Where do you go when you don’t need fuel? Not to a gas or petrol station. You might be on the road and need to charge your Tesla; or you might be in the mood for a latte or a pizza, and could use the time to kill several birds with one stone. At the roadhouse.

For years now, but especially since the Great Pandemic, we’ve been making fewer stops at the local service station. Well, for fuel at any rate. And gas station owners have been relying on their convenience stores and other facilities to keep their businesses thriving. Like coffee shops, gourmet eateries, bank machines, and charging stations.

About the only thing common to a modern roadhouse and the petrol stations of yore is their proximity to the main road, and now there’s plenty of parking. Because they want you to stop, and shop, and eat, and get your things done. Like parcel pickup or returns, and laundry, and more. It’s a multifunctional, multifaceted service centre focused on you, the customer.

And you don’t even need a car to visit the roadhouse. You can uber there, no problem, or cycle. It’s a great place to take the kids when you need to get them out of the house, or to meet a friend. And if you do need to gas up your old car, there’s almost always a fuel pump available, though you might have to go around back to find it.

Yes, we all love the convenience of the roadhouse. Just don’t go showing your age by calling it a gas station!