New 90 Express gas station at the Biloxi beach has neighbors and Cruisers excited

Gas stations and convenience stores open all the time across South Mississippi, yet few are as well researched as the new 90 Express on U.S. 90 at Debuys Road on the Biloxi-Gulfport line.

Rob Stinson, owner of Salute Italian restaurant in Gulfport, The Reef seafood restaurant in Biloxi, and several other Coast businesses, partnered with Chevron and investors to build 90 Express. A study showed there was a big need for a gas station selling non-ethanol gas and other supplies at the beach, he said.

He spent a year researching and learning about the convenience store industry. He put Denis Trochesset, who has worked with him for 22 years, in charge of the new business. He hired Krista DeBrock, who has worked in a gas station/convenience store for years, and made her general manager.

His chef at Salute, Cory Faccio, created the grab and go menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

“He really researched it,” Stinson said. “He went and worked in a store like this.”

Stinson also made the rounds, visiting gas and convenience stores to see how they operate and tasting products at food shows.

The results show

The two most important things they discovered in their research is a spotless women’s restroom and a well lit exterior are most important. The ladies’ room at 90 Express can be considered clean and stylish enough for a restaurant, and the LED lights brighten the large area under the canopy from the gas pumps to the convenience store.

Biloxi Police approached him with information about a security system that gives the police the ability to monitor the property, Stinson said, which greatly improves safety.

“It puts me live with all 67 cameras we have on the property,” he said.

Inside, a South Mississippi beach mural over the cold beverages cases wraps around half the store.

“I want people to know we’re local,” Stinson said.

A beer cave keeps the cases cold and cold storage behind the beverage cases makes it easy to restock and ensures the drinks are never stored outside in the heat.

Big kitchen turns out fresh food

“This is the size of a restaurant kitchen,” Stinson said, and instead of reheated, frozen food, the kitchen staff turns out freshly cooked meals and snacks all day.

About 65% of a convenience store business comes in the morning, he said, so breakfast is their most important meal of the day.

In one case are cinnamon rolls, pistachio muffins, apple fritters and other quick breakfast treats to go with the New Orleans Roast brand coffee and tea selected by the manager.

“She knew what sold,” he said, and a push button creamer and sugar dispenser makes it faster and cleaner to get the ideal cup.

Regular or spicy chicken tenders on a biscuit or croissant is an alternative to a traditional breakfast, but the store has that, too. Fried eggs, scrambled eggs, sausage link or patties, grilled or candied bacon, hash brown sticks, french toast or pancake sticks are some of the other choices.

On the lunch and dinner menu are crawfish or chicken egg rolls, pizza sticks, corn dogs, meat pies, crawfish pies, mashed potatoes with brown or white gravy, fried gator and boudin balls, hamburger steak and gravy with onions, vegetables, fried pork chops, catfish or shrimp.

A small section of seating is available inside the store and outside, overlooking the beach.

Room for locals and Cruisers

“You nailed it here,” a customer told Stinson when the man stopped by 90 Express to check out the gas station ahead of Cruisin’ The Coast.

The car show runs Oct. 6-13, and Stinson said he was determined to open before the 10,000 registered antique and classic cars arrive in town.

“You guys are going to be Cruise central,” Woody Bailey, executive director of Cruisin’ The Coast, told Stinson.

The gas station has regular, diesel and the non-ethanol fuel many of the classic cars run on. There’s no other gas station on the beach that has the non-ethanol gas, he said.

The pumps are on the outside lanes, with more room for the car trailers, along with landscape trailers and boats.

Before the Crusiers arrive, those living in nearby homes and condos are discovering the new convenience store, Stinson said.

“The whole neighborhood has embraced the concept of it,” he said. They can walk or ride over in golf carts, get beer, ice, fresh food and snacks. They choose one of the flavors of icy drinks and go next door to the 90 Proof liquor store in the same building for rum to kick it up, he said.

Stinson said 90 Express was built back from the beach, out of the Velocity Zone and has a wind-rated roof and hurricane proof windows. Hurricane Katrina took out the Olive Garden restaurant that was on that corner. Before that it was the site of the Friendship House, and Coast residents are coming by, asking Stinson if he’d like memorabilia to immortalize the restaurant.

“We’ll gladly put it up,” he said.

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