Love's Travel Stops has big plans for 2025, adding numerous new stores, remodeling many others, increasing the number of truck parking spaces available and upgrading its food offerings.
That was the message delivered by Love's President Shane Wharton when he met online with members of the media Wednesday, Jan. 22.
“This year, we’re excited to introduce new and updated locations, innovative food and drinks and continued improvement of the services and amenities we offer," said Wharton. "With our continued focus on the evolving needs of customers, we’re confident we’ll provide an even better experience across our network in 2025.”
In short, in 2025 Love's will:
- add 20 new stores and 19 new quick serve restaurants
- extensively remodel 50 older stores
- do a "raze and rebuild" of the EZ Go location it acquired in Stroud, Oklahoma
- create some 1,000 new truck parking spaces, which Wharton pointed out are free for truckers' use
- add 12 maintenance bays at its Truck Care and Speedco locations
- add six new roadside service trucks to its fleet
- build several new truck washes at existing locations
- have sales representatives for its TVC Pro-Driver CDL protection plan in all Love's locations
- continue to improve its food offerings in its Fresh Kitchen offerings through its newly created Culinary Innovation Center overseen by Greg Ekman, the company's first director of Fresh Kitchen strategy and growth
- continue to add to its offering of private label snacks and juice
New to the Love's stable of quick serve restaurants will be its first Whataburger outlet. The popular San Antonio, Texas based company offers hamburgers, chicken and breakfast sandwiches and salads.
Wharton said Love’s will continue to improve speed of service for customers with the addition of “order ahead” to the Love’s Connect app at several locations, including more than 100 Arby’s. Additionally, all quick service restaurants will continue to use technology to improve customer service. Wharton said computer monitors track key performance metrics in real-time including greet times, order processing and the time it takes for food handoff, reducing food delivery by 14 seconds on average last year.
This year, Love’s will also continue to add locations and amenities to cater to the needs of RV customers.
The company will add 83 hookups to 17 locations, surpassing the 100-location mark. Love’s established network of convenient, safe and dog-friendly locations makes it easy for customers needing somewhere to stay on the way to their destination. Unique to Love’s, customers can use the Love’s Connect app to reserve a space, check-in and turn on utilities.Love’s will also continue growing its network of EV charging stations through National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grants.
In 2024, the company was awarded $83 million for the construction of chargers in 13 states. This year, construction is expected to start on fast chargers at Love’s locations in eight states including Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
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Wharton said the company will increase veteran hiring by 10% in 2025 and launch a hiring program for military spouses.
