Dive Brief:
- The Tennessee travel center being rebranded around the lore of country music star Dolly Parton will open its doors on June 24, according to the truck stop’s website.
- Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop in Cornersville, Tennessee, is a rebrand of The Tennessean Travel Stop that’s been around since 1974. The truck stop’s owners are partnering with Parton to remodel and relaunch the site with new amenities, dining services and merchandise.
- With only a few notable travel center competitors in south central Tennessee, the site has an opportunity to quickly build on its existing customer base and distinguish itself in the region.
Dive Insight:
Foodservice and dining appears to be a focal point of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop, with a barbecue setup called DLY BBQ situated front and center of the facility, according to the company’s website. Dolly’s Cup of Ambition Coffee and a full-service sit-down cafe and restaurant can be found on either side of the barbecue station. Menus for DLY BBQ and the full-service restaurant were not disclosed.
The site — located at exit 22 off of I-65, about an hour south of Nashville — will also feature a tour bus inspired by the one Dolly has traveled in during her career where guests can take photos. The building will also be painted with a mural dedicated to Cornersville.
“A true gathering place for both travelers and the local community, the travel stop is the first of many planned locations, born from the partnership between global superstar Dolly Parton and her manager Danny Nozell, and Gregory H. Sachs, who has owned and operated the trusted Tennessean Travel Stop brand since 2017,” the truckstop said in an announcement on its website.
Competing truck stop chains near Cornersville include Pilot, which has a travel center half a mile south of Dolly’s Tennessean Travel Stop, and the BP-operated Marshall Travel Center about five miles north. A Love’s Travel Stop also sits further up I-65, closer to Nashville.
