I have had quite a mix of reactions when I try to put in meal requests at different restaurants (mostly truck stops). I have decided that I was going to start a list of those truck stops that stick out...both favorably....and miserably. These articles are based solely on my personal opinion and experiences during my visits at these dining establishments.

If I am able to order foods that fit my diet plan and the staff goes out of there way to prepare my food in the manner I request and at a fair price, then I will give them......FORKS UP!!

On the other hand, if the dining establishment fails miserably in the preparation of the food, the food choices available, or is abusive with their pricing, then I will give them .....FORKS DOWN!!

This is designed to help truckers find the best dining experience and staff to better enhance their desire to change their eating habits and improve their health. It is important for you to visit these places and make sure to mention to them that you read this article on this blog. It will encourage them to continue to offer favorable options and variety at a FAIR price to those truckers making the earnest effort to change for the better. Also, those restaurants that fail my test will know that they have been called to the mat for their apparent failure to meet the needs of the nutritious diner and the healthy trucker.

So, a resounding FORKS UP to the Petro in Bordentown, New Jersey. On my three day stay there, I ordered 5 meals from the restaurant. Every meal was prepared EXACTLY as I ordered it and all my meals were absolutely delicious. Further, at several of the meals, when I ordered the buffet, the manager came out and went over the foods with me to point out which foods I needed to avoid (as a diabetic) and which foods were okay for me. The manager answered all my questions about the ingredients and there were plenty of nutritious options for me to choose from. Further, this Petro was very sensitive in ensuring that I was priced correctly and fairly for the foods I consumed. Every person involved with my meals, from the cook to the manager, was diligent and gracious about meeting my needs. THANK YOU, Petro of Bordentown, New Jersey.

Another FORKS UP goes to the Diner at the Pride Truck Stop in Chicopee, Massachusetts. My order was delivered as ordered and without a pricey bill. Their salad bar here is fresh and there is a wide variety of vegetables to choose from. The bar is kept very clean and the vegetables are crisp and cold. But, most importantly, the lettuce was actually green. I was able to make the right substitutions without adding cost to my meal and the portion sizes were just right. THANKS goes out to the Diner at the Pride Truck Stop at Chicopee, Mass.

An overwhelming FORKS DOWN to the TA in Maybrook, New York. I think the owners of this facility should be ashamed. Bill ordered a breakfast meal and asked to have his home fries and one slice of bread substituted with cottage cheese and tomato slices. He was told that they were out of cottage cheese and they wanted to charge him for the tomato slices because (we were told) they were not a substitute for home fries. When asked what the options were, we were told home fries could be substituted for french fries, hash browns, mashed potatoes....are you getting the picture? One poor nutritional choice could only be substituted for another poor nutritional choice. Ordering my meal was even worse. Even though I was getting less than half my meal, I couldn't even get the steamed vegetable exchanged for a small side salad without paying an additional .99 cents. Huh?!?  I am getting less than half the food in the meal, but I have to pay extra for a side salad in place of a cooked vegetable. Make any sense to anyone else?? Eventually, I gave up and went out to the truck, got my own food, prepared it in the microwave in the store....and sat in the restaurant and ate it. SHAME ON YOU Truck Stops of America in Maybrook, New York.

FORKS UP goes to the TA in Gary, Indiana. Located at I-80/I-94, Exit 6, Burr Street, the staff here made sure that I got the best of their nutritional food options. Bill and I were joined here for dinner by Pam Whitfield and her husband to enjoy some good food and great company. We were able to get both. The waiter listened carefully to what I was ordering and checked the food to make sure it was correct before he brought it out. I opted for a piece of grilled chicken, shared half a baked potato with my husband, and had some steamed broccoli and a beautifully green and fresh side salad. My husband, on the other hand, opted for the not so nutritious and highly fat containing T-Bone steak. But, I crunched his fat calories for several days after that, so he hasn't done that since. Either way, the food was fantastic and this facility passed my test with flying colors. THANK YOU, Truck Stops of America in Gary, Indiana...... for helping me stick to my diet plan and become healthier.

It is important for all dining establishments involved with truck driver traffic to realize that there is a problem out there and that they own some of the responsibility for the problem. More and more today, truck drivers are getting bigger and bigger. On several occasion's, I witnessed truck drivers utilizing two chairs to park their one body. On another occasion, I watched a trucker make three attempts before he was able to pull his body up into the cab of his truck. All a truck stop restaurant, and management, has to do is open their eyes and see.

What they are seeing is their future. If they continue to refuse to offer a variety of foods, cooked in a nutritious manner, then they are essentially "killing" off their future profits. Yes, many people want that fat filled, great tasting, over-abundance of food. Let's face it, that kind of food "tastes" great. It was that kind of food that led to my obesity, diabetes, and poor health. While I had total control over what I placed inside of my mouth, these establishments hold a high level of culpability for their refusal to recognize the sheer lack of nutrition being served up by the heaping plateful. 

There are many truckers that prefer to choose healthy options and desire to make change in the way they look and feel through proper nutrition. Buffets offer very few meat or protein options that aren't covered in breading, deep fried, or floating in a barbecue sauce or gravy. Even choices like corn, green beans, and squash, are literally floating in grease and oil. These are prime examples of a nutritious offering of food that was destroyed in its' preparation. Many truck stop salad bars offer lettuce that is white and rusty and long past its ability to provide any nutrition. Then, besides the lettuce, there are few other raw vegetable options. Most salad bars give a dabble of fresh vegetables and a plethora of fat filled, high calorie, low nutrition toppings (like ham, cheese, olives, coleslaw, pasta salad, potato salad, to name a few).

Some truck stops try earnestly to do a better job at offering good nutritional food options and cater to specific dietary needs. I think these places should be commended for their efforts. In turn, other truck stops don't seem to care what they are feeding us and are "bothered" by the request of food to be prepared specially or reasonable exchanges to be offered without added cost. These places should be chastised for their lack of caring regarding our health.

So, to all those out there trying to do something about their health and diet, and finding little (or a lot of ) help from the places you eat......SPEAK OUT AND SAY SOMETHING!! You can comment this blog regarding places you eat and have favorable or unfavorable experiences. I will publish your responses weekly. Make sure to include the name of the establishment as well as it's location (city, state, exit number, etc...).   Good Eating!!

 

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