By Kathy McCarty
Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE – The wait is over for Manager Donnie Kirkbride as the new Mobil On the Run store opened its doors for business officially on Monday, Oct. 15.
As a way to introduce the store to the business community, R.H. Foster Energy, LLC, of Hampden – the parent company for the Mobil facility – held an invitation-only event on Saturday, Oct. 13, offering guests coupons for a variety of free food.
“We offered breakfast and lunch specials, including cinnamon rolls and coffee, sandwiches and soda, as well as pizza,” said Kirkbride. “We had no money in the registers, it was strictly an invitation-only event with plenty of free food for our guests.”
Featured during the event was the business’s very own brand, Freshies.
“This is the 10th facility in the state. Freshies is our own brand, featuring pizza and sandwiches,” said Kirkbride.
Staff prepared food and gave guests the grand tour of the facility over the weekend, showing off state-of-the-art equipment, from the kitchen area and coolers to the advanced digital surveillance system.
“We have cameras inside and outside of the store. It’s all digital and can be enlarged to show greater detail,” said Kirkbride.
Kirkbride said that the ability to zoom in provides not only a greater ability for the store to obtain information in the event of a crime, it will aid other businesses in the area as well.
“We have a clear view of the street, so our footage could actually help if someone is involved in a crime elsewhere and attempts to leave the area traveling on Main Street. We also save up to two months’ worth of footage, so we can go back in the event we need to check something in the past,” said Kirkbride.
The new store currently has a staff of 15 employees, with Kirkbride indicating there may be need for more.
“We have our basic staff in place but there may be various times when we could use a bit more help. We’ll gauge our need for more staff in the weeks to come,” said Kirkbride.
Tommy Donaldson, who works in the Freshies section of the store, said it’s a great facility to work in and good people to work with.
“R.H. Foster stores don’t cut corners. Everything is top quality and the people are top-notch to work with,” said Donaldson, as he calibrated thermometers. “I’m calibrating to ensure the thermometers are reading the correct temperature. That guarantees everything is cooked properly when we check the cooking temperature.”
The kitchen area includes a cook area complete with a full hood and propane conveyor ovens for the pizza. Adjacent to the kitchen is a large cooler. On the opposite side of the store are the beverage coolers.
“The coolers are 19 bottles deep, that’s nearly a case. They’re stocked from the back and it’s one staff member’s job just to keep the coolers full,” said Kirkbride as he gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. “We also have a generator that allows us to remain operational when the power goes out. That includes the gas pumps.”
Unlike some stations where gas flow from the pumps slows when more than one vehicle is fueling up, the Mobil station is on a regulated system that keeps the flow at a constant rate at the self-serve pumps, according to the manager.
“While some people may not notice the lag at other stations, we wanted a system that would enable customers to get their gas and get out. It’s especially important when it’s cold out. No one wants to stand at the pumps in sub-zero temperatures. With this system, it doesn’t matter if there’s one car or eight at the pumps, the pumps will flow the same no matter how many vehicles are out there,” said Kirkbride.
Doors officially opened to the public on Monday, with the facility open 24/7.
“At this point, we’re planning to be open around the clock,” said Kirkbride. “We’re looking forward to serving our old gas customers and meeting many new customers.”
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
AN INVITATION-ONLY event was held at the new Mobil On the Run store over the weekend, giving guests an opportunity to sample many of the store’s food choices. Here, guests mingle with management near the Freshies counter.
Staff photo/Kathy McCarty
TOMMY DONALDSON, who works in the Freshies section of the new Mobil On the Run store, calibrates thermometers so they will read accurately when preparing food. 
