Driving along Highway 167 near Abbeville, Louisiana, you’ll see a building that looks like somewhere you could get a quick oil change or a car wash. But it’s actually a convenience store called Pablito’s Pit Stop.
Customers can drive through the tunnel in the middle of the building. A bell rings when cars drive up. Employees take orders and collect purchases. Pablito’s co-owner Melissa Verret says the store is all about customer service: “If customers come with an empty ice chest, we fill it up for them and they are ready to go.”
“It all started with my son, Cody,” said Verret. “He went deer hunting in Texas and drove through a convenience store. He loved the concept.” The name of the store also came from her son, who competes in mixed martial arts (MMA).“He was training for a fight with [MMA fighter] Dustin Poirier,” she said. “Dustin thought he would call him Pablito. The name stuck.”
Brisket on Everything
Food is one of the big draws, especially the brisket. “It’s smoked brisket and we finish it in the oven and put our own special seasoning on it,” said Verret. Customers can get the brisket on anything from sandwiches to breakfast burritos to pizza to quesadillas, which are one of the top sellers. The quesadillas come with a side of jalapeño ranch dipping sauce. “People dip everything in it, even pizza,” said Verret.
Breakfast is busy at Pablito’s, serving customers who work in the oil fields, hospitals, nursing homes and other businesses nearby. The store tends to see a big lunch rush, according to Verret. “Businesses like our pizza because it feeds a lot of people,” she said. Customers in a hurry make use of the drive-thru, but those with more time will sit on the patio to enjoy a meal.
One of the most popular menu items at Pablito’s is the Payne pizza, named after customer Cody Payne. It gets topped with Pablito’s famous brisket along with onions, bell peppers and Nectar Del Diablo sauce from local company Shelton’s Seasoning.
Verret says that customers also like their quesadilla with crawfish boudin, a seafood variation of the traditional Louisiana Cajun sausage.
Raise a Toast
Pablito’s Pit Stop is actually two businesses connected under one roof. There’s the convenience store and then there’s the pub, which is a popular local hangout.
“People come and watch football and baseball and so on. Some people have their fantasy drafts in the pub. We have live music every weekend when it’s not crawfish season,” said Verret.
The pub offers customers a cozy atmosphere where they can enjoy a drink while watching sporting events. The cocktails at Pablito’s have gotten a lot of attention.
The top seller is the bloody mary, and its recipe is a closely guarded secret. “I’m the only person who knows the recipe. My son doesn’t have the recipe. If I die, it goes down with me,” said Verret. She makes it in large batches, measuring carefully to keep the ratios consistent. “People start ordering those at 6 a.m.”
“Everything has a little story behind it,” said Verret, adding “that makes it more special.”
Pablito’s has been open since 2024. But Verret and her son have dreams of growing Pablito’s, either by expanding the current space or building another location. “It’s a lot of long days and long nights,” said Verret. “Cody had a great idea and built on it. I’m excited that he’s taken me along for the ride.”
“He’s good at certain things, I’m good at certain things,” Verret said. “We have a lot of plans for the future.”
