

"Finding a good location has been what's difficult," he said. "[We're] having a really tough time in Charleston, as far as property wise. It's pretty tough right now."

Sheetz has not yet made a commitment to build any stores in Charleston.

"It's still in the air. I would hope so," Hensley said. "When we were first looking, the Charleston area is the area we really wanted to be in. I hope we do. We can't make a commitment, but we're trying."

Sheetz has several store locations in north central West Virginia, and has expanded east beyond Buckhannon and into the Eastern Panhandle.

The Altoona, Pa.-based company has 352 stores in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland, Hensley said.

Sheetz plans to add a made-to-order program to its specially made food and coffee, where customers can pick up pre-made food in a grab-and-go case, Hensley said.

The made-to-order program has been a staple of the convenience store. Customers use a touch-screen computer to pick out which ingredients they want on sandwiches, subs and other foods or in coffee and espresso drinks.

"That's really what sets us apart from all these other convenience stores is the made-to-order program," Hensley said.

Reach Davin White at davinwh...@wvgazette.com or 348-1254.

[Big Media]

Having heard all the rants and raves about Sheetz dogs, I decided enough was enough and stopped by today to pick up some grub for the fam.

Overall, I had a mixed experience. I love the ordering process. By placing the order using the touch screens, I could add and delete toppings and extras with ease. Much better than the usual drive through experience. Sadly, it didn't help after all. Check your order BEFORE you leave the store.

I ordered the following:

Grilled Chicken Salad - $4.99
2 x 3 - Piece Chicken Strip - $2.99ea
2 x Mac n Cheese - $1.99ea
3 x Hot Dogs, chili, mustard, cheese, and bacon (because I could) - $1.50 ea

• The hot dogs were the bomb. Good combination of toppings for a buck and a half. However, they only partially lived up to their hype.
  The Mac n Cheese was actually a pretty decent value and was more than you get on a side order at KFC. I questioned the buck ninety-nine, but both portions were quickly consumed by the kids.
  The chicken strips were tiny. They were barely bigger than a McNugget. WTF? $2.99 for about .89 worth of chicken?
  The Grilled Chicken Salad was ordered with all kinds of extras like tomatos, cheese, onions, green peppers... you know, stuff you EXPECT to have on a salad. What did we get? A bowl with bagged salad and a few strips of boiled chicken with black grill marks. No extras. Completely uneatable. I am surprised they included dressing.

The total tap for food was just north of $20. Not worth it.

I glanced around the store while I waited. The donuts looked amazing. I will be back in the morning for those! Also, the store was very nice, well laid out, and the workers were friendly.

[The-Hammer]

I had a smokehouse steak sub Friday afternoon and a toasted Italian sub for breakfast this morning (I fucking hate breakfast food, except for waffles and french toast (real french toast, not that crap that comes from a freezer)).

Both were super tasty. The Italian needed a bit more dressing though.

EDIT: Incorrect number of parentheses.

[The Interpreter]

Virtually anything would be better than the crapola Speedway passes off as food from its roller grills and microwave. Perhaps, just perhaps, Sheetz will give them some tiny reason to upgrade their food options...or at least lower their gas prices, though I doubt either will happen. WaWa, neither Speedway nor Sheetz is... A pity.

[AmpedNow]

Sheetz needs to expand into other areas of the state, and put Go Mart out of their misery.

Sheetz is what Go Mart could've been 20 years ago, and had the game to themselves. But no, let's not update our stores and smelly restrooms for 30 years... These people around here don't care about those fancy places anyway.

Little General is a joke, period. Not even in the same league as Sheetz. Go Mart has the most to lose if they continue to expand.

However, in fairness, I know of some locally-owned stores that are quite nice, compared to all the other hole in the walls masquerading as convenience stores.

[Lester]

"And now here's Marty Stuart for Go-Mart!"

[cgarison]

Go-Mart was vile and disgusting 20 years ago. SuperAmerica/Speedway never impressed me.

If Sheetz would put a gas station in southeastern PA that sold E85, I would forget all about Wawa.

[fearpeddler]

Sonic opening soon in St. Albans!!

[Lester]

If Sheetz would put a gas station in southeastern PA that sold E85, I would forget all about Wawa.

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