TravelCenters of America Celebrates New Franchise Locations

WESTLAKE, Ohio — TravelCenters of America Inc. (TA) will be opening the doors to three new franchise locations during the month of June.

As part of the travel center operator's plans to rapidly grow its nationwide footprint through franchising, the three new locations are conversions of existing travel centers to TA-branded sites.

The new TA Express franchised locations will open:

• June 2 in Vermillion, S.D. It is the fourth Coffee Cup Fuel Stop converting to a TA Express through a franchise agreement with Heinz Inc.
• June 10 in Nacogdoches, Texas. It is formerly the Gateway of Nacogdoches Travel Center.
• June 17 in Lake City, Fla. It is formerly the Shuttle Truck Stop 75.

With these openings, TA will expand its network of total travel centers to 269. More openings are planned for 2020 in cities including Huntington, Ore.; Cookeville, Tenn.; Edgerton, Kan.; and South Houston, Texas.

"Expanding our travel center network through partnerships with existing facilities is a key part of our growth strategy," said Jon Pertchik, CEO of TA. "Whether it is a full service travel center or smaller format TA Express, this growth allows us to offer more drivers the fuel, restaurants and other services they need while doing their important jobs which, with the COVID-19 pandemic that is currently impacting our country, are more critical than ever."

TA announced in May that it is accelerating its network expansion strategy by actively pursuing franchising opportunities. The company signed 18 new franchise agreements under the TA Express brand since the beginning of 2019, as Convenience Store News previously reported.

Westlake-based TA operates more than 265 locations in 44 states and Canada, principally under the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands.