Nuvu Fuels (Ionia)
75 E. Grand River AvenueSome days I’m just on the road a lot.
My day started out like normal in Kalamazoo. Then I got called up to the Grand Rapids office. When I got to the Grand Rapids office, I realized I needed to make a very quick trip to Lansing. I did what I needed to do and headed back to Grand Rapids to finish my day before heading home to Kalamazoo.
I was on the road all day so I really didn’t have time to stop and eat. I was hoping I could grab something quickly when I was in Lansing but I didn’t see anything that really stood out to me or looked like something I could grab quickly and get back on the road.
I did notice a gas station on my drive that I have never seen before and they were advertising food. I needed to find a restroom anyway and everyone knows how much I love gas station food.
Nuvu Fuels is a small chain of six gas station. Five are in West Michigan. The other is in Sarasota, FL. I stopped at the Ionia location on Grand River Avenue and M-66 just to the north of the interchange with I-96. This is the Ionia exit off I-96 but the actual city of Ionia is quite a ways north. This gas station sits in Orange Township and is easily accessible from the highway. The corner has been a gas station for a while but it was abandoned for several years until Nuvu came in in 2015.
The convenience store is pretty much what you expect from gas station food. They have the typical gas station stuff. Drinks, candy, chips, etc. Then there’s a hot food area next to the cash register for all of their fresh made stuff.
There’s a large warmer with rows of food. It’s not quite grab and go as I found out when I started to grab something not noticing the glass. The cashier saw me look like a fool and came over to take out what I was grabbing for. It’s all pre-made ready to go but if there is something that’s not made, you can ask for it to be made fresh.
Pizza by the slice is also an option. If you want a whole pizza, you can call ahead and get one to take home. I did not need a whole pizza but I still wanted to try the pizza so I grabbed a slice to go with the other stuff I already had in my hand.
I ended up with Cajun Chicken Bites, potato wedges, and a slice of pepperoni pizza plus the usual two bottles of Pepsi. The cost came out to about $15.
When I got back to the car, I decided to eat the pizza before I left. They actually had bottles of Frank’s Red Hot next to the pizza cabinet. I put a lot of Frank’s Red Hot on the slice because this is the kind of pizza I really like with hot sauce. It’s a pretty doughy slice of pizza….slightly undercooked but not raw. It’s solid gas station pizza but going for the hot sauce was the right move.
I grabbed the box of wedges next. These were a lot crispier than I expected them to be and really hot even after having a few minutes to cool down in the car. There was a really nice crunchy exterior and then all that warm steam burst out from the soft, pillowy inside. These were really good wedges for something that sits in the warmer for a while.
Chicken is always my gas station food go-to. I went with the Cajun Chicken Bites this time and that was totally the right choice. I was skeptical of these actually having any “Cajun” flavor at first but I got that bit of heat in the first bite. I probably should have just grabbed two of these and skipped one of the other things I bought. These chicken bites were quite delicious.
Nuvu Fuels is gas station food but I’ve blogged so many times about how much I really like gas station food. It’s not the best food you’re ever going to eat but it’s usually really quick, delicious, and fairly cheap. Nuvu Fuels was all of that. I was in a hurry and needed to get back to the office in Grand Rapids. I was able to get gas, use the restroom, grab my two bottles of Pepsi for the afternoon and get a tasty meal to eat while I was driving back to Grand Rapids.
SW Michigan Dining 
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