February 6, 2026 • 28 mins
Ditch the generic truck stop experience. In this episode, we sit down with Johnny from Duck Stop Travel Center to reveal how a dedicated team of industry veterans (“old ducks”) transformed a location into a driver-first haven. The focus isn't flashy marketing—it's flawless execution on what actually matters: clean facilities, great food, real comfort, and respect for drivers' time and dignity.
They've engineered every detail around real driver needs. The menu features standout items like Lavazza-brewed coffee, a $6.75 burger with perfectly melting cheddar, beef tallow fries that stay hot on the road, and a bold first-bite guarantee—if it's not delicious, they want to know. Facilities include 14 private bathroom suites stocked with home-grade Charmin, occupancy indicator lights, 12 individual showers plus two extra private bathrooms upstairs, and a headset-friendly TV lounge designed for peaceful downtime without background noise battles.
Convenience is stacked at Exit 22 on I-294: three drive-thru lanes (built for six), premium Synergy fuel, a smartly designed liquor license for quick value, and sharp pricing powered by high-volume efficiency rather than corner-cutting. At its core, the culture stands out—built by a coalition of construction, fuel, and restaurant experts committed to long-term quality over quick profits. Safety is non-negotiable, especially for women drivers and anyone seeking a secure place to step out and recharge. They're already planning expansion with 19 more locations in discussion, creating hundreds of jobs, and guided by one simple rule: Would we serve this to our own families?
If you're tired of being treated like just another transaction, this conversation delivers the blueprint for a better travel center.
Key Takeaways 👇
✅ Driver-Centric Design Wins — Private bathrooms, individual showers, quiet lounges, and occupancy lights prioritize comfort and privacy over outdated shared facilities.
✅ Food That Respects Your Taste & Time — Lavazza coffee, melty-cheddar burgers, hot beef tallow fries, and a first-bite guarantee prove quality doesn't require high prices.
✅ Execution Over Hype — Success comes from nailing the details (high-volume model, expert team, family-quality test) rather than gimmicks.
✅ Safety & Inclusion First — A clear commitment to making every driver—especially women—feel protected and welcome.
✅ Scalable Vision — With 19 more sites in talks and hundreds of jobs ahead, Duck Stop is building a national model that treats drivers like people, not throughput.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:01):
Welcome back to another episode of That's
Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray.
And today's episode is one I'mreally excited about.
It's about something thatactually improves life on the
road for drivers.
I recently had the chance tomeet with a person that I think
is doing a great job with that.
He's going to be on the podcastwith us.
And he also got a chance to giveme a tour of his facility.
(00:24):
And we got I got to go throughit in person.
And I knew he had a great storefor many people to be able to
enjoy.
And that's why I wanted him tocome on the show and talk about
it today for truck drivers andalso for passenger cars as well
to enjoy.
So this place is going to dothings I know for not just
today, but for the future andbeyond.
(00:46):
And I think the food is isbeyond standards for a truck
stop.
Is going to be one you're goingto want to put on your list.
And uh the kind of innovationthat drivers have been asking
for for some time.
Um, I wanted to welcome to theshow Johnny with uh Duck Stop
Travel Center.
Thanks for waiting backstage tobe on the show.
(01:07):
Wanted to give you an intro.
I wanted to make sure peopleknew about what you guys are
doing over there at the duckstop.
I mean, man, tell us about it.
How did you get started with allthis?
I mean, it's a huge process toget a store up and going for
truckers out there.
Uh, why don't you tell thelisteners how you got it all
started?
SPEAKER_00 (01:23):
Well, first, Ray, I have to tell you it it takes a
village, and we're a bunch ofbunch of old ducks that got
together here, and we've usedall of our experiences from a
lot of different paths to try toput something like this together
that tries to meet the totalneeds of the trucker.
(01:48):
And I hate to say this, but wewe had a go old school.
A lot of us we grew up and wewere really pretty privileged to
be able to eat in goodrestaurants, and a lot of us
growing up also found ourselveseating at truck stops when we
(02:10):
were very young.
I remember asking my dad many,many years ago, dad, why are we
eating in a truck stop?
He said, he said, son, you wantthe best food, you go to a truck
stop because they know whatthey're doing.
Now, things have changed, andthe big company, big companies,
(02:32):
they want to take over and kindof tell us how we want it and
how we should eat it.
And unfortunately, they've takenaway that home-style quality
product that that somebody willcook and actually take pride in
serving.
It's not some institutionalcompany that just will sell the
(02:57):
same food to 5,000 of therestaurants thinking it's gonna
be a different result.
So we brought back old schooltype kitchen, maybe a little bit
more technologically advanced,obviously larger.
In the case of our duck stoptravel center in Hodgkins, we
(03:18):
have a seven-figure kitchenbecause there's some of us here,
it and it takes a team.
There's no I in team, you knowthat.
And there is one of our membersran a very successful.
It's I hate to call it a quickservice, but it was a quick
(03:39):
service restaurant that was ahigh-quality operation.
He was the number two guy for 32years, and he's now seen his
company, it was sold, and nowthey are able to make more money
by changing the products andmaking them cheaper.
(04:01):
Instead of being bringingsomething of higher quality,
they bring something in that's alittle cheaper.
Long story short, the the thethesis behind what we believe
will be our success here isnumber one, quality, the quality
of the whole operation.
We have 14 private suites,private bathrooms on the first
(04:24):
floor for all the truckers, sothat they can go to the
bathroom.
Like anybody else has to go tothe bathroom with dignity, with
honor, and respect.
We feature Charmin home toiletpaper, not that professional
stuff, though stuff people paythe top dollar for at their own
(04:44):
home, so that you can feel athome when you're at our facility
here.
Our second level has 14, excuseme, 12, 12 individual showers
and two private bathrooms, and avery spacious trucker's lounge
where they can relax, enjoy, sitback, plush booths, a lot of
(05:09):
room, no one's on top of eachother.
And you throw that in with alaundromat and an opportunity
for the truckers to be picked upwhile they're either dropping or
picking up a load to do laundry,relax, eat, just take a couple
minutes outside the tractor in avery clean, spacious operation.
SPEAKER_01 (05:34):
That's pretty amazing.
The spacious bathrooms with theshowers, you show those to me,
and then you said that they canhave their their headset tied
into the TV.
I mean, that's you can't well.
SPEAKER_00 (05:45):
You might want to read a book, you might be doing
your paperwork.
You don't need somebody blastingRambo on one side and some real
sad news on the other.
So you want to listen, put onyour ear pods, listen to
whatever program you'reinterested in while somebody
else can relax and just take adeep breath and enjoy their
(06:06):
food, or just enjoy the a fewminutes of peace that we're
we're all desperate to findevery day, right?
SPEAKER_01 (06:15):
Yeah, you talked about how you want to bring the
dignity back and help the truckdriver to feel right at home.
unknown (06:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:22):
Well, we're we're we're trying to do that.
We have, like I said, the luxuryof a a brand new operation, and
the only way you keep it brandnew is to polish it and keep it
clean literally 24 hours a day,or it'll get behind you.
Unfortunately, someone wants todo something to kind of ruin it
(06:44):
for everybody else, but you knowwhat?
We get past the graffiti, we fixit.
They want to do something else,we get rid of it, and we give
people back what they want is uhrespect and uh safety and
security.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Absolutely.
Hey, I think you guys are doinga great job with that.
I mean, the amenities there arejust amazing, and the food to
add to that.
I mean, the food you got coffee.
I mean, wow, I mean, uh, youblew me away with the sandwich
you gave me.
Uh it was uh I think it was aburger.
SPEAKER_00 (07:18):
Our burger is six dollars and seventy-five cents.
It's exceptional.
We're about to now that we'vebeen working on our deliverable
times so that someone can canget their order very quickly and
get what they've ordered.
That's a big deal.
We're about to start advertisingand we're going to roll out with
(07:40):
a first bite guarantee.
If it's not extraordinary, youcan give it back to us.
If it's just another productthat you find from that same
institutional supplier who sellsto everybody, so if it tastes
bad at one place, it's gonnataste bad everywhere.
It's the same food.
So we take pride in sourcingdifferent items.
(08:04):
Our coffee is Lavatsa.
You've got a same family that'sbeen brewing, and we are buying
a branded coffee just the way wesell that branded synergy mobile
gasoline that a lot of thetruckers know when you're in a
pinch and it's cold and thatthing doesn't want to turn over,
(08:26):
or you are trying to preventsome long-term maintenance
issues, that fuel is better foryou, and that fuel costs more.
Top tier.
We got top tier, top tiersynergy fuel, exactly.
And whether it's fuel or lavattacoffee, our ice cream that we
(08:47):
serve, soft serve, is a 10%butter fat, and we took out the
air.
SPEAKER_01 (08:51):
Oh, the ice cream, the ice cream, that's right,
right.
That was delicious.
Tell us about that.
How did you come up with that?
SPEAKER_00 (08:58):
Well, I uh I actually I contributed to the to
the ice cream, but I befriendeda third generation custard maker
and out of out of Milwaukee,Wisconsin area.
His name was Ron.
And he, after many years offriendship, said, Listen, if
(09:20):
you're gonna do something, youbetter do it right.
And he gave us the recipe, andthe actual supplier who makes
this specification to his actualrecipe.
So we have a top-tier product,we're selling 10 ounces for
$4.99, a Sunday for like$5.49,and a Sunday with chunks of
(09:45):
brownies in it for$5.99.
I mean, you can't get a shake atany competitor today for that
type of price.
So whether it's the beef or theburger at$675, our French fries
are cooked in beef tallow.
They travel well, truckers move.
(10:06):
They're just not gonna grab thefries and stick them in their
mouth.
They're gonna get back in therig and they're gonna move
somewhere, or we're gonna haveto deliver to them whether at
the yard, and they have to behot.
So that's a special fry cookedin beef tallow in order to give
back the taste that's been lostwith all these oils and the same
(10:28):
oils that kind of give us all alittle heartburn or stomach
issues.
SPEAKER_01 (10:36):
Yeah, that beef tallow is a new thing that
people are trying to bring backas well.
That was taken away and kind ofcheapened the way the food was
made.
Now it's bringing that qualityback, it's gonna be amazing for
a lot of people, not just fortheir uh digestion, but also for
the taste.
No question about it.
SPEAKER_00 (10:54):
We our matrix is simple.
We bring in a better qualityproduct, we think we're gonna do
more business, we pay more, butwe make it up in volume.
So we're not looking to sell 50sandwiches, we're looking to
sell 250 sandwiches, we're notlooking to sell 30, 40 cones a
day, we're looking to do acouple hundred.
(11:16):
We're on the ramp of exit 22 on294.
We are the new Hodgkins Oasis.
We, in fact, purchased 50% ofthe ramp coming off from the
north in order to facilitate ourcustomers for a drive-thru for
(11:36):
drive-through lanes.
We have three lanes, two todaythat a customer waits in, and
one that they escape.
And we have enough room thatwe've already engineered three
more lanes.
So three is unheard of, six isjust out of the just you know,
out of the park.
(11:57):
No question about it.
SPEAKER_01 (12:00):
Yeah, you you guys are changing the game for sure.
I mean, raising the bar, greatcompetition to for the free
market to see that, you know,like you said, if if it's just
the run of a meal burger, uh,then everybody's gonna have
that.
But if you raise that bar, thenthey'll see the difference.
So great job doing that.
Yeah, did you talk to driversout there that for the planning
for all this?
(12:20):
I mean, how did you guys knowthat this was needed?
SPEAKER_00 (12:23):
Well, long before we we found our first site, we had
to find and try to find ourfirst customer, and that was the
American driver who's out theretaking his life in his own hands
every day with all these crazypeople out there.
And we went to diners, we wentto truck stops, we went rig to
(12:44):
rig sometimes, just askingquestions and taking back the
feedback from the trucker whowanted something safe, more than
anything else, wanted somethingclean and something of quality.
So if we can't really explainthe business model and what has
(13:07):
made us successful so far inless than a minute, it's just
too complicated to understand,right?
It's simple.
Convenience, quality, products,no matter from the fuel to the
coffee to the meats, etc., thecheese that we use, our our
cheddar cheese melts.
(13:28):
It sweats.
It's not something they couldtake a bolt torch to, and it's
still sitting there in the samemanner before you try to melt
it.
And that's unfortunately thischeap food that everybody wants
to sell, that they think shortterm they're going to make more
money, and then they just go outof business because people are
(13:49):
not interested.
So, and the big deal is thecleanliness.
Uh, doing what we're doing withthe uh Sherman toilet paper and
the cleanliness makes a lot ofdifference.
We got people their jaws drop,not only when they walk in the
door, but especially when theywalk out of our private
bathrooms.
(14:10):
So you're not washing hands nextto anybody, you're not going to
do your business with anybody.
We have special lights so thatyou're not even disturbed when
you're in there.
There's a red light above thedoor, a green when it's open, a
red light when it's occupied.
So no one is even disturbing youwhen you're just trying to have
(14:32):
a moment of peace.
SPEAKER_01 (14:59):
Wow.
Yeah, that's I mean, yourbathrooms are amazing,
immaculately clean, and youdon't have to worry about oh, I
gotta go in and clean up aftersomebody.
You got a great staff that justtakes care of that.
I mean, that I I mean, everytime I go in there, I feel good.
So, anybody out there lookingfor a clean bathroom, this is
the place to go, you know.
The uh the Duck Stop TravelCenter.
(15:21):
You can even go on your website,kind of take a look at what's
going on about with thosebathrooms.
If you haven't been there, Imean you can see the fries, your
website is beautiful.
Got the hot dogs, you got thecoffee.
Let's talk about the liquor alittle bit too, man.
You even got a top shelf liquorset up, don't you?
SPEAKER_00 (15:36):
Well, we've got a a liquor banner type up type of
operation, and we have been veryfortunate.
We've been dealing, we actuallythis travel center is in two
towns.
We're our building is inHatchkins and the trucking
facilities are in countryside.
So we took two towns, put a dealtogether, and we have been able
(16:00):
to uh secure the licenses toeven sell liquor through our
drive-thru windows and under thepumps.
So, again, it's maximumconvenience, a real cheap price.
Our Tito's today is$18.99.
Everybody down the street isright around$21,$24.
(16:23):
So we're again low margin, highvolume, and that's how you make
it up.
It's just that simple.
SPEAKER_01 (16:30):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (16:31):
Tomorrow morning at 5 a.m., we're rolling out with a
breakfast sandwich, six dollarsand seventy-five cents, two
cage-free brown organic eggs.
We're talking the wagyoo of egg.
These these bad boys cost twiceas much as any egg out there.
(16:52):
And why are we paying twice asmuch?
Because it's probably four timesas good.
Not twice as good, probably fourtimes as good for you.
And it tastes good.
That's right.
With cheddar cheese on either aciabata or a bagel or a gigantic
croissant finished with either apork belly that we caramelize,
(17:16):
ham off the bone, or chickensausage, turkey sausage.
And then we're going to be uhalso rolling out shortly with a
steak sandwich and steak andeggs in the morning for
breakfast.
That steak sandwich will beunder ten dollars, and it's real
steak, not horse meat.
SPEAKER_01 (17:42):
That's amazing.
I love it.
I mean, you got a great sense ofhumor and you got a great lease
on life.
I think you're doing a reallygreat job.
I mean, how did you come aboutto be the great guy that you are
today?
I mean, many people don't knowabout all the things going on
behind your store, but just giveus a little piece about yourself
that people you can share thatsay, hey, you know, this is what
makes you who you are.
SPEAKER_00 (18:03):
Uh Ray, I gotta tell you, it's not my store, it's
it's our store.
And like I said at the opening,it takes a village to do this.
It's more than one walk of lifethat is got us to where we're at
here, and with the rollout thatwe are going to be experiencing
(18:24):
over the next three to fiveyears.
We have the real estate, we havethe construction know-how, we
have the restaurant expertise,the gas and oil expertise.
So it really is not one partyhere, it's a group of people, or
as I mentioned to you up front,we're just a bunch of old ducks
(18:46):
that are experienced.
And we first of all know what wewant and what we would want for
our own families.
And this is the kind of qualityfood and the kind of safety and
quality that we would want forourselves and our families.
So, why should our customers besecond fiddle?
(19:07):
So someone else can make moremoney?
I don't think so.
SPEAKER_01 (19:12):
Yeah, I can tell, man, it's it really makes up who
you are.
I mean, it's this is not justsomething you're doing for a
grand opening.
This is the way you like to dealwith people in general, and we
need a lot more of that today.
And like I said, you know, it'snot just you, but it's a team of
you and a village, and I'm surethat's the way it's been for
you, probably for most of yourlife, where you're able to be a
(19:32):
part of a great community andyou see that it actually works.
That's good.
SPEAKER_00 (19:36):
Well, I I can tell you, I personally take pride in
not being the smartest man inthe room here, that there are
people around me and around usthat are smarter.
And that's what it takes today.
Very smart, good people to toexecute uh anything successful,
(19:58):
it takes time.
There's no quick get rich, quickscheme here.
Those are all you know, shortthoughts, and people end up
going out of business ordisappointing a lot of
customers.
And you can only disappoint acustomer once, it's just that
simple.
SPEAKER_01 (20:16):
Yeah, and it's catching on.
Um, many people are turned offby the greedy corporations, and
they see them just steamrollingpeople and just to get the
money, and maybe people got togo to them for now, but they're
looking for solutions out thereto maybe just you know try to do
something else better.
I mean, uh, we got a lot of bigcompanies out there like Amazon,
(20:37):
and and people just, you know,it is convenient, but we still
love the local stores, the localpeople that provide those
services, those smallindependent companies.
We hope that that doesn't goaway.
And what you're bringing isgoing to be huge.
I mean, what's the future looklike for what's your vision?
You guys have any plans for anymore travel centers?
SPEAKER_00 (20:59):
Well, right now we have about 19 more locations
that we're dealing with thecommunities, just as we dealt in
this community, these twocommunities, to welcome us.
They now can touch us, see us,taste us.
And the the it's not the samestruggle of telling you we have
(21:20):
a dream.
The fact is, you now canexperience the dream yourself.
And we don't sound like a bunchof used car salesmen telling you
how good the food's gonna be.
All you have to do is taste it,and you'll know yourself whether
it's a quality product.
People today are smart, theyknow the difference between a
(21:43):
pig and a poke.
They put up with a lot of thingsbecause there aren't many
options.
I could tell you anybody canduplicate this.
It isn't hard.
Just you're gonna have to looklong, not short, and you're
gonna have to offer a lot ofquality because the cousin the
consumer today is demanding it,wants it, thirsts for it.
SPEAKER_01 (22:10):
Nice.
Yeah, I like that.
I mean, I'm really glad you cameon the show to me.
That's why the podcast uh that Ido what I do is you know, it's
not just for me, it's uhindividuals that make it all
possible.
Um, you're you're delivering.
That success, you're deliveringthe experience, and also you're
changing the future.
So, yeah, like you said, notjust yourself, but your team,
(22:30):
please keep it up, encourageeach other to keep going, keep
pushing forward.
That this is not for nothing,that this is gonna be great for
the community.
Like you said, I mean, you got19 more locations you're working
with.
And just imagine when all thatenergy is uh out there in the
Chicago area, uh, that's gonnareally help things out a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Well, we're also going to be hiring hundreds of
people and offering unbelievableopportunities, financial
opportunities for management,like any small business offers
people that uh you can't workwithout a team.
You can't work without a crew.
And like I said, we've got a lotof a lot of growth potential.
(23:14):
We're looking for the smartestof the smartest.
That's all.
We don't want to work withanybody as smart as us.
We want to work with peoplesmarter than us, and they're out
there.
What are they missing?
Opportunity.
That's all.
We're offering opportunity.
That's what we're bringing tothe table.
(23:34):
We want smart people to comeback to us just as we want a
very smart and educated consumerwho knows what they want.
We want that woman to feelsafety when she gets off her
rig, and she knows she's notgoing to be bothered.
And there are people around herthat will make sure that she's
(23:56):
safe, the rig is safe, and she'ssafe.
As simple as that sounds, it'sdifficult sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (24:04):
Really nice.
Create that safe environment.
Thank you.
Yeah, especially for women intrucking.
It's a huge you know,individuals that need to take
care of their families that wantto go to work feeling unsafe,
and you're providing that.
So um that's a huge area toimprove in.
Thank you.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:22):
Well, Ray, it's been a pleasure talking to you today.
SPEAKER_01 (24:25):
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
So just kind of wrap things up.
What do you want to give or uhto let people know?
What would you take a moment toput out put out there for
truckers and those listeningright now that this travel
center, what you guys are tryingto do is going to make changes,
what they can anticipate for thefuture.
Uh, what would you put out therefor them as a message for them
(24:46):
to listen to right now?
SPEAKER_00 (24:48):
We're looking for your business.
We're hoping to give you thesafety, the dignity, and the
quality that you've been lookingfor.
We work very hard and we arevery focused on the customer
experience.
Sometimes you're not going tomake everybody happy, but it's a
numbers game.
If a thousand people say, MyGod, this is amazing, and one or
(25:12):
two people say something'swrong, you gotta go with the
number.
But we will take those one ortwo people and try to turn them
into believers of our duckcommunity here.
So it's all duck nation here.
We're gonna we've got a lot morebuilding to do in Illinois
(25:32):
before we go to other states, sothat as you're passing through
the state of Illinois, you'llknow you'll have a lot of
options and a lot of quality ifyou want to give us the honor of
letting us take care of you.
SPEAKER_01 (25:46):
Yeah, you're you're doing a great job with it.
I mean, that location too isgonna help out so many truck
drivers.
I mean, you're right across thestreet from the catch facility,
one of the largest distributioncenters in the world.
So you're helping out just UPSand this and it's also
environment right there.
So a lot of drivers come throughthere, and you're gonna be able
to be there and help them outwhen in their time of need, when
they need something.
(26:06):
So thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:08):
Well, we thank you, Ray, and thank you for giving us
an opportunity to let yourlisteners understand that there
are more options out there thanthey think.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (26:21):
Yeah, and Johnny, you're one of them.
I really appreciate you comingon and sharing this with us.
Uh, it's refreshing to havesomeone out there like yourself
and your team to build somethingthat truly is respected and for
drivers to take time and feelcomfortable there and the
quality of life on the road.
I mean, those hot dogs and thoseburgers, ice cream, coffee,
great showers, great place tojust lay back and relax.
(26:43):
I mean, your staff, you know,every time I come in there,
they're happy, very welcoming,great hospitality.
So keep it up, keep up the goodwork, man, all the way down to
the toilet paper.
SPEAKER_00 (26:54):
Thank you very much.
I mean, uh, Ray, there aren'tmany people who will take pride
in being America's number onebathroom to go number two.
SPEAKER_01 (27:08):
There we go.
That's the stuff right there.
Yeah, for sure.
So, yeah, keep that up.
Yeah, that's that's awesome,man.
That's something that'll stickin your mind for sure.
That you know, to be number onein America for something that's
always gonna be number two.
So, yeah, yeah.
So, as always, you know, thankyou guys for listening in.
And if you like what you hear,like what you see out there, go
(27:29):
to duckstoptravelcenter.com.
That's gonna be the best placeto see what's going on here.
I'm gonna get a uh sneak peekbefore you step into the store
and and wait and you know, uh,and get that anticipation up.
Hey, look forward to this.
Anything new that's coming inthe Chicago area, Illinois, uh,
it's gonna be great.
So thank you so much for beingon the show.
(27:49):
And also please don't forget tosubscribe, like, and also tell
someone else about theexperience when you go to the
store.
Share that with them how the theduck stop is helping improve the
life out there on the road.
So until next time, keep ontrucking, and that's delivered.
Welcome back to another episode of That's
Delivered.
I'm your host, Truck and Ray.
And today's episode is one I'mreally excited about.
It's about something thatactually improves life on the
road for drivers.
I recently had the chance tomeet with a person that I think
is doing a great job with that.
He's going to be on the podcastwith us.
And he also got a chance to giveme a tour of his facility.
(00:24):
And we got I got to go throughit in person.
And I knew he had a great storefor many people to be able to
enjoy.
And that's why I wanted him tocome on the show and talk about
it today for truck drivers andalso for passenger cars as well
to enjoy.
So this place is going to dothings I know for not just
today, but for the future andbeyond.
(00:46):
And I think the food is isbeyond standards for a truck
stop.
Is going to be one you're goingto want to put on your list.
And uh the kind of innovationthat drivers have been asking
for for some time.
Um, I wanted to welcome to theshow Johnny with uh Duck Stop
Travel Center.
Thanks for waiting backstage tobe on the show.
(01:07):
Wanted to give you an intro.
I wanted to make sure peopleknew about what you guys are
doing over there at the duckstop.
I mean, man, tell us about it.
How did you get started with allthis?
I mean, it's a huge process toget a store up and going for
truckers out there.
Uh, why don't you tell thelisteners how you got it all
started?
SPEAKER_00 (01:23):
Well, first, Ray, I have to tell you it it takes a
village, and we're a bunch ofbunch of old ducks that got
together here, and we've usedall of our experiences from a
lot of different paths to try toput something like this together
that tries to meet the totalneeds of the trucker.
(01:48):
And I hate to say this, but wewe had a go old school.
A lot of us we grew up and wewere really pretty privileged to
be able to eat in goodrestaurants, and a lot of us
growing up also found ourselveseating at truck stops when we
(02:10):
were very young.
I remember asking my dad many,many years ago, dad, why are we
eating in a truck stop?
He said, he said, son, you wantthe best food, you go to a truck
stop because they know whatthey're doing.
Now, things have changed, andthe big company, big companies,
(02:32):
they want to take over and kindof tell us how we want it and
how we should eat it.
And unfortunately, they've takenaway that home-style quality
product that that somebody willcook and actually take pride in
serving.
It's not some institutionalcompany that just will sell the
(02:57):
same food to 5,000 of therestaurants thinking it's gonna
be a different result.
So we brought back old schooltype kitchen, maybe a little bit
more technologically advanced,obviously larger.
In the case of our duck stoptravel center in Hodgkins, we
(03:18):
have a seven-figure kitchenbecause there's some of us here,
it and it takes a team.
There's no I in team, you knowthat.
And there is one of our membersran a very successful.
It's I hate to call it a quickservice, but it was a quick
(03:39):
service restaurant that was ahigh-quality operation.
He was the number two guy for 32years, and he's now seen his
company, it was sold, and nowthey are able to make more money
by changing the products andmaking them cheaper.
(04:01):
Instead of being bringingsomething of higher quality,
they bring something in that's alittle cheaper.
Long story short, the the thethesis behind what we believe
will be our success here isnumber one, quality, the quality
of the whole operation.
We have 14 private suites,private bathrooms on the first
(04:24):
floor for all the truckers, sothat they can go to the
bathroom.
Like anybody else has to go tothe bathroom with dignity, with
honor, and respect.
We feature Charmin home toiletpaper, not that professional
stuff, though stuff people paythe top dollar for at their own
(04:44):
home, so that you can feel athome when you're at our facility
here.
Our second level has 14, excuseme, 12, 12 individual showers
and two private bathrooms, and avery spacious trucker's lounge
where they can relax, enjoy, sitback, plush booths, a lot of
(05:09):
room, no one's on top of eachother.
And you throw that in with alaundromat and an opportunity
for the truckers to be picked upwhile they're either dropping or
picking up a load to do laundry,relax, eat, just take a couple
minutes outside the tractor in avery clean, spacious operation.
SPEAKER_01 (05:34):
That's pretty amazing.
The spacious bathrooms with theshowers, you show those to me,
and then you said that they canhave their their headset tied
into the TV.
I mean, that's you can't well.
SPEAKER_00 (05:45):
You might want to read a book, you might be doing
your paperwork.
You don't need somebody blastingRambo on one side and some real
sad news on the other.
So you want to listen, put onyour ear pods, listen to
whatever program you'reinterested in while somebody
else can relax and just take adeep breath and enjoy their
(06:06):
food, or just enjoy the a fewminutes of peace that we're
we're all desperate to findevery day, right?
SPEAKER_01 (06:15):
Yeah, you talked about how you want to bring the
dignity back and help the truckdriver to feel right at home.
unknown (06:22):
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (06:22):
Well, we're we're we're trying to do that.
We have, like I said, the luxuryof a a brand new operation, and
the only way you keep it brandnew is to polish it and keep it
clean literally 24 hours a day,or it'll get behind you.
Unfortunately, someone wants todo something to kind of ruin it
(06:44):
for everybody else, but you knowwhat?
We get past the graffiti, we fixit.
They want to do something else,we get rid of it, and we give
people back what they want is uhrespect and uh safety and
security.
SPEAKER_01 (07:00):
Absolutely.
Hey, I think you guys are doinga great job with that.
I mean, the amenities there arejust amazing, and the food to
add to that.
I mean, the food you got coffee.
I mean, wow, I mean, uh, youblew me away with the sandwich
you gave me.
Uh it was uh I think it was aburger.
SPEAKER_00 (07:18):
Our burger is six dollars and seventy-five cents.
It's exceptional.
We're about to now that we'vebeen working on our deliverable
times so that someone can canget their order very quickly and
get what they've ordered.
That's a big deal.
We're about to start advertisingand we're going to roll out with
(07:40):
a first bite guarantee.
If it's not extraordinary, youcan give it back to us.
If it's just another productthat you find from that same
institutional supplier who sellsto everybody, so if it tastes
bad at one place, it's gonnataste bad everywhere.
It's the same food.
So we take pride in sourcingdifferent items.
(08:04):
Our coffee is Lavatsa.
You've got a same family that'sbeen brewing, and we are buying
a branded coffee just the way wesell that branded synergy mobile
gasoline that a lot of thetruckers know when you're in a
pinch and it's cold and thatthing doesn't want to turn over,
(08:26):
or you are trying to preventsome long-term maintenance
issues, that fuel is better foryou, and that fuel costs more.
Top tier.
We got top tier, top tiersynergy fuel, exactly.
And whether it's fuel or lavattacoffee, our ice cream that we
(08:47):
serve, soft serve, is a 10%butter fat, and we took out the
air.
SPEAKER_01 (08:51):
Oh, the ice cream, the ice cream, that's right,
right.
That was delicious.
Tell us about that.
How did you come up with that?
SPEAKER_00 (08:58):
Well, I uh I actually I contributed to the to
the ice cream, but I befriendeda third generation custard maker
and out of out of Milwaukee,Wisconsin area.
His name was Ron.
And he, after many years offriendship, said, Listen, if
(09:20):
you're gonna do something, youbetter do it right.
And he gave us the recipe, andthe actual supplier who makes
this specification to his actualrecipe.
So we have a top-tier product,we're selling 10 ounces for
$4.99, a Sunday for like$5.49,and a Sunday with chunks of
(09:45):
brownies in it for$5.99.
I mean, you can't get a shake atany competitor today for that
type of price.
So whether it's the beef or theburger at$675, our French fries
are cooked in beef tallow.
They travel well, truckers move.
(10:06):
They're just not gonna grab thefries and stick them in their
mouth.
They're gonna get back in therig and they're gonna move
somewhere, or we're gonna haveto deliver to them whether at
the yard, and they have to behot.
So that's a special fry cookedin beef tallow in order to give
back the taste that's been lostwith all these oils and the same
(10:28):
oils that kind of give us all alittle heartburn or stomach
issues.
SPEAKER_01 (10:36):
Yeah, that beef tallow is a new thing that
people are trying to bring backas well.
That was taken away and kind ofcheapened the way the food was
made.
Now it's bringing that qualityback, it's gonna be amazing for
a lot of people, not just fortheir uh digestion, but also for
the taste.
No question about it.
SPEAKER_00 (10:54):
We our matrix is simple.
We bring in a better qualityproduct, we think we're gonna do
more business, we pay more, butwe make it up in volume.
So we're not looking to sell 50sandwiches, we're looking to
sell 250 sandwiches, we're notlooking to sell 30, 40 cones a
day, we're looking to do acouple hundred.
(11:16):
We're on the ramp of exit 22 on294.
We are the new Hodgkins Oasis.
We, in fact, purchased 50% ofthe ramp coming off from the
north in order to facilitate ourcustomers for a drive-thru for
(11:36):
drive-through lanes.
We have three lanes, two todaythat a customer waits in, and
one that they escape.
And we have enough room thatwe've already engineered three
more lanes.
So three is unheard of, six isjust out of the just you know,
out of the park.
(11:57):
No question about it.
SPEAKER_01 (12:00):
Yeah, you you guys are changing the game for sure.
I mean, raising the bar, greatcompetition to for the free
market to see that, you know,like you said, if if it's just
the run of a meal burger, uh,then everybody's gonna have
that.
But if you raise that bar, thenthey'll see the difference.
So great job doing that.
Yeah, did you talk to driversout there that for the planning
for all this?
(12:20):
I mean, how did you guys knowthat this was needed?
SPEAKER_00 (12:23):
Well, long before we we found our first site, we had
to find and try to find ourfirst customer, and that was the
American driver who's out theretaking his life in his own hands
every day with all these crazypeople out there.
And we went to diners, we wentto truck stops, we went rig to
(12:44):
rig sometimes, just askingquestions and taking back the
feedback from the trucker whowanted something safe, more than
anything else, wanted somethingclean and something of quality.
So if we can't really explainthe business model and what has
(13:07):
made us successful so far inless than a minute, it's just
too complicated to understand,right?
It's simple.
Convenience, quality, products,no matter from the fuel to the
coffee to the meats, etc., thecheese that we use, our our
cheddar cheese melts.
(13:28):
It sweats.
It's not something they couldtake a bolt torch to, and it's
still sitting there in the samemanner before you try to melt
it.
And that's unfortunately thischeap food that everybody wants
to sell, that they think shortterm they're going to make more
money, and then they just go outof business because people are
(13:49):
not interested.
So, and the big deal is thecleanliness.
Uh, doing what we're doing withthe uh Sherman toilet paper and
the cleanliness makes a lot ofdifference.
We got people their jaws drop,not only when they walk in the
door, but especially when theywalk out of our private
bathrooms.
(14:10):
So you're not washing hands nextto anybody, you're not going to
do your business with anybody.
We have special lights so thatyou're not even disturbed when
you're in there.
There's a red light above thedoor, a green when it's open, a
red light when it's occupied.
So no one is even disturbing youwhen you're just trying to have
(14:32):
a moment of peace.
SPEAKER_01 (14:59):
Wow.
Yeah, that's I mean, yourbathrooms are amazing,
immaculately clean, and youdon't have to worry about oh, I
gotta go in and clean up aftersomebody.
You got a great staff that justtakes care of that.
I mean, that I I mean, everytime I go in there, I feel good.
So, anybody out there lookingfor a clean bathroom, this is
the place to go, you know.
The uh the Duck Stop TravelCenter.
(15:21):
You can even go on your website,kind of take a look at what's
going on about with thosebathrooms.
If you haven't been there, Imean you can see the fries, your
website is beautiful.
Got the hot dogs, you got thecoffee.
Let's talk about the liquor alittle bit too, man.
You even got a top shelf liquorset up, don't you?
SPEAKER_00 (15:36):
Well, we've got a a liquor banner type up type of
operation, and we have been veryfortunate.
We've been dealing, we actuallythis travel center is in two
towns.
We're our building is inHatchkins and the trucking
facilities are in countryside.
So we took two towns, put a dealtogether, and we have been able
(16:00):
to uh secure the licenses toeven sell liquor through our
drive-thru windows and under thepumps.
So, again, it's maximumconvenience, a real cheap price.
Our Tito's today is$18.99.
Everybody down the street isright around$21,$24.
(16:23):
So we're again low margin, highvolume, and that's how you make
it up.
It's just that simple.
SPEAKER_01 (16:30):
That's amazing.
SPEAKER_00 (16:31):
Tomorrow morning at 5 a.m., we're rolling out with a
breakfast sandwich, six dollarsand seventy-five cents, two
cage-free brown organic eggs.
We're talking the wagyoo of egg.
These these bad boys cost twiceas much as any egg out there.
(16:52):
And why are we paying twice asmuch?
Because it's probably four timesas good.
Not twice as good, probably fourtimes as good for you.
And it tastes good.
That's right.
With cheddar cheese on either aciabata or a bagel or a gigantic
croissant finished with either apork belly that we caramelize,
(17:16):
ham off the bone, or chickensausage, turkey sausage.
And then we're going to be uhalso rolling out shortly with a
steak sandwich and steak andeggs in the morning for
breakfast.
That steak sandwich will beunder ten dollars, and it's real
steak, not horse meat.
SPEAKER_01 (17:42):
That's amazing.
I love it.
I mean, you got a great sense ofhumor and you got a great lease
on life.
I think you're doing a reallygreat job.
I mean, how did you come aboutto be the great guy that you are
today?
I mean, many people don't knowabout all the things going on
behind your store, but just giveus a little piece about yourself
that people you can share thatsay, hey, you know, this is what
makes you who you are.
SPEAKER_00 (18:03):
Uh Ray, I gotta tell you, it's not my store, it's
it's our store.
And like I said at the opening,it takes a village to do this.
It's more than one walk of lifethat is got us to where we're at
here, and with the rollout thatwe are going to be experiencing
(18:24):
over the next three to fiveyears.
We have the real estate, we havethe construction know-how, we
have the restaurant expertise,the gas and oil expertise.
So it really is not one partyhere, it's a group of people, or
as I mentioned to you up front,we're just a bunch of old ducks
(18:46):
that are experienced.
And we first of all know what wewant and what we would want for
our own families.
And this is the kind of qualityfood and the kind of safety and
quality that we would want forourselves and our families.
So, why should our customers besecond fiddle?
(19:07):
So someone else can make moremoney?
I don't think so.
SPEAKER_01 (19:12):
Yeah, I can tell, man, it's it really makes up who
you are.
I mean, it's this is not justsomething you're doing for a
grand opening.
This is the way you like to dealwith people in general, and we
need a lot more of that today.
And like I said, you know, it'snot just you, but it's a team of
you and a village, and I'm surethat's the way it's been for
you, probably for most of yourlife, where you're able to be a
(19:32):
part of a great community andyou see that it actually works.
That's good.
SPEAKER_00 (19:36):
Well, I I can tell you, I personally take pride in
not being the smartest man inthe room here, that there are
people around me and around usthat are smarter.
And that's what it takes today.
Very smart, good people to toexecute uh anything successful,
(19:58):
it takes time.
There's no quick get rich, quickscheme here.
Those are all you know, shortthoughts, and people end up
going out of business ordisappointing a lot of
customers.
And you can only disappoint acustomer once, it's just that
simple.
SPEAKER_01 (20:16):
Yeah, and it's catching on.
Um, many people are turned offby the greedy corporations, and
they see them just steamrollingpeople and just to get the
money, and maybe people got togo to them for now, but they're
looking for solutions out thereto maybe just you know try to do
something else better.
I mean, uh, we got a lot of bigcompanies out there like Amazon,
(20:37):
and and people just, you know,it is convenient, but we still
love the local stores, the localpeople that provide those
services, those smallindependent companies.
We hope that that doesn't goaway.
And what you're bringing isgoing to be huge.
I mean, what's the future looklike for what's your vision?
You guys have any plans for anymore travel centers?
SPEAKER_00 (20:59):
Well, right now we have about 19 more locations
that we're dealing with thecommunities, just as we dealt in
this community, these twocommunities, to welcome us.
They now can touch us, see us,taste us.
And the the it's not the samestruggle of telling you we have
(21:20):
a dream.
The fact is, you now canexperience the dream yourself.
And we don't sound like a bunchof used car salesmen telling you
how good the food's gonna be.
All you have to do is taste it,and you'll know yourself whether
it's a quality product.
People today are smart, theyknow the difference between a
(21:43):
pig and a poke.
They put up with a lot of thingsbecause there aren't many
options.
I could tell you anybody canduplicate this.
It isn't hard.
Just you're gonna have to looklong, not short, and you're
gonna have to offer a lot ofquality because the cousin the
consumer today is demanding it,wants it, thirsts for it.
SPEAKER_01 (22:10):
Nice.
Yeah, I like that.
I mean, I'm really glad you cameon the show to me.
That's why the podcast uh that Ido what I do is you know, it's
not just for me, it's uhindividuals that make it all
possible.
Um, you're you're delivering.
That success, you're deliveringthe experience, and also you're
changing the future.
So, yeah, like you said, notjust yourself, but your team,
(22:30):
please keep it up, encourageeach other to keep going, keep
pushing forward.
That this is not for nothing,that this is gonna be great for
the community.
Like you said, I mean, you got19 more locations you're working
with.
And just imagine when all thatenergy is uh out there in the
Chicago area, uh, that's gonnareally help things out a lot.
SPEAKER_00 (22:49):
Well, we're also going to be hiring hundreds of
people and offering unbelievableopportunities, financial
opportunities for management,like any small business offers
people that uh you can't workwithout a team.
You can't work without a crew.
And like I said, we've got a lotof a lot of growth potential.
(23:14):
We're looking for the smartestof the smartest.
That's all.
We don't want to work withanybody as smart as us.
We want to work with peoplesmarter than us, and they're out
there.
What are they missing?
Opportunity.
That's all.
We're offering opportunity.
That's what we're bringing tothe table.
(23:34):
We want smart people to comeback to us just as we want a
very smart and educated consumerwho knows what they want.
We want that woman to feelsafety when she gets off her
rig, and she knows she's notgoing to be bothered.
And there are people around herthat will make sure that she's
(23:56):
safe, the rig is safe, and she'ssafe.
As simple as that sounds, it'sdifficult sometimes.
SPEAKER_01 (24:04):
Really nice.
Create that safe environment.
Thank you.
Yeah, especially for women intrucking.
It's a huge you know,individuals that need to take
care of their families that wantto go to work feeling unsafe,
and you're providing that.
So um that's a huge area toimprove in.
Thank you.
Yeah.
SPEAKER_00 (24:22):
Well, Ray, it's been a pleasure talking to you today.
SPEAKER_01 (24:25):
Yeah.
Uh-huh.
So just kind of wrap things up.
What do you want to give or uhto let people know?
What would you take a moment toput out put out there for
truckers and those listeningright now that this travel
center, what you guys are tryingto do is going to make changes,
what they can anticipate for thefuture.
Uh, what would you put out therefor them as a message for them
(24:46):
to listen to right now?
SPEAKER_00 (24:48):
We're looking for your business.
We're hoping to give you thesafety, the dignity, and the
quality that you've been lookingfor.
We work very hard and we arevery focused on the customer
experience.
Sometimes you're not going tomake everybody happy, but it's a
numbers game.
If a thousand people say, MyGod, this is amazing, and one or
(25:12):
two people say something'swrong, you gotta go with the
number.
But we will take those one ortwo people and try to turn them
into believers of our duckcommunity here.
So it's all duck nation here.
We're gonna we've got a lot morebuilding to do in Illinois
(25:32):
before we go to other states, sothat as you're passing through
the state of Illinois, you'llknow you'll have a lot of
options and a lot of quality ifyou want to give us the honor of
letting us take care of you.
SPEAKER_01 (25:46):
Yeah, you're you're doing a great job with it.
I mean, that location too isgonna help out so many truck
drivers.
I mean, you're right across thestreet from the catch facility,
one of the largest distributioncenters in the world.
So you're helping out just UPSand this and it's also
environment right there.
So a lot of drivers come throughthere, and you're gonna be able
to be there and help them outwhen in their time of need, when
they need something.
(26:06):
So thank you.
SPEAKER_00 (26:08):
Well, we thank you, Ray, and thank you for giving us
an opportunity to let yourlisteners understand that there
are more options out there thanthey think.
Exactly.
SPEAKER_01 (26:21):
Yeah, and Johnny, you're one of them.
I really appreciate you comingon and sharing this with us.
Uh, it's refreshing to havesomeone out there like yourself
and your team to build somethingthat truly is respected and for
drivers to take time and feelcomfortable there and the
quality of life on the road.
I mean, those hot dogs and thoseburgers, ice cream, coffee,
great showers, great place tojust lay back and relax.
(26:43):
I mean, your staff, you know,every time I come in there,
they're happy, very welcoming,great hospitality.
So keep it up, keep up the goodwork, man, all the way down to
the toilet paper.
SPEAKER_00 (26:54):
Thank you very much.
I mean, uh, Ray, there aren'tmany people who will take pride
in being America's number onebathroom to go number two.
SPEAKER_01 (27:08):
There we go.
That's the stuff right there.
Yeah, for sure.
So, yeah, keep that up.
Yeah, that's that's awesome,man.
That's something that'll stickin your mind for sure.
That you know, to be number onein America for something that's
always gonna be number two.
So, yeah, yeah.
So, as always, you know, thankyou guys for listening in.
And if you like what you hear,like what you see out there, go
(27:29):
to duckstoptravelcenter.com.
That's gonna be the best placeto see what's going on here.
I'm gonna get a uh sneak peekbefore you step into the store
and and wait and you know, uh,and get that anticipation up.
Hey, look forward to this.
Anything new that's coming inthe Chicago area, Illinois, uh,
it's gonna be great.
So thank you so much for beingon the show.
(27:49):
And also please don't forget tosubscribe, like, and also tell
someone else about theexperience when you go to the
store.
Share that with them how the theduck stop is helping improve the
life out there on the road.
So until next time, keep ontrucking, and that's delivered.
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