Customers refer to Junction Station in Albany, Kentucky, as a convenience store on steroids. “People are amazed at the store and how we run it. We’re a full-service restaurant. We have two dining rooms,” said General Manager Taylor Brown, adding, “Really, we’re a truck stop, but we don’t have showers.”

There are two Junction Stations. The flagship store is the Albany location and a store in Byrdstown, Tennessee is a bit smaller. Linda Crouch, her brother, Ernie Elder, and their mother, Kay Elder, purchased the Albany location in 2013 and the Byrdstown store in 2023. Linda’s daughter, Jolinda Pryor, serves as the head of operations, running the day-to-day business.

“Albany is the heart of the operation,” Brown said. “We have about 65 employees and run 24/7, 365. The Byrdstown store has 30 employees and is also open 24/7, 365.”

Crouch said, “There are three things we tell our people. First, we want a clean store and good food. The second thing is we want clean restrooms. The third thing is good customer service. We train our employees on good service.”

Crouch’s brother, Ernie, insisted that the store have a good hamburger. “He was on us. He wanted a hamburger that tasted good on a bun,” Crouch said.

The store focused on having good meat with the right fat content. There’s minimal seasoning on the burger. It’s presented open-faced on the plate. “Hamburgers were the thing that got us started. If you have good food, people will come back,” Crouch said.

The meatloaf at Junction Station is popular. “We put our meatloaf special out and in 30 to 45 minutes the first 10-pound pan is gone. We have to put another one out,” said Brown. Junction Station made a commitment to using fresh ingredients. Staff grind the meat in the store for its burgers and meatloaf.

Continue reading “A Focus on Food at Junction Station” in the July 2025 issue of NACS Magazine.