Drivers cruising through southeast San Antonio just scored a new excuse to pull off I‑410. Love's Travel Stops quietly flipped on the lights at a new 14,954 square foot travel center at 9530 Southton Road this week, and for the first time the chain is putting a Whataburger inside one of its stores. The Whataburger counter is expected to open May 4, giving truckers and road trippers a hometown burger option right off the loop. The site comes loaded with road warrior essentials, including truck parking, showers, laundry, a dog park and space reserved for potential electric vehicle chargers.
What's inside the new Love's
In a press release from Love's Travel Stops, the company says the 14,954 square foot location sits at 9530 Southton Road off I‑410 Exit 412. The travel center offers about 70 truck parking spaces, roughly 77 car stalls, seven showers, laundry facilities and a dog park. The company also points out that the site has space set aside for electric vehicle chargers if demand calls for installation, positioning the stop to serve both professional drivers and local travelers.
Partnership marks strategic expansion
The Whataburger partnership is not a one off. Industry coverage has noted that the tie up is part of a larger effort by Love's to bulk up its quick service lineup and grow its footprint. Love's told trade press last year that it planned to introduce Whataburger to its travel centers as part of a multi year growth push. C-Store Dive and other outlets have reported that the company is working on opening and remodeling dozens of locations and adding thousands of truck parking spaces while it reinvests in foodservice partnerships.
Not a Buc‑ee's clone
Fans might be tempted to picture a Buc‑ee's style mashup, but these two Texas pit stop heavyweights play in different lanes. Love's targets professional drivers and welcomes semi trucks, while Buc‑ee's designs its locations largely with passenger vehicles in mind. The Houston Chronicle notes that Love's has about 90 locations in Texas and says the new San Antonio stop's truck friendly layout, including 70 truck stalls, underscores that difference.
Local impact
Beyond burgers and fuel, the new stop is expected to have a local economic footprint. Love's says the San Antonio travel center should create roughly 50 jobs, and the opening came with a bit of hometown philanthropy: the company donated $5,000 each to East Central High School’s band and Christus Children's Hospital, according to the Austin American-Statesman, which cited a company announcement from Love's Travel Stops.
Whataburger's counter is scheduled to open May 4, and Love's has said it will roll out order ahead features through its Love's Connect app across partner quick service restaurants, a move that could make grabbing a burger faster for drivers on tight schedules, as reported by C-Store Dive.
