Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Lee Hi Travel Plaza

This is my first article for Reporting on Business. I enjoyed writing it because I got to go out to Lee Hi Travel Plaza, poke around, and talk to people. 


Berkstresser Runs a Destination, Not Just a Truck Stop
By KATE CANCELMO


 It is 7 a.m. and Bobby Berkstresser, owner of Lee Hi Travel Plaza, is poring over charts from the previous day and visiting the field desk for diesel and fuel sales. He is checking his company’s performance in Berky’s restaurant, the convenience store, and his towing and excavating business. Berkstresser does all of this before breakfast. 

Since 1981, Berkstresser has transformed the 260-acre property into a unique travel destination by providing better service and food at a good price. He bought Lee Hi Truck Stop for $5,000 down and employed nine people. He now runs a 240-employee operation and projects close to $75 million in revenue this year.

Berkstresser attributes his success to exceeding customers’ expectations. He wants to instill competitive traits in his managers and employees by looking at the week’s totals.

“Everyone here is fundamentally a jack of all trades. There are no lot lizards,” said Ron Hockman, a Lee Hi grounds man. Hockman has worked for Berkstresser two years and lives in an RV on the property, which includes a campground. He has done janitorial work, kitchen duty, and even prunes brush covering Lee Hi billboards on the interstate.

One out of five employees has been with Berkstresser for 20 years; many of the most veteran workers are waitresses at Berky’s. Nancy Hayslett, for example, has been working in the restaurant for 22 years. Her sister and daughter work there too. “It is a family restaurant. All of the waitresses are close and we stick together,” she said.

Regulars like trucker Claude Godfrey call Nancy 
 Jake. Jake is always ready to work.

Godfrey drives from Texas to New Jersey twice a week and twice a week he eats in the Tin Toy CafĂ© inside Berky’s. He can tell you that there is nothing on the East coast that compares to Lee Hi Travel Plaza.

“I pass 200 truck stops just for this one. They got clean showers and nice girls. I probably spend $200 a month here,” he said.

Margaret Ruley, who has been working there for 16 years, remembers when there were only five tiny booths.
Now, the restaurant has two rooms and a 1950s theme with an extensive collection of tin toys and pedal cars from the early 1900s. It happened by accident,” Berkstresser said. A consultant gave him a neat toy and Berkstresser bought an entire collection to display in the restaurant.

Berkstresser brings ingenuity, creativity, and attention to detail to the other aspects of his business. He thinks of new ideas and new ways of doing things to maximize profit. “We make a little money everywhere. That’s the key. We make pennies everywhere,” he said.


Bought White’s truck stop 

For years, Berkstresser dreamed of owning White’s Truck Stop. He saw tremendous growth potential. In January he got that chance. He acquired the company for $8 million and spent and additional $1 million for renovations.

Now, White’s Travel Plaza will operate under the same mentality as Lee Hi Travel Plaza, only under a different roof. Berkstresser made significant changes to the physical appearance of Whites’ convenience store and raised prices commensurate with better service and value.

He boasts a 36 percent profit margin with sales of $210,000 during August, up from $180,000 in May. Berkstresser also plans to open a coffee shop and a second Berky’s, guaranteeing the same home style meals as the original.

Berkstresser runs an expansive and profitable business, but he had to make changes to his organization during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009. He laid off employees and watched his numbers more than ever.

He employs up to four people at a time from the Rockbridge Regional Jail work release program, a move that other business owners may be hesitant to make. But both parties benefit. Berkstresser pays the inmates minimum wage and they can reintegrate into the community before they finish their sentence.

Berkstresser is sensitive to changing technology. In January, new vehicles will take an alternative gas called diesel exhaust fluid. Both Lee Hi and White’s Travel Plaza must make plans to adapt their current distribution.

Berkstresser’s mega travel centers are evidence that businesses can evolve quickly. His hard work, attention to detail and business acumen have helped him thrive in this service business. He hopes he will be able to provide anything that a traveler would desire.
 “I haven't been this excited about our people and our future in years,” he said. 




          

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Town House Chilhowie, VA

Exterior

 If you had asked me to spend two months of my summer in Lexington as a freshman, my response would have been something like this: "Sorry, I have to get back to a civilization with queso and department stores. I'll be in Houston if you need me."


But after another year at W&L, I have grown to love small town life. They know me by name at Healthy Foods Co-op and everything I really need is just a walk away. I can honestly say that this summer in Lex has been one of my best to date. I met a number of classmates that I never would have known otherwise and took advantage of Virginia's natural beauty. I hiked House Mountain and swam in the Maury almost daily. I also took a few trips to Charlottesville, Roanoke, and Staunton. But, my most memorable venture was to a restaurant called Town House in Chilhowie, Virginia.


Every year Food & Wine Magazine features the Best New Chefs. The award is a major distinction in the food business. This year one of the chefs that made the list is John Shields, executive chef at Town House.


I had never heard of Chilhowie before, so I immediately looked it up along with the restaurant online. I learned that Chilhowie (pop. 1,827) is a town that has a total area of 2.6 square miles, making Town House purely a fine dining destination restaurant. It is located in the most southwestern portion of the state, just shy of a three hour drive from Lexington. I made a reservation for that Friday night.


I anticipated my meal the entire drive, wondering if it would exceed my already high expectations. Past a sign for Hungry Mother State Park (yes this is real) and just off the highway I found Town House nestled right on Main Street.
Town House interior
Of course there was nobody dining at 5:00 p.m. so I had the place to myself. I ate early so I could get back to Lexington before dark. The sommelier, Charlie Berg, greeted me by name and led me to my table in the corner of the dining room. This was my first solo dining experience, so I brought a book just in case.


Within a couple of minutes, the amuse bouche arrived a top a green slate tile. The cocoa and black olive sandwich cookie was filled with Meyer lemon compote and parmesan cream. The unexpected flavors were simply delicious.


Chilled Vegetable "Minestrone"
The menu offered a four or ten course tasting menu. I made a special request for seven courses of the chef's choosing. Ten seemed a bit too extravagant for the hot summer night, but four was not enough for the long drive. 


The first course, Shields' interpretation of vegetable minestrone, was like nothing I have ever seen. Delicate curls of thinly sliced brightly colored vegetables sat upright in the dish that Berg filled with vegetable consomme.


I could hardly bring myself to eat his artistic creation. I'm pretty sure I had a huge smile on my face and I am sure Berg got a kick out of me being young, alone, reading Ruth Reichl in the corner.


The next course was razor clams in a stock of their juices and Benton's ham, honeydew melon, and thyme. I enjoyed it, but it was my first time trying clams. Each item on the menu was extremely inventive and creative. Shields put together ingredients I would have never  imagined would taste good. Bananas in a crab dish? But, the Peekytoe crab in brown butter and lime with caramelized onions, salt cod, banana, curry, and cider vinegar was fabulous. 
Peekytoe Crab
While the soup of cherries was certainly presented nicely, I did not care for the dish as much as the others. It included marinated sardine, preserved ginger, tomato, and "almond bread" that was actually a cold foam. My favorite dish was the corn and crispy pig tail with Cruze Dairy buttermilk, basil, toffee, popcorn, polenta, and sorrel. You just can't beat good summer corn. I especially liked the contrast of textures in the dish.  


Town House's rural location is ideal to utilize produce from local farms. They use the season's freshest ingredients, changing the menu to adapt to what is available. 


Two hours later, I was very full and happy.  But, the best had yet to come. Shields invited me into the kitchen where I got to meet him as well as the sous chef and other cooks. It was pretty neat. Shields and his wife, Karen, who was not there, work as a husband-wife team. They previously worked in Chicago at Alinea and Charlie Trotter's respectively until they decided to take a chance on a new venture in Virginia. My experience at Town House was phenomenal and I hope to return with friends this semester. 
Lamb Shank cooked in Ash
smoked eggplant, miso, a dressing of bonito, black garlic



Blueberries & Lychee
peony sorbet, goat yogurt, coriander berries, crispy milk skin
Soup of Cherries
Visit www.townhouseva.com