Pilot/Flying J Pizza… What Happened to It?


R

RoadRunnerRick

Member
Alright, maybe it’s just me… but Pilot/Flying J pizza used to be pretty solid.
Lately every slice I grab looks like it’s been sitting there since the previous shift. Dry, hard edges, barely any cheese — and still eight bucks like it’s gourmet. 😅


Had one last week that was so stale I thought I was gonna break a tooth.
Doesn’t matter if it’s Pilot or Flying J — same company, same pizza, same disappointment.


Anybody else noticing the quality dropping off?
Or is it just the stores on my route lately?


I’m close to giving up and just making my own stuff again.
 

I never really liked it ever.

It wasn't terrible or bad, I just thought it was mediocre.

What I really miss is before the Pilot buyout, when they had real restaurants in them. Friday & Saturday nights the buffets had the best steak and salmon, and the rest of the time they had this awesome Cajun chicken (or shrimp) and sausage Alfredo. That's probably what made me fat. 😂

Now every "PFJ" is just McDonald's Subway kind of crap. 😕

I've been off the road for a while.

Do Petro & TA still have restaurants?

The one near me does I think but it's only open during bankers hours, so f* that place.
 
Duck said:
I never really liked it ever.

It wasn't terrible or bad, I just thought it was mediocre.

What I really miss is before the Pilot buyout, when they had real restaurants in them. Friday & Saturday nights the buffets had the best steak and salmon, and the rest of the time they had this awesome Cajun chicken (or shrimp) and sausage Alfredo. That's probably what made me fat. 😂

Now every "PFJ" is just McDonald's Subway kind of crap. 😕

I've been off the road for a while.

Do Petro & TA still have restaurants?

The one near me does I think but it's only open during bankers hours, so f* that place.
Click to expand...
Black Bear Diners are showing up at some of the TA/Petro locations. Most just have vacated restaurants though.
 
I don't even remember what the name was for the Flying J restaurants.

Petro had Iron Skillet
TA had Country Pride
Some Flying Js out west had "The Cookery" and "Thad's" or something but I don't remember the name of the restaurants in the majority of them.
 
Duck said:
I don't even remember what the name was for the Flying J restaurants.

Petro had Iron Skillet
TA had Country Pride
Some Flying Js out west had "The Cookery" and "Thad's" or something but I don't remember the name of the restaurants in the majority of them.
Click to expand...
All I remember calling it was the Flying J Buffet. Was there an actual name for the place? Flying J was great til deadbeat trucking companies fucked them into selling to that criminal operation known as Pilot.
 
Duck said:
I never really liked it ever.

It wasn't terrible or bad, I just thought it was mediocre.
Click to expand...
I thought the pizza was pretty good. Nice soft crust and lots of cheese, enough cheese to bung you up for days. Didn't need to stop for a poop.
Duck said:
What I really miss is before the Pilot buyout, when they had real restaurants in them. Friday & Saturday nights the buffets had the best steak and salmon, and the rest of the time they had this awesome Cajun chicken (or shrimp) and sausage Alfredo. That's probably what made me fat. 😂
Click to expand...
That was the only good thing about being out on the road on the weekend was the steaks and carving table with a nice roast beef.
 
Either way, just about every private or chain truck stop had a decent restaurant in it. Now it's the same garbage fast food in just about all of them. And they wonder why the driver is a fat slob wearing shorts, flip flops and a wife beater. They carry these 56oz cups of Coke, bags and bags of chips, roller dogs and week old sandwiches.

You can't even drop a trailer in a truck stop anymore to go to a restaurant and get a decent meal. You come back and it's either blocked in or booted so you can't re-hook to it. I know door slamming is different to flats, low-boys and tanks because you don't really have room at the warehouses to take up a trailer spot while you run out and get some supplies. Every grocery store has room for at least a few rigs in the back, otherwise, how would they get their stock.

I used to go to grocery stores and stock the fridge, cabinets and 96qt cooler that I stashed under the lower bunk with a weeks worth of goodies. Bread, salad fixin's, hit up the deli for a few pounds of different sliced meat and cheeses, all sorts of stuff. I carried a few gallon jugs of water for cleaning up and brushing my teeth. Again, back then if you asked the manager on-duty if you could drop the trailer for an hour to run to the local store, it was never a problem. Put a pin lock on it and go. That was then, this is now.
 
389 Hood said:
Either way, just about every private or chain truck stop had a decent restaurant in it. Now it's the same garbage fast food in just about all of them. And they wonder why the driver is a fat slob wearing shorts, flip flops and a wife beater. They carry these 56oz cups of Coke, bags and bags of chips, roller dogs and week old sandwiches.

You can't even drop a trailer in a truck stop anymore to go to a restaurant and get a decent meal. You come back and it's either blocked in or booted so you can't re-hook to it. I know door slamming is different to flats, low-boys and tanks because you don't really have room at the warehouses to take up a trailer spot while you run out and get some supplies. Every grocery store has room for at least a few rigs in the back, otherwise, how would they get their stock.

I used to go to grocery stores and stock the fridge, cabinets and 96qt cooler that I stashed under the lower bunk with a weeks worth of goodies. Bread, salad fixin's, hit up the deli for a few pounds of different sliced meat and cheeses, all sorts of stuff. I carried a few gallon jugs of water for cleaning up and brushing my teeth. Again, back then if you asked the manager on-duty if you could drop the trailer for an hour to run to the local store, it was never a problem. Put a pin lock on it and go. That was then, this is now.
Click to expand...
I've done the fast food at a truck stop only a handful of times and hated it every time.

I don't do fast food in general anymore though.
 
It's been 9 years since I walked into ANY fast food joint. The last one was McD's for a breakfast sandwich which I always enjoyed. I quit going because the food was never fresh made, the muffins were nuked and not toasted and the sausage was like eating an old shoe.

I liked my 2 for 2 egg mcmuffies and $1 hashbrowns. Even going to a diner anymore is $15 for breakfast. Then they expect a tip because the bosses are too cheap to pay the employee a living wage.
 
Duck said:
I never really liked it ever.

It wasn't terrible or bad, I just thought it was mediocre.

What I really miss is before the Pilot buyout, when they had real restaurants in them. Friday & Saturday nights the buffets had the best steak and salmon, and the rest of the time they had this awesome Cajun chicken (or shrimp) and sausage Alfredo. That's probably what made me fat. 😂

Now every "PFJ" is just McDonald's Subway kind of crap. 😕

I've been off the road for a while.

Do Petro & TA still have restaurants?

The one near me does I think but it's only open during bankers hours, so f* that place.
Click to expand...
The T/A Russel Rd I-94 illinois/wisconsin border opened their restaurant again after covid19..

Last time I stopped there restaurant was still open but I dont eat there its way overpriced garbage for what ya get
 
RoadRunnerRick said:
Alright, maybe it’s just me… but Pilot/Flying J pizza used to be pretty solid.
Lately every slice I grab looks like it’s been sitting there since the previous shift. Dry, hard edges, barely any cheese — and still eight bucks like it’s gourmet. 😅


Had one last week that was so stale I thought I was gonna break a tooth.
Doesn’t matter if it’s Pilot or Flying J — same company, same pizza, same disappointment.


Anybody else noticing the quality dropping off?
Or is it just the stores on my route lately?


I’m close to giving up and just making my own stuff again.
Click to expand...
I havent had Fly-J pizza since I was last "OTR" 5 years ago.

Like any chain place it depends on the workers..

Some places got a good crew who does a good job...

Other locations have the half assed people who just throw stuff together blindfolded and its garbage
 
Duck said:
This is correct.

It's like real restaurant quality pizza but it's at a gas station.
They also have good chicken sammiches.
Click to expand...
I like their breakfast burritos too..

We finally got a Caseys now they opened up here in Zion off of Route 137 & Wadsworth Rd near by the south entrance to Illinois Beach State Park

So if Im passing by that way I get either a coupla slices of pizza or early a breakfast burrito
 
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