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Column written by Robert Duke

We were on our way back from Birmingham the other day and it was lunch time. We were going to just hit one of our favorite places in Greensboro but we had just eaten there the week before. So, I suggested we stop by an old favorite place of mine some years ago when I was frequenting the Greensboro area in one of my numerous jobs.

This place is a little unique. When I try to tell some of my friends who don’t live in Alabama about this little place, they can’t believe what they are hearing. I am sure you know all the jokes like the one about “don’t eat the gas station sushi”. Well, this place is a gas station. It is called “Mustang Oil”. But it is way more than “just a gas station”. And, they don’t have any sushi. The first time I went in there I may have just been ravenously hungry, but I had one of the best burgers I can remember. I will say though that they don’t have a menu like the “Ritz” or “Trump Tower”, but it is good, fast, hot, the people are way nice, and the price is right. Not sure about you but that’s all I need. Lots of local people eat there regularly. Lots of call in and pick ups going on there during meal times. In fact, while we were eating there, I noticed people picking up call in orders almost one after the other. I also seemed that the owner knew each person personally. That says a lot in my book. A lot about the people coming and going and a lot about the smile on the owner’s face when greeting their friends and neighbors.

They have a daily special, but you can order just about anything from their menu. Hamburgers, hamburger steak and gravy, fried chicken, chicken tenders or fingers, BBQ pork or chicken, and much more. They usually have a fresh dessert of the day like strawberry cobbler or apple pie or whatever is hot from the oven when you are there.

This trip I got fried catfish and shrimp with French Fries and hushpuppies. Both the catfish and shrimp were good and very hot. The shrimp were dusted with corn meal instead of batter but lots of people prefer them that way. I will tattletale on their hushpuppies though. They were from frozen and mine were wet and mushy inside. Nope.

They always have country vegetable and starches like turnip greens and scalloped potatoes, and from what I have seen, they have always been very good. Just what you would expect.

All-in-all, not your normal gas station food. This is a gas station that also has a home-cooking restaurant. I don’t think they have a website, but you can find them on Facebook if you have it or one of the other apps or sites like Yelp or Google. They are closed on Mondays. I highly recommend a lunch at the Mustang Oil next time you are Eat’n Out!