To kick off the year, Love’s Travel Stops said it is focused on company growth and reinvestment in 2026, according to a 2026 Preview media call hosted by Shane Wharton, president of Love’s, that NACS attended. Love’s is focused on growth in several areas of the business, and said it plans to:
- Invest $700 million in building new locations and remodeling existing ones in 2026 under its newly named Road Ahead Plan
- Launch an enhanced Love’s Rewards loyalty program in February
- Expand its network of intelligent kiosks at its QSR locations and increase order-ahead capability
- Expand its foodservice offerings with new menu items, seasonal flavors and QSR partnerships
- Grow its network of EV chargers and hydrogen and CNG stations through Love’s Alternative Energy (LAE)
“Our 2026 priorities reflect what has always mattered at Love’s, delivering a best-in-class customer experience every time, no matter the part of our business,” said Wharton. “None of us know exactly what the economy is going to do in 2026. But we assumed that we have to play offense. And that looks like making sure that we’re offering the right products and services that our customers want and giving the product to them at a good value.”
Love’s Road Ahead Plan Prioritizes Remodels
Love’s closed out 2025 with 668 stores total, and plans to add 20 new locations this year, as well as remodel 35 stores. Locations getting an update will close for the remodel to expedite construction, but will still offer fuel, restrooms and light food and drinks to customers in a mobile building. As part of its plan, more than half of Love’s locations will be newly constructed or remodeled by 2035.
“We build where we know our customers need to be. We match that up with where we can get property in time,” Wharton said. Love’s currently has new locations close to opening in Louisiana and Colorado.
For professional drivers, Love’s also plans to add 1,500 truck parking spaces in 2026 for a total of more than 52,000 spaces by the end of the year. Additionally, two new truck care locations and four truck washes will open in 2026. “We’re doing our part to help solve the industry challenges of having enough parking spaces for the trucking industry,” Wharton said.
Wharton also noted that the company plans to make investments in the services it offers professional drivers, including updates to warranty partnerships, roadside assistance and a CDL protection program.
Love’s also plans to add 23 new RV Stops, which will add 150 RV hookups to its network. With these additions, the RV network will include more than 140 locations and 2,000 hookups across the country. Love’s opened its 100th RV stop in Carlin, Nevada last summer.
Love’s will also begin selling RV tires and batteries for the first time this spring. The new products will be available at 79 locations that have truck care and RV hookups.
Love’s Future of Foodservice
After rolling out order ahead technology at its locations with Arby’s, Hardee’s, Taco John’s, Bojangles and Carl’s Jr.’s, Wharton said the company has seen “good results” and will continue to add it to more locations.
Love’s also plans to add more intelligent kiosks to QSR locations after introducing them at Arby’s locations in 2025.
“Our customers have been happy with that, so we’re going to continue to roll that out to more of our foodservice offerings this year. It enhances the customer experience and gives them the order accuracy they need, and they can put in an order at their pace,” said Wharton. “In some cases, it remembers previous orders, so it makes it easier for them. There’s been good customer experience feedback there so we’re going to continue to expand both of those items.”
The company will also continue to expand its food offerings. Along with hot and fresh offerings from Love’s Fresh Kitchen, Love’s plans to add new QSR partnerships. Last year, the company introduced Buffalo Wild Wings GO at three locations and has eight more planned for 2026. Love’s will also welcomed its first Whataburger in San Antonio, Texas, in the beginning of 2026.
As part of building out its menu, Love’s will launch new flavor profiles every two months. Recently it added a handful of new chipotle chicken items, including tacos, wraps and potato bowls.
“We launched our culinary innovation center in 2025, and what we’re trying to do is make sure that we’re providing the quality that our customers want [and we] want to give them new items. We want to make sure that we consistently deliver that experience and quality without increasing cost as well. So we’re making sure that we’re doing a good job with our sourcing and how we use ingredients to keep costs down,” Wharton said.
Launching an Improved Loyalty Program
Later this month, Love’s will roll out an enhanced loyalty program, which will allow “casual customers” to earn points per dollar spent inside the store and on gas and auto-diesel. Additionally, all customers will be able to earn more points than before, including extra points per dollar for Love’s branded products and Love’s Fresh Kitchen items. The program will also have updated rewards for professional drivers.
Love’s Invests in EV Charging and Alternative Energy
Love’s plans to add nearly 100 new EV charging stalls in 2026, adding to its more than 200 existing chargers across 16 states and 42 locations. The company plans to deploy fast chargers at approximately 150 locations over the next several years.
Wharton said it also plans to grow its network of hydrogen and CNG stations. “We continue to get questions from customers about CNG and see interest in CNG. We see it as an opportunity for growth.”
Love’s Hartwell Renewables renewable diesel refinery in Hastings, Nebraska, is expected to open in the second half of 2026. The refinery is expected to produce 80 million gallons of renewable diesel annually. Heartwell is a “multi-feedstock capable facility that can utilize waste fats and oils, cover crops and vegetable oils as well to produce the renewable diesel fuel. Tallow, a rendered animal fat co-product following protein processing, is expected to serve as the main form of feedstock,” the company said.
“We’re in the business of providing fuel to our customers and renewables is part of that fuel. We felt like this was a unique opportunity in the renewable space,” said Wharton. “We feel good about how it’s going to perform financially and how it’s going to perform in terms of taking care of our customers. For those that want renewable diesel, it will be a good supplier. In the renewable space, there’s not as many options, so now we’re creating another option.”