The night was cold and it was just like every other wintery March day in Brookston. I placed my laptop on top of a napkin on the table. The convenience store staff hummed
and buzzed around the store like angry bees. It was the first night that the store
had been opened to the public. They had been working on opening since mid-winter
and here it was March, almost April and it was the day of the grand opening.
I had come in earlier in the day and poked around a bit... Curious of course. They had the normal accouterments of a convenience store with a full pizza kitchen in the back. There were the obvious things that you would expect, with the bonus of two actual tables near the window. As I lived in town, I had come over in a flurry seeking the nearest coffee spigot. They had more choices than the other store in town, Family Express, but that was to be expected. Family Express was a great place but I don't think it would be able to compete with the juggernaut that was Casey’s.
See, I'm not from Indiana. I'm from Missouri, where Casey's has been a staple in every town where QuickTrip isn't. QuickTrip (if you did not know), is probably the king of all C-stores, and if you can stay above water around the big QT, then you are doing well. I moved to Indiana, away from QuickTrip and became involved with management at Village Pantry, back when Don Marsh ran the show. With the continuous failings of that ever atrocious organization, I moved to other management opportunities around town, But I still have QT on the mind... And when I moved to Brookston from Lafayette, Family Express came in to view as the only real competitor to my idea of the perfect c-store. Well, to be honest, it was also the only pony in town, so to speak.
But oh, Casey’s, you smarmy vixen. The long tendrils reach over to us here in Purdue country from your Iowa home and tickle us with the possibilities of community. I mean, let's face it... You really can't hang out at the library in Brookston. Who knows when they're open? And J&J (God bless 'em) isn't open in the evening. And hanging out at Pizza King is nothing short of an always-failed expectation. So there's... Well there's bars and steakhouses (but who can afford them) and now a healthily cheaper alternative. Your "other" local gas-station.
Now. I'm going to have to bitch and moan for a second. The coffee at Casey'[s is over-priced and even more so the cappuccino. It's almost literally twice as expensive as across the street, but... It's not that bad, and there's twice the choice. I've had their pizza many times, and, although it will never win any awards, it's not the "ketchup on a cracker" that you would get over at PK. Come on Brookston... So close to Chicago and not a deep dish to be had. Somehow, someway, if Family Express would ever install their pizza ovens, there would be actual competition... But who knows what the guys over at that corporation have in store for their Brookston location.
But I digress. Here at your local Casey's, you're sure to be
impressed. The sign on the door says: "Now serving soft serve ice
cream!" But, the machine is out of order. Wait. Sorry, that's not
impressive at all is it? You can prepay at the pump still. (In 2018?) You can
buy every sports drink except Mt. Dew White label, which I was unimpressed
by... But hey! They serve diesel and there's even DEF on the shelf. $12.49 for
a 2.5 gallon. It's quicker than driving to Delphi to get it that's for sure.
So... First impressions? Except for one really overly-energetic guy behind the counter this morning, the employees are friendly and nice. The restrooms are clean. The coffee is not so bad, but the most impressive thing about them is their systems. "What are those?" you may ask. Glad you've asked. I've been sitting here for around an hour now, watching and learning. The way that the customers and the staff interact are pretty slick, but the way that the staff interacts with their jobs and each other shows off the real Casey's spirit. Employees all seem to know how the pizza is made and where it is for those who call in their order. They know how to close down and clean and make it pretty for the morning staff. It's a seamless machine with bright menu screens.
If you look at the marquees as you drive by, you'll notice that Family Express has gas for a penny less. So that's one great thing. They won't be undersold. But. Casey's is here to stay.Besides square donuts, Cravin's chocolate, and better coffee, I can't think of a reason to go back to Family Express. Well. I might stop by to see Rachel, Rick, Jessica, and the gang, but really? Until they step up their game, I might not see Family Express for a long time.
