Restaurant Review Petro North
Carolina
Kenly
This "Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly" is
a
review of the restaurant at the Petro Stopping Center in Kenly, NC,
USA, based upon our
own expectations of what a restaurant that caters to
professional truck drivers of commercial motor vehicles should be like
-- as well as our own preferences in foodstuffs.
This location was formerly a TA (TravelCenters of
America) facility.
It had been a long time since Mike had been there. He said that the
restaurant (which is now an Iron Skillet restaurant) was completely
redone since the last time he had visited..
Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
Date: 8/17/2010
Location: Petro Stopping
Center,
Kenly, NC, I-95, exit 106
Overall Facility: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
- The restaurant
had counter seating, booth seating and table seating. Most of
the tables were pushed together for large parties.
- The buffet looked very
modern and brand new.
- On this day, we had
dinner from the buffet.
- Diners may also order
from the
menu.
Pros: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
- There was plenty of just about
everything when we came through on the hot bar and soup and salad bar.
There were two or three varieties of breads, like rolls and corn
bread. We especially liked having real butter to spread on our
rolls.
- Our waitress, Christy, was
friendly, genuinely concerned about how our meals tasted, and engaging.
Except for one initial seemingly long wait for Mike's glass to be
refilled, we never again had a problem. In fact, some time after
refilling Mike's first glass, Christy brought a
second glass of water for both of us. She was not the only one to
attend to our table. Our empty dishes were whisked away quickly.
- When we placed our drink order,
Mike specifically requested that the
lemon be brought in a separate container (instead of in our drinks or
perched on the edge of the glasses). Our drinks and lemon arrived as
requested.
- Mike had fried
chicken; roast beef in gravy; kielbasa-style sausage with
green peppers and onions; collard greens; rice and gravy; and two rolls
on his first hot bar
trip. On his second trip, he got pork loin, more roast beef in
gravy, more of the sausage dish, and two rolls.
- Vicki had fried chicken,
roast beef in gravy, pork loin, pasta alfredo, mashed potatoes, green
beans and green peas from the
hot bar.
- The roast beef in gravy was
excellent. We noted especially how the gravy complimented the beef
instead of covering over it. Mike said that of all the entrees on the
hot bar, the roast beef was the best.
- We had never before seen pork
loin offered on a truck stop buffet. It was kept moist by a kitchen
worker who occasionally poured au jus or broth over it. It was
delicately flavored and not too salty, just the way it should be.
- Mike's salad had lettuce,
tomato wedges, cucumber slices, diced hard boiled egg, shredded cheddar
cheese, sunflower kernels, salad dressing and chow mein
noodles.
- Vicki's salad had lettuce,
tomato wedges, cucumber slices, carrot matchsticks, shredded
cheddar cheese, hard boiled egg, sunflower kernels and cottage cheese.
- There were two types of
dessert: banana cream pudding and a cakey
brownie. Both were absolutely delicious. Vicki told our waitress,
Christy, that that was the best banana cream pudding she had ever had
in a truck stop restaurant. Yum!
- While we were there, one of the
workers mopped part of the floor near us (which didn't even look like
it needed to be mopped). To us, this indicates the pride that the
workers take in their workplace.
Photos, Part 1: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
The plate on the left was what Mike got on his first trip to
the hot bar at the Petro Iron Skillet Restaurant in Kenly, NC.
The plate on the right had his salad.
Notice the real butter in the cup. This had been in a special crock to keep it cold.

The plate on the left had Vicki's salad and the plate on the
right
contained items from her first visit to the hot bar at the Petro Iron
Skillet Restaurant in Kenly, NC.

Photos, Part 2: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
This plate contained items Mike got on his second visit to the
hot bar
at the Petro Iron Skillet Restaurant in Kenly, NC.
While not seen, Vicki also visited the hot bar a second time,
getting
more roast beef and gravy and a roll.

Vicki made this photo a little larger so you can see the
detail of the
desserts Mike got: a cake-like brownie on top and banana cream pudding
on the bottom.
She had smaller portions of both.
This was the best
banana cream pudding we've ever had in a truckstop restaurant.
These
desserts were obtained at the Petro Iron Skillet Restaurant in
Kenly, NC.

Cons, Part 1: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
- Vicki wished that the hot pasta
dish had been macaroni and cheese instead of pasta alfredo.
- We think it should be standard
protocol for restaurants featuring fried chicken on their buffets to
automatically bring extra napkins instead of making customers ask for
them. Mike had to ask for them.
- Vicki noted that the green
beans and green peas needed a little seasoning. A dash of salt remedied
that situation. Mike noted that the fried chicken needed a little
seasoning, too, although he did not add salt to his meat.
- Although perhaps designed to
create ambience, it was a little dark in the restaurant. The light on
the wall at our table was blue.
Cons, Part 2: Restaurant Review Petro North Carolina Kenly
- The biggest negative of our
experience at this restaurant -- which we noticed other customers
having problems with, too -- was the angle or position of the
"sneezeguards" on the bars. It was extremely difficult for short-armed
customers like Vicki to reach the items farthest away from where they
stood to get their food. When Vicki reached for an item at the back of
the salad bar, the sneezeguard was literally at her throat, blocking
reaching any farther from a standing position. Vicki mentioned this to
Christy who said that she herself has trouble reaching items in the
back because of the sneezeguards. Supposedly, there is some kind of
rule that they have to follow about the angle, although Vicki noticed
that not all of the guards were at the same angle. There are
signs posted on both the hot and cold sides of the bar NOT to adjust
the sneezeguards. Mike asked if it was possible for customers to go
behind the bar to get hard-to-reach items. Christy said that customers
could request that workers get hard-to-reach items. That would be
inconvenient for both customers and restaurant staff. We really think
that management needs to address this situation since the Petro in
Mebane, NC, does not have this problem! For all of the beauty of the
new marble-like bar and beautiful glass sneezeguards, the
inconvenience to customers of the sneezeguard positions is
sure to have a negative impact on repeat business.
Overall Grade
Overall grade for this
restaurant at
this
facility on a scale of A+ to F- (with A+ being the best, F- being the
worst): A-
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