marzNC
Angel Diva
A recent article about the revival of Stuckey's by the third generation made me wonder where people stop during road trips for gas, a restroom, and perhaps some food. I have my favorite regional chains in the east. Where do you stop when driving a few hundred miles in a day? Or taking a more leisurely road trip over a few days or weeks?
My parents did a lot of road trips when I was growing up in the 1950s-1960s. But we didn't stop at Stuckey's. We didn't snack while driving.
June 11, 2022
" . . .
But using everything she owned as collateral and taking out a life insurance policy with the bank as beneficiary, Ms. Stuckey, a lawyer and former Democratic Georgia legislator who was then 53, pressed on. In six months, she said, she returned one of America’s first roadside franchise operations — the prototype for today’s convenience stops — to profitability (barely), with an unexpected boost from road trippers, who took to their cars during the pandemic to avoid Covid. That helped rekindle the tradition of the family trip.
The pandemic business bump underscored a connection. “Stuckey’s peaked when the road trip peaked, and we plummeted when the road trip plummeted,” she said. The question was: How do you make that pay?
. . .
The pandemic, by shutting down public transportation, provided the key. “People started traveling by car again,” said Ms. Stuckey, whose stores experienced an uptick in sales. “I personally witnessed the connection people had with not just the brand but the road trip,” she said. “It’s hard to have an emotional connection with a pecan log.”
The romance of road trips provided the path.
With little money for marketing, Ms. Stuckey promotes the brand through her own road trips. She posts primarily on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn, though she concedes that her YouTube game needs work.
She has posed for photos wearing a Stuckey’s “Eat Here and Get Gas” T-shirt, and has posted recordings of herself belting out Andrew Gold’s 1977 hit, “Lonely Boy,” in the car along with her best friend on Instagram. On her account, she has posted more than 1,600 neon signs, diners, tourist traps and quirky roadside attractions.
Although the pandemic resulted in an increase in road trips and revenue for Stuckey stores, that may not last. Building the brand, however, doesn’t require people to actually take road trips; they just need to identify with the road-trip lifestyle, much the way not everyone who wears board shorts actually surfs. It’s aspirational.
“Can I single-handedly revive the road trip? I can’t,” Ms. Stuckey said. “But can I put out stories that resonate with people on a personal level, then encourage other people to share their road trips? I think we can build a bit of a movement.”
. . ."
My parents did a lot of road trips when I was growing up in the 1950s-1960s. But we didn't stop at Stuckey's. We didn't snack while driving.
June 11, 2022
The Pralines, Pecan Log Rolls and Nostalgia Fueling the Stuckey’s Revival (Published 2022)
The pandemic reinvigorated car travel and, with it, the market for snacks and Americana. Will it last?
www.nytimes.com
But using everything she owned as collateral and taking out a life insurance policy with the bank as beneficiary, Ms. Stuckey, a lawyer and former Democratic Georgia legislator who was then 53, pressed on. In six months, she said, she returned one of America’s first roadside franchise operations — the prototype for today’s convenience stops — to profitability (barely), with an unexpected boost from road trippers, who took to their cars during the pandemic to avoid Covid. That helped rekindle the tradition of the family trip.
The pandemic business bump underscored a connection. “Stuckey’s peaked when the road trip peaked, and we plummeted when the road trip plummeted,” she said. The question was: How do you make that pay?
. . .
The pandemic, by shutting down public transportation, provided the key. “People started traveling by car again,” said Ms. Stuckey, whose stores experienced an uptick in sales. “I personally witnessed the connection people had with not just the brand but the road trip,” she said. “It’s hard to have an emotional connection with a pecan log.”
The romance of road trips provided the path.
With little money for marketing, Ms. Stuckey promotes the brand through her own road trips. She posts primarily on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn, though she concedes that her YouTube game needs work.
She has posed for photos wearing a Stuckey’s “Eat Here and Get Gas” T-shirt, and has posted recordings of herself belting out Andrew Gold’s 1977 hit, “Lonely Boy,” in the car along with her best friend on Instagram. On her account, she has posted more than 1,600 neon signs, diners, tourist traps and quirky roadside attractions.
Although the pandemic resulted in an increase in road trips and revenue for Stuckey stores, that may not last. Building the brand, however, doesn’t require people to actually take road trips; they just need to identify with the road-trip lifestyle, much the way not everyone who wears board shorts actually surfs. It’s aspirational.
“Can I single-handedly revive the road trip? I can’t,” Ms. Stuckey said. “But can I put out stories that resonate with people on a personal level, then encourage other people to share their road trips? I think we can build a bit of a movement.”
. . ."