“When I’m on the road and heading south, I can’t wait to feed my mouth. With the gas station chicken that’s oh so great, You can smell it cookin’ from the interstate!”
The lyrics to the song “Gas Station Chicken" by The Nighthawks were written about a specific gas station in southern Virginia. But those lyrics could also apply to almost any gas station in Mississippi, a state that prides itself on its rich music history and great food.
A few days before an Ideas 2 Go shoot at Sprint Mart in Fulton, Mississippi, I took a road trip to sample the food and experiences at stores across the state.
Drew, Mississippi
There’s a certain person in Mississippi you must consult when you want to find great gas station food. Stafford Shurden, creator of the popular Gas Station Tailgate Review series, often gets more than 2 million views of his online video reviews of gas station and c-store food.
So it made perfect sense to start my trip there, especially considering that Stafford’s on Main, his restaurant in Drew (population 1,800), was recently voted by Mississippi Magazine as having the best fried chicken in the state. For the record, it was that good. Stafford said he perfected his recipe by studying the fried chicken served at gas stations throughout the South.
Stafford was a featured General Session speaker at the NACS Show in 2023. He’s not the only person from Drew to speak at the NACS Show—Archie Manning spoke in 2007. (And his son Peyton spoke at the 2016 NACS Show.) Drew is also the birthplace of Roebuck “Pops” Staples, founder of the Staple Singers and father of Mavis Staples, who moved his young family just up the road to work at the Dockery Plantation. So, as one of their hits goes, “I’ll Take You There.”
Dockery, Mississippi
This town, specifically Dockery Farms (formerly the Dockery Plantation), is widely considered the birthplace of the blues. Before Pops Staples came to town, Delta blues legend Charley Patton would host get-togethers with blues icons such as Howlin’ Wolf, and his music inspired other Mississippi greats, including Robert Johnson and Elvis Presley.
The centerpiece of the plantation was the Dockery Service Station, built in the 1930s, which also housed a general store and a business office.
Clarksdale, Mississippi
The crossroads in Clarksdale is at the intersection of Highway 49 and Highway 61 (as in the Bob Dylan song and album “Highway 61 Revisited”). In the 1930s, area blues singer Robert Johnson wrote the song “Cross Roads Blues,” better known as “Crossroads,” which has been covered by Eric Clapton and others.
The crossroads myth details how Johnson went from an ordinary musician to a legendary one in just a few months. He supposedly went to the crossroads one day at midnight and sold his soul to the devil in exchange for quickly mastering the guitar.
An art display and plaque commemorate the alleged location, and the intersection also is home to a convenience store, The Castle. Operated by Imperial Gas & Oil Co. and opened earlier this year, its design makes it obvious how it got its name.
Inside, guitars decorate the walls, and chicken is part of the store’s offerings. The latter includes chicken-adjacent offers in the (TikTok viral) ice cream section: Fried Cluckin Ice Cream novelties, which are shaped like drumsticks, and a frozen dessert shaped like a crispy chicken burger.
There was one more reminder of the city’s musical importance before getting back on the highway: an aptly named Blues City c-store.
Oxford, Mississippi
Just a mile from the Oxford town square is Sky Mart, described in signage as “gas, grocery and bait,” which is accurate. But it didn’t say anything about how good the prepared food looked. An employee said the smoked chicken was popular—and now I know why. It was the best smoked chicken I’ve ever eaten. The ribs also looked delicious, but there’s only so much you can eat in one sitting.
About a mile away is 4 Corners Chevron, known for its chicken on a stick. Three very filling pieces on a stick made for a tasty, if not unusual, breakfast. They also sell plenty of t-shirts and hats promoting the chicken on a stick.
Soon it was time for second breakfast, which I found at Rebels Gas Mart. More great-looking chicken there, but a tasty biscuit was all I needed.
The most interesting thing at Rebels was in the parking lot: a man named Fred, who was selling his “Fred and Judy’s” pickled vegetables out of the back of a pickup truck. He was in a prime parking spot at the front of the store, he said, because management told him, “This spot is for you.” He said he’s treated like royalty, and it’s easy to see why: Fred serves as the unofficial greeter for the store and offers customers some unique local items.
Tupelo, Mississippi
While Mississippi gas stations are known for their chicken, they also have great barbecue, and that’s what I had at Papa V’s in Tupelo. The rib tips, accompanied by fried squash and lima beans, were delicious. As was the case with many previous stops, it was obvious that everyone in town went there for lunch. Among the clientele were landscape crews in matching fluorescent t-shirts and nicely dressed office workers.
It’s also worth pointing out the great beer selection at Papa V’s. Multiple cooler doors held craft beers, and there were a few aisles of local and national brews. The store even has a beer manager, who was as knowledgeable as any I have talked to, whether at a brewery or a larger alcohol store.
Fulton, Mississippi
Finally, the reason for our trip: an Ideas 2 Go video shoot at the Sprint Mart travel center in Fulton. When you’re here, you must try the chicken tenders. Many people think of tenders as weird, sometimes dinosaur-shaped food served to finicky kids.
Not these tenders—they were huge pieces of chicken, and while two were included in a lunch meal, I only needed one. I also learned the secret of savoring these tenders: Dip the pointy end in the sauce first, then bite the chicken in a way that makes new pointy ends.
In the parking lot, we met Mississippi-born country musician John Major (@JohnMajorCountryMusic), who was in the middle of a 40-state club tour. Maybe he’ll find the next great gas station food while on the road—I told him to shoot me a note from his travels. He must know something about our industry: One of his songs is called “Gasoline.”
And as impossible as it sounds, just as I was taking the exit off Highway 61 in Memphis on my way to the airport, Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited” came on the radio. Fittingly, Mississippi is a state I intend to revisit for more great gas station food.
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