I’ve written so much about bathrooms over the past few years, Todd Dills automatically sends me anything about toilets that seems pertinent. I was pleasantly surprised to hear of the Roady’s Pristine Latrine honor, awarded to a Roady’s location quarterly to recognize their commitment to outstanding restrooms. This makes Queen of the Latrine (that’s me) very happy.
Wendy Parker blogs for Overdrive in the “George & Wendy Show,” available via this link.
The award is based on nominations from the “traveling public,” Roady’s Regional Manager visits and a selection committee. Cleanliness, style and maintenance are taken into consideration before being bestowed with a nice plaque and “Pristine Latrine” bragging rights within the Roady’s family of stops.
What really makes a good public restroom? Admittedly, during our travels in the past few years, my standards have dropped considerably. I’m often happy to emerge from the stall without being bitten by whatever animal resides in the nest of hair in the corner – hair that I don’t even dare imagine the origin of. Needless to say, cleanliness is high on my list of wants. It’s incredibly nice to use the restroom in a place you don’t worry about contracting herptafluffalupagus virus in. We have enough to worry about on the road.
I realize the giant toilet paper dispensers are necessary to prevent theft and keep paper in the stalls, but for the love of God, please buy toilet paper that has tensile strength enough to turn the weight of the roll. There is absolutely nothing more aggravating than getting one shredded square at a time, and I will not hesitate to take a Fort Knox toilet paper dispenser apart to be able to get a decent enough wad to wipe with. So yeah, maintenance is important – keep the rolls rolling, please.
Style is a matter of personal opinion — I prefer the older, retro bathrooms that have actual faucets you can turn the handle and control the water yourself, like an adult. I’m old like that, and I’ve never had a good experience with an automatic sink. I really love the bathrooms that have a sink in the stall. There are a few of these left, and they’re nice for privacy when you need to brush your teeth. The slick, new bathrooms with auto everything are kind of off-putting. I don’t like being told by a sink how much water I need to wash my hands, but I guess that’s the future, and we have to conserve somewhere.
I like Roady’s and I like the idea of recognizing places for their hard work and dedication to serving the customers. One of our favorite stops in Ohio is a Roady’s stop – The Motor Inn in Mendon, OH is one of the first places I ever wrote about on the road. It was clean, old-fashioned, and had a great restaurant attached, full of really nice people who cared a lot about good service.
Shady Lawn Truck Stop in Ardmore, Tenn., Cenex Zip Trip in Grangeville, Idaho, and Mach 1 in Casey, Ill., are the third-quarter “Pristine Latrine” winners for 2015.
If you have a favorite Roady’s you’d like to nominate for a fourth-quarter award, you can do so through the Roady’s Truck Stops social media, or by calling the corporate office at 866-481-0947.
Roady’s Truck Stops is the nation’s largest chain of independent truck stops in 39 states with nearly 325 locations. With a nationally recognized loyalty program, as well as national pricing on programs that cover all major revenue centers, and a dedicated fuel desk department, Roady’s affiliation gives an independent the ability to price compete with the larger chains.
