You're not welcome at the Tampa J

guido4475 · Jun 17, 2009

The flying J is trying to get as much business as they can away from the Lazy days rv dealer in the world that is across the street.So RV'S get the first priority.Dont eat at the J in Oak Creek, Wi. I am here and the food will kill a dead horse.The manager asked me what was wrong last night.What an interesting conversation we had.And by all means, dont use the shower mats that they give you. The wax coating on the back of them turns them into a skateboard. You'll go a flyin' !!!

Falligator · Jun 18, 2009

guido4475 said:
The wax coating on the back of them turns them into a skateboard. You'll go a flyin' !!!

Is that pun intentended???? LOL I actually did that once and found out real quick that is a no-use mat.

guido4475 · Jun 18, 2009

no pun intended.If they are a no use mat, why dont they say so?

mjolnir131 · Jun 18, 2009

also yo might mention TA's new expidite programe while corisponding with the main office say something like it appears TA wants my bussiness while you guys don't

BeagleMom · Jun 18, 2009

We stopped at that J a couple of years ago and while I was inside I happen to overhear a conversation which explains it all. A T/T driver had asked to speak to the manager and I was lucky enough that I happen to be nearby when the manager appeared. The driver requested permission to drop his trailer for a short time while he bobtailed somewhere. The manager informed him that he could not drop his trailer at that Flying J because it is not zoned for trucks, it is zoned for RVs!

There is a huge RV dealer next door and because of that they cater to the RVs and don't care about the trucks.

pelicn · Jun 18, 2009

We were at the Tampa J Easter weekend. We were parked in that first row in front of the fuel island. The man parked next to us dropped his spread axle flat bed trailer and bobtailed over to the fuel island to get fuel. While he was signing his ticket, the manager got a message about a "dropped trailer" in the lot. She called the towing company and headed outside.
He came back over in his truck to hook up again and the manager told him he was lucky that the tow truck had not arrived yet. She didn't care that he had just purchased fuel, or that he'd eaten in the restaurant. (He said not again when I told him about Cracker Barrel just around the corner

)
From what I understand, talking to an oldtimer there, the J used to be privately owned, and it was there for the RV'ers. Notice how small the lot is, and the side entrance that's closed off now? I guess trucks were an afterthought.

CharlesD · Jun 18, 2009

I send a message to Flying J and someone from the corporate office contacted me the next day, defending the manager of the Tampa location and suggesting that the next time I'm in the area I can stay at the location up the highway in San Antonio. We had a rather lengthy discussion in which I mentioned the amount of fuel I have purchased at Flying J and how other truck stop chains would not mind that have that business. He continued to defend their policy and told me that the parking lot is small so they can't have overnight parking there. I asked him if they were also going to tell the RVs that they can't park overnight and he said, "Of course not."

Then he said that the parking lot needs to be kept open for the restaurant. I replied, "There's a Cracker Barrel and a Bob Evans off the same exit. Where do you think people would rather eat?" I don't think he liked that answer that much.

I sent messages to some of the other truck stop chains, outlining the recent experiences at the J and also suggesting a van friendly policy for earning shower credits, with emphasis on the extra business such a policy would generate. We'll see if I get any responses from that.

guido4475 · Jun 18, 2009

With all of this in mind,it might not be a bad idea for all of us to share with one another restautants that are decent, and cheap to eat at, other than truckstops.Maybe I should of started a new threead for this. I think it would be good to make this list for areas that we normally sit waiting for a load. It's important that we help each other out in this way.

ebsprintin · Jun 18, 2009

Makes me want to park there just to see what happens.

I looked them up on my truck stop guide, and it is listed as a place with no overnight parking. If it is true that they aren't zoned for truck parking than maybe a call to the local zoning office would force the issue--either become a truck stop or shut down the lot to trucks.

eb

ebsprintin · Jun 18, 2009

guido4475 said:
With all of this in mind,it might not be a bad idea for all of us to share with one another restautants that are decent, and cheap to eat at, other than truckstops.Maybe I should of started a new threead for this. I think it would be good to make this list for areas that we normally sit waiting for a load. It's important that we help each other out in this way.

See Layover Lounge. --eb

DOUGSPLACE · Jun 19, 2009

The Detroiter in Woodhaven, MI has now relegated expediters to the back lot. Not only that, but vans must park at the very back of the back lot. That's a long way from the new IHOP, the rest rooms or the store. It used to be my favorite stopping place, but the local Wal-Mart is more welcoming. Too bad Mr. Bob passed away. The kids don't seem to share his concern for expediters.

piper1 · Jun 19, 2009

I was wondering how long it would take to ban the vans from all that fancy new pavement out front. Place is still a dump.

guido4475 · Jun 19, 2009

The Detroiter, of all places, making expeditors park in the back of the paid parking lot? What a slap in the face.I thought I posted this last night, but I googled Lazy days rv supercenter in Tampa, across from the flying J. REad up on their history, and you will see that it says they own the flying J also. That explains alot right there.