I was told a couple of weeks ago that the IHOP in Fort Stockton is the smallest store the chain has opened, but at the same time will employ over 120 people when it goes to 24/7/365 operations.

Now if they could only solve the problem of having the highest gas prices in the state, from the companies trying to gouge the I-10 drivers with almost no alternative stops between El Paso and San Anotnio...

Eric, the latest trend for Starbucks (including the new shop in Midland) seems to be new locations on highway exits ... not as trendy as the locations where one might traditionally find a Starbucks ... but lots of traffic ...

Elder son and I stopped at one in Weatherford last weekend, during a late-night/early-morning run home from Frisco ... it was handy as all heck, and the caffeine helped me cover a lot of West texas miles with eyes open ...

Midland is getting a Starbucks? Having grown up, "where the west begins," somehow the image of a West Texas cowboy walking into a Seattle-inspired coffee house and ordering a "Venti Cafe Mocha" just doesn't compute.

John, this will actually be our third Starbucks. We've had a standalone store for a couple of years and a Barnes & Noble installation for longer than that.

I don't see many cowboys sidling up to the barista either.

Other John, the gasoline price thing is sort of a tradition in Fort Stockton, isn't it? I can't remember a time when the prices weren't the highest in the state. Of course, you'll find that "interstate inflation" phenomenon in any out-of-the-way town next to a big highway. You can usually save a bunch of money by going into town to look for gas, and it's the same way in FS.

Your comment about the size of the IHOP is interesting. The people I've talked to who've eaten there say it's an exact duplicate of the one in Midland.

Jeff (you're still trying to sneak by using my name, aren't you?), the manager of the new Starbucks feels confident that it will be extremely successful, both due to its proximity to the interstate as well as being located in an "underserved" part of town. I think he's right.

"Trendy" is good; "profitable" is better! ;-)

Eric, they may have been talking about the size of the market, rather than the size of the building itself, and I may have just misinterpeted the comment.

As for the gas prices, they are a little bit lower on Dickenson Blvd., but still about a dime or so higher than they should be, compared to the gas prices along I-20. The difference, of course is competition, especially among the I-20 truck stops, which should get even tougher when Love's opens up its new store on West County Road in Odessa. The price battles between the truck stops tend to keep the other gas stations on the Interstate in line, the same way those pumps at Sam's on JBS help force the prices down on the entire northeast side of Odessa.

they may have been talking about the size of the market, rather than the size of the building itself

That makes sense, and I'm sure that's true. In fact, I heard a rumor that the only reason IHOP consented to put a store in FS at all is that the corporation was essentially given a revenue guarantee by the developer. I hope the interstate provides enough traffic to support the store; I'm skeptical that it can generate the volume of business it needs or expects via local patronage alone.