I love gas station food. It’s my, not so, secret obsession. I love the convenience of convenience stores. I love that a majority of the major ones have apps that help you save money. I love the judgment free nature of the staff. I love gas station coffee and styrofoam- cup soda. I love gas stations.
I put my love to the test last week when I visited three of the top gas station convenience stores in the Chesterfield area. Each one is vastly different. I don’t care at all about the gas prices and honestly, it did not influence any of my decisions, mostly because I’m spoiled and my parents pay for my gas. My review is purely based on the atmosphere and food of these stores.
Our first stop was Quik Trip. This was a bit of a drive for m

y partner in crime, Anthony Zuanich, and me because it was located about 15 minutes away, by Hooters. This was a quite large QT but I have never actually seen a small one. QT is known for bringing customers fresh, hot and quick meals because you actually order your food from a kiosk. When we went there were a ton of people and too many options. This did not help my lack of decision making skills. Also I was panicking at this time because both Anthony and I forgot our debit cards at home. I rarely carry cash, because I spend way too much, so I was stuck buying everything with the emergency money I keep in my car.
First thing I tried was the frozen coffee drinks. If you enjoy real, black, true coffee, you probably won’t like this. They have a few options but all taste over processed and extremely sweet. The drinks tasted good with the first few sips but got sickly sweetening so fast. Props to QT though, this was a really cool option for Starbucks lovers on the go. They also had options for about 15 different kinds of hot coffee and milkshakes. The coolest thing we found was the smoothies. They offer real fruit smoothies which is great for people who are on the go but still trying to remain healthy. Most “healthy” gas station food is full of preservatives and sugar, and I’m not really sure if QT was any different. My favorite flavor by far was the Berry Blast. All of the other ones tasted fake and too sweet for my liking.
I have a love for Diet Coke, which I get made fun of by my friends about on a daily basis. I think soda tastes best coming in a glass bottle or a 42 oz styrofoam cup. Its an unpopular opinion, and Michelle Obama might not be proud, but it is what makes me happy.
The variety of meats was incredible. They had those classic rolling hot dog heaters set up throughout the store, showing off deep fried sausages, breaded various meats, or everyones favorite, a hot dog drooling with oil. Anthony, my official meat eater, had one of the tamales that had chipotle seasoning and really enjoyed it.
QT’s famous pizza was not passed. I had a nice slice of cheese but they also had options for breakfast pizza and a ton of other toppings. I surprisingly enjoyed it. It wasn’t overly oily or overly dry. If I was in a rush that would definitely be a viable option for dinner. I don’t know if it was good enough to order a full pizza, which they do offer, but an on the go dinner would be perfect.
Lastly I tried out the kiosk freshly made food. I ordered a grilled cheese with tomatoes and salsa. This took about 3 minutes for them to make which didn’t seem like long to me. The cheese wasn’t very melty and the bread was soggy, but I guess that comes with the territory of buying a gas station grilled cheese.
My biggest complaint about QT was the lack of vegetarian options. If I wanted to eat there I would be limited to random packaged fruit, cheese pizza or a grilled cheese. That should not be up to standards, but sadly that is a lot better than a majority of the other gas stations out there.
Working our way down the list, next stop was my pride and joy, Mobil On the Run. This is so dear to my heart because of their app. Everyone that I meet hears about this app at least twice. So basically on this app, you play games for chances to win free $15 car washes, free soda and free iced and regular coffee. They also send you promotional deals. I go to on the run to get something free at least once a week. This is not a promo, I just have a true love for what they do.
Mobil let me down. They are nothing compared to QT but are closer to school and have free things. This is a mostly St. Louis company and it is pretty obvious when looking at their options. We had the options of getting weird snacks, cheese cubes, reheated pizza, hot dogs or school level nachos. Anthony tried out the pepperoni pizza and found it in a pool of grease. He said it wasn’t as good as QT, but no one, aka me, was surprised.
Free food is the only real plus over QT. I would almost rather drive the further distance to get enjoyable food, even though it would cost more. The On the Run closest to our school is really small compared to most others, so that left On the Run at a total disadvantage. We will add a few more points to On the Run to level out the playing field.
Lastly we have 7-Eleven. I hate 7-Eleven. The only thing they are good for is slurpees, which both On the Run and QT have versions of, and how close it is to school. 7-Eleven is not a gas station convenience store, but a olden times general store. They sell frozen pizzas and eggs. They do have a warming drawer for their buns, but I wouldn’t touch any of their premade food with a 10-foot pole. I got some weird cookies, which I promptly took one bite of and then gave the rest to Jenna Boonshaft after I got back to school. She enjoyed them far more than I did because she has more of a sweet tooth.
I don’t have much to say about 7-Eleven, because I have the strong belief that it’s common knowledge that 7-Eleven sucks. I do really like the people that work there. Sometimes during the summer they give me free slurpees which is very kind.
The closer gas stations get to school, the worse they are. QT is the holy grail of gas station food, On the Run is the dad who is trying to buy your love with free sodas, and 7-Eleven is the drunk uncle who is famous for their one party trick.
Yes, I do have too many opinions on gas stations but they are all backed up by facts, no fake news here.

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