If you stop by locally owned Hat Six Travel Center in Evansville, Wyoming, bring your sweet tooth. You’ll need it to sample the store’s wide array of private label candy. “We offer something for everyone who wants candy,” said Megan Williams, director of operations. The products range from “candy bars to brownie bites to licorice.”
The complex also caters to truckers, tourists and locals with a carefully curated selection of Wyoming-made novelty and gift items. But Hat Six didn’t always provide such variety of fresh food, packaged goodies and gifts—the transformation took place over several years.
The Origin of Hat Six
More than 20 years ago, the owners of Hat Six purchased East Gate Travel Center, which had evolved from a very small 1970s gas station and truck fueling stop with a restaurant and tiny bar to a travel plaza. “The owners had a vision around 2014 for a better travel center, one with more modern amenities and better parking for trucks, as well as more fuel options,” Williams said. “They wanted Hat Six to become more of a destination for shopping and fueling in a bigger, more modern facility.”
The revamped Hat Six Travel Center debuted in 2016. With the location right off I-25, having the right mix of fuel was important. Hat Six has 14 gas pumps, seven diesel fueling spots and eight Tesla charging stations. “We have propane too, with an easy in, easy out parking lot,” Williams said.
Several restaurants provide a variety of fresh-prepared foods for travelers and locals. Cowboy Deli, the in-house deli and bakery, serves burgers, burritos, corndogs and chili, and Hat Six Heritage offers healthy and high-end options, such as a charcuterie box, steak salad and chicken avocado salad.
Three restaurants provide a variety of fresh prepared foods for travelers and locals. While Schlotzsky’s Deli and Cinnabon are chains, Hooch’s Bar & Drive-Thru has an original menu with burgers made from Wyoming grass-fed beef, as well as sandwiches like a French dip and BLT, appetizers and soups.
“Hooch’s recently unveiled a new menu, and “the reception has been good from our local clientele and truckers,” Williams said. “It’s something different on the same property, so Hooch’s is a great amenity for our professional drivers.”
To continue reading, check out the June issue of NACS Magazine.