Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

This “Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont” is a review of the restaurant at the Petro 2 Stopping Center in Fremont, IN, USA, based upon our own expectations of what a restaurant that caters to professional truck drivers of commercial motor vehicles should be like — as well as our own preferences in foodstuffs.

We have often thought that Petro 2 Stopping Centers were smaller and had few amenities than other Petro Stopping Centers, but this one had a full-sized restaurant.

Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

Date: 8/12/2010

Location: Petro 2 Stopping Center, Fremont, IN, I-69, exit 157

Overall Facility: Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

There is an area for diners just inside the restaurant (marked for drivers only) and plenty of seating farther back.
The buffet was located toward the rear of the seating area.
On this day, we ate an early lunch from the buffet.
Diners may order from the menu.

Pros: Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

There was plenty of just about everything when we came through.
There were two hot bars, one near the salad bar and another off by itself.
The salad bar featured raw food ingredients as well as some pre-mixed items like potato salad and coleslaw. There were also soups on the bar.
There was a variety of breads, muffins and rolls available.
Besides the muffins, there were at least two desserts that we noticed: chocolate pudding on the salad bar (cold) and a chocolate hot fudge sundae cake on the hot bar on the left.
Mike had fried chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with white gravy on his first hot bar trip. On his second trip, he got more fried chicken and mashed potatoes, but also added barbequed sausage (like a kielbasa-type sausage). He also got a pre-made, pre-wrapped ham sandwich.
Vicki had fried chicken, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese and green beans from the hot bar.
Mike said that the mashed potatoes were “real,” not instant.
Vicki noted the creaminess of the macaroni and cheese.
Mike’s salad had lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices, shredded cheddar cheese, sunflower kernels, croutons and salad dressing.
Vicki’s salad had lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices, carrot sticks, diced hard boiled egg, shredded cheddar cheese, and a few pieces of fruit salad.
For dessert, Mike had a pretty good-sized helping of the hot fudge sundae cake. Vicki got both hot fudge sundae cake and chocolate pudding. She noted that the chocolate pudding tasted homemade, not canned.
Vicki seldom goes back for seconds of any specific item at a truck stop restaurant, but the soft, warm breadsticks were definitely worth a return trip. They were buttery, with just the right amount of salt and garlic. We both ate these delicious soft breadsticks. Yum!

Photos: Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

The first two glasses of water brought to us at the Petro 2 restaurant in Fremont, IN, had lemon wedges floating in the water. This is a big no-no to Vicki. (See below.)

The first two glasses of water brought to us at the Petro 2 restaurant in Fremont, IN, had lemon wedges floating in the water. This is a big no-no to Vicki.

These were our salads, assembled at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN, Vicki’s on the left and Mike’s on the right.

These were our salads, assembled at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN, Vicki's on the left and Mike's on the right.

On Mike’s first trip to the hot bar at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN, he got fried chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with white gravy.

On Mike's first trip to the hot bar at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN, he got fried chicken, meatloaf and mashed potatoes with white gravy.

Vicki got fried chicken, meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and green beans on her trip to the hot bar at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN.

Mike shows the inside of his pre-made, pre-wrapped ham sandwich, which he got at the Petro 2 Stopping Center in Fremont, IN.

On the second trip Mike made to the hot bar at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN, he got more fried chicken and mashed potatoes (no gravy this time), and a little bit of barbequed sausage (like kielbasa sausage).

Vicki got a little of the chocolate pudding, a little of the chocolate hot fudge sundae cake and a breadstick at the Petro 2 in Fremont, IN. All were delicious!

Cons: Restaurant Review Petro 2 Indiana Fremont

It took a while for our waitress to arrive at our table to take our orders and a while longer for her to return to fill Mike’s water glass. Vicki’s water glass was never refilled.
All of our ice water arrived with lemon wedges floating in the water. We don’t like this because of the info we found here.
There was no cottage cheese on the salad bar.
Although it might have seemed routine to provide extra napkins whenever there is fried chicken on the buffet, Mike had to request more.
This is definitely a smoker-friendly restaurant. It was difficult for Vicki to handle the amount of smoke (even residual smoke) in the restaurant. [Note: This situation may have changed since we published this review.]