Minden, Louisiana, has been described as an “old-fashioned” town. The brick main street is lined with buildings constructed decades ago. And while many young people in small town America leave for better opportunity, Jesse Waller decided to stick around.
Waller’s father, Mike, was a Shell jobber in the 1970s and launched Waller Petroleum in 1996. After college, Waller joined the company. During planning for the company’s first c-store, he brought on board Josh Hilton, a fraternity brother with experience managing a barbecue restaurant.
“I have to give my dad credit for the design of the store,” said Waller, who is president of Waller Petroleum today. “There was a certain layout he was looking for: It’s a big store with a customer area in the center of the store facing the pumps. On one side of the register is the c-store side, with basic c-store items, and the other side has a high-end coffee bar and restaurant.”
Mike Waller and his son Jesse in front of Waller Petroleum's first c-store, Bon Temps, which includes a restaurant and opened in 2012. The second concept, Smokin' J's, is "a restaurant with a gas station," Jesse Waller says. Smokin' J's: A Barbeque Joint is a play on the first names of owners Jesse Waller and Josh Hilton, two college buddies with a love of great food. The 6,000-square-foot c-store, which opened in 2018, has an industrial edge and includes a drive-thru.
A ‘Gas-taurant’
In 2012, when Waller and Hilton launched the c-store, called Bon Temps, the town of Minden “had few quality food offerings,” Waller said. “It was ripe for the picking. … We got really busy in 18 months and became one of the most popular places in town to eat.”
Hilton, vice president of Waller Petroleum, developed menu items packed with flavor. The Breezy, named for New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, is turkey, bacon, sautéed onion and bell pepper on jalapeño cheese bread with provolone and cheddar cheese. The Burrow Bowl is chicken and sausage gumbo with a scoop of potato salad and named for LSU’s Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow.
And what’s a Louisiana gas station restaurant without gumbo? Bon Temps’ gumbo is “a play on my mom’s recipe,” Hilton said. “It has a nice, rich roux, and we use a liberal amount of chicken and andouille sausage. It’s paired with a jalapeño cheese and bacon cornbread muffin,” he said, adding, “It’s a quarter of our food sales. We sell about 10 gallons a day.”
Smokin’ J’s: A Barbeque Joint
Bon Temps was a hit with customers, and in early 2017, it was time for Waller Petroleum to consider the next phase. “We came up with Smokin’ J’s: A Barbeque Joint,” Waller said. “In our first store, we had great food inside a gas station. … Smokin’ J’s is a restaurant with a gas station.” The 6,000-square-foot c-store embraces an industrial design and includes a drive-thru.
We got really busy in 18 months and became one of the most popular places in town to eat.
Smokin’ J’s—a play on Waller and Hilton’s first names—opened in March 2018 and quickly developed a following. “We sold $30,000 in barbecue the first week,” said Waller.
Hilton’s version of barbecue brisket is smoked with pecan wood sourced from pecan trees on Waller family property. “We smoke it with the fat cap on it,” he said. “We think it gives us a superior product. Customers absolutely love it.”
An Uphill Climb
Smokin’ J’s quickly became a smoking hot destination for food, but the gas station and c-store side was lukewarm at first. “It’s not a traditional layout. Gas pumps are on the side of the building. Parking is different. We were tearing it up in food sales, but when people were not coming in for food, the store was basically dead. We were expecting to do 100,000 gallons [of gasoline] a month, and we were doing 40,000,” Waller recalled.
“We tried everything. We tried giving away fountain drinks with fill-ups. Eventually my dad pushed and said we’ll match [fuel prices] at the Circle K down the road. For about eight months we sold fuel at cost,” said Waller. Business improved, and a direct competitor closed.
Another headwind: Minden had been a dry town since a local option election in 1939 forbade the sale of alcoholic beverages. Eighty years later, residents decided it was time for a change, and Waller Petroleum got behind the movement. “We were the business face behind the effort, and in March 2020, we were able to sell beer,” Waller said. “It’s come full circle now. It’s a monster convenience store—and it’s still a great restaurant.”
Today, Waller, 35, is also proud to be the president of the Louisiana Oil Marketers & Convenience Store Association. It’s a big deal for a kid from the town of Minden.
COVID Climate
There’s a new c-store world out there, and Bon Temps and Smokin’ J’s: A Barbeque Joint in Minden, Louisiana, have had to adapt. “We follow the governor’s orders,” Jesse Waller, president of Waller Petroleum, said. “Being a gas station was an advantage. We’re essential. We have a drive-thru at Smokin’ J’s, and that allowed us to keep the food volume at a good level,” he explained.
Both locations offer outdoor seating, and early on, more people chose to eat outside. “You could tell when the public was getting tired of staying home. We saw more activity in the store. We’re still selling the same amount of food as before, but there’s a different way of selling it,” Waller said.