In just over a year since Enmarket acquired Joker Joe’s Truck Stop in Hardeeville, S.C., the property has undergone a complete renovation and expansion — now featuring the region’s first franchise of the Texas-originated Fuzzy’s Taco Shop.
The nine-acre property, at the interchange of US Highway 278 with I-95, is now the largest travel plaza in Enmarket’s extensive three-state inventory.
With its location at the gateway to Hilton Head Island and the South Carolina Lowcountry, the newest Enmarket Travel Plaza is ideally situated to serve everyone from long-haul truckers traveling the I-95 corridor to vacationers headed to and from South Carolina’s beaches.
“With this travel plaza we are significantly expanding our diesel business,” said Brett Giesick, Enmarket’s president. “We’re also solidifying our position as a major fuel and restaurant provider between our home market of Savannah and Charleston. We’re also bringing an up-and-coming, exciting and affordable new fast-casual restaurant to the area as the first South Carolina location of Fuzzy’s Taco Shop.”
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop specializes in Baja-style tacos, chips and queso and cold beverages. The menu is described as “Mexican favorites with a splash of Baja.”
The restaurant got its start in 2003 and now has 150 corporate and franchise-owned locations in 16 states. Fuzzy’s currently is operating in Georgia in Athens and Alpharetta. This is the franchise’s first South Carolina location.
The redesigned 13,000-square-foot travel plaza includes nine diesel lanes. Improvements added since the Enmarket acquisition include an enlarged trucker’s lounge, updated showers, modernized truck scales and laundry facilities, along with a resurfaced parking lot and overnight parking for over-the-road and RV drivers.
In the remodeled convenience store, customers can find fresh hot and cold grab-and-go food options, the newest bean-to-cup coffee brewers and an expanded cooler and beer cave.
The location also marks Enmarket’s debut of Mooz, a new frozen yogurt offering. Mooz will include nine varieties of soft-serve frozen yogurt and features a topping bar with 24 different offerings.
Hutter & Associates served as the general contractor for the project.
Enmarket is Savannah’s largest convenience store chain, employing more than 1,300 people and operating 124 convenience stores and 14 quick-serve restaurants as the 49th largest convenience store operator in the country.
Founded as Interstate Stations by Robert Demere in 1963, the retailer operates convenience stores in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The company is committed to giving back to the community through many charitable contributions and volunteer efforts, offering fresh food, healthy snacks, and competitively priced quality fuel as part of its mission to enrich life.
