Massachusetts’ 18 state-owned highway rest stops are about to get a major glow up, and Globe readers have some feedback.
The board of the Department of Transportation voted Wednesday to award a 35-year contract for managing the rest stops to Irish convenience store giant Applegreen. With financial backing from private equity firm Blackstone, Applegreen has promised to knock down and rebuild nine of the rest stops, including seven on the Mass. Turnpike, with significant upgrades planned for the remainder.
Comments from Globe readers, which we solicited on our website, ranged from a few wanting to preserve the current setup to a majority looking for significant upgrades. And many offered complaints about a similar upgrade program that Applegreen managed along the New York State Thruway and Interstate 90 in that state.
Here are some of the most popular topics and a sampling of reader comments:
Food choices
The most common reader response was seeking better and healthier food options. Suggestions for specific restaurants included Sweetgreen, Shake Shack, Tasty Burger, and Panera. Some people asked for more gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan options.
Readers also asked for the rest stops to have a more local flavor with “New England authenticity” and seasonal food items. “Small local restaurants and businesses instead of fast food chains!!,“ Boston reader Melissa Mazzeo wrote. “It would be so nice to get a feel for the town/region at a rest stop, rather than it feeling like I could be anywhere in the country.”
‘Gluten-free options!!! And perhaps ways to accommodate other dietary/food allergy concerns. How about some small, local restaurants? Good ice cream.’
Sharon Catto, Brookline
But several readers pointed out that the current chains, like McDonald’s and Dunkin, provide quick and simple food choices for harried families with kids. “Families especially, need to juggle the tastes of multiple people with limited time to peruse every menu,” wrote Jay Minkarah of Nashua. “Reliability and predictably at rest stops is important.”
There were also a few out-there suggestions. “On a lighter note, please bring back Howard Johnson’s,” reader Bill Latimer from Plainfield wrote. “Today, there’s nothing like HoJo’s all-you-can-eat fried chicken, hot and crispy on the outside and still frozen at the bone!”
And many readers want MassDOT to make sure food and gas prices are affordable.
Electric vehicle charging
The second most popular request was for more and better EV charging options. Currently, the Pike has two Tesla-only stations along with six relatively slow generic chargers. In its request for proposals, MassDOT required that the new manager add many more EV chargers by the end of 2026 at the latest.
‘More and more powerful EV chargers. And EV chargers that are under cover (people pumping gas don’t have to stand in the rain).’
Patrick Gabridge, Northampton
“They should be well lit, with proper facilities nearby for people to use,” reader Jay Dobbie in Worcester wrote. “We can’t expect EVs to keep thriving if the state doesn’t keep to their word [and] help with the infrastructure.”
Connecticut resident Sue Santos was worried about high prices at Applegreen’s chargers. “It would be nice if Tesla upgraded the software to allow non-Tesla cars to charge, currently they can’t at most [rest stops] on the Pike,“ she wrote. “They perform better than the Applegreen units.”
Bathrooms, bathrooms, bathrooms
Readers also had many suggestions for the rest stops’ restrooms, starting with offering more options for family bathrooms, nongender-specific bathrooms, and attended bathrooms. Some would like to see paper towels make a comeback. And cleanliness was cited as an issue by dozens of readers.
‘All entrances should have handicap door openers, also known as automatic swing door openers or ADA door openers. Every time I have to stop at a rest stop, I’m amazed and frustrated at the lack of them. -- Also, handicap toilet stalls should be checked more frequently - too often, the only handicap stall is unusable.’
Anonymous
“A built in stool at a sink so that little kids can reach the sink/soap themselves is the easiest thing that I wish all public restrooms had,” Abigail Starr in Cambridge wrote. “A stall that is family friendly would be AMAZING too. Like having a baby holder, a seat for a young child, a shelf to put a diaper bag, and if they really want to make it totally welcoming a small flush toilet in addition to the regular adult sized toilet.”
Applegreen in New York
Dozens of readers said they had experience with the newly built rest stops by Applegreen in New York, and most were not happy about the facilities.
“Look at NY Thruway renovations and do the opposite,” John Mungovan of Harwich Port wrote, citing an inadequate number of bathrooms and crowded eating spaces.
Kathy Chelini of Milford said she has been driving back and forth to Rochester, N.Y., for more than 40 years and does not like the new rest stops. “Few places to sit and eat and we have to eat in the car,” she wrote. “Too few bathrooms, too few gas pumps, long lines. Poor choice of food restaurants that close on Sunday and few vegetarian options.”
The controversy around Chick-fil-A on the Thruway was also mentioned by Globe readers. In New York, some have complained that the chain’s decision to close on Sundays makes it a bad choice for a highway rest stop used seven days a week. In its request for proposals, MassDOT included a requirement that all food vendors be open seven days a week.
Including Chick-fil-A is “very impractical for a rest area restaurant to be closed on a Sunday, making everything else overcrowded and slow,” wrote Christina Paradiso from Princeton.
Assorted other ideas
Other suggestions including adding compost bins for leftover food, cushy chairs for weary travelers, and playground equipment for kids.
About a dozen readers asked for a fenced-in dog walk or other pet-oriented features. “I’d love to see designated dog walk areas with disposal bags and containers,” wrote Linda Barbadoro of Sturbridge.
But perhaps the best suggestion came from the Rev. Laura Everett of Jamaica Plain, who said she appreciated that New Jersey has named its rest stops for famous state residents.
“Driving back from Cape May to Boston recently I stopped at Jon Bon Jovi, Judy Blume, Whitney Houston & James Gandolfini,” Everett wrote. “Imagine how much more fun (and educational) our Massachusetts rest stops would be if we got to stop at the Amy Poehler Service Plaza or the Quork Walker Rest Stop. Skip the corporate sponsorship and honor important people of Massachusetts history and present.”
Aaron Pressman can be reached at aaron.pressman@globe.com. Follow him @ampressman.