150 Gulf Truck Stop
Keith Kennedy owned land on the east side of the highway, on the south edge of town. In 1958 Dale Matheny and Keith Kennedy decided to build a truck stop and restaurant. Gulf Oil Company financed the building by assessing 1¼ cent per gallon to repay the $60,000 loan. Dale cemented the land rental agreement with Keith on a handshake. The business was called 150 Gulf Stop because of its location on Highway 150.
Aerial view of 150 Gulf Truck Stop, circa 1958.
Dale and his wife, Hazel, ran the twenty-four hour restaurant for the next twenty-three years. The restaurant catered to hungry truckers and travelers. It was also a popular hangout for students after ball games. The most popular menu item was tenderloins, which were hand breaded and fried. Pies were also a popular menu item. In the late 1960s, seventeen pies were sold daily. Customers would sometimes call ahead to reserve slices of their favorite pie. At that time, pie was 15¢ and coffee was 10¢.
A sign in the restaurant announced, “Your coffee is Free! If you find us without a customer.” Those customers who got their coffee free were asked to sign the guest book. The business was also an employer to many school students and residents of Center Point who waited tables and made malts over the years.
The “FOOD” and “FUEL” signs erected high in the air in the parking lot, beckoned people to stop. Sometimes, up to ten semi-trucks were parked on the lot at a time. Dale said on busy weekends, the 4,000- gallon gas storage tank would not hold enough gas to last through the weekend. A tanker would be left on the lot so Dale could fill the storage tank during the weekend. Gasoline cost approximately 32¢ a gallon when they opened for business. Gas wars with the Cut- Aerial view of 150 Golf Truck Stop, circa 1958.
Smiling service was provided by (l-r): Sue King, Darlene Mollenhauer, Cindy Bauserman, Sue Lown, and Cheryl Dick in 1974. 42 Rate Station south of town could drive the price down to 21¢ a gallon.
Dale and Hazel sold the business to Mike Techau in 1981. In 1994 Dave and Cindy Krumm opened the Pizza Place restaurant on the site. The 1958 bar and counter is still in use today. Just think of all the good coffee and conversation since 1958!