Give me a pizza, a full tank and laundry to go

Racemart convenience store, Route 1, offers a variety of services

BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

BY JENNIFER AMATO
Staff Writer

A 24-hour dry cleaning service is one of the highlights of the new Racemart convenience store on Route 1. Customers can drop off their clothing and pick it up the next time they fill up their tanks.A 24-hour dry cleaning service is one of the highlights of the new Racemart convenience store on Route 1. Customers can drop off their clothing and pick it up the next time they fill up their tanks. NORTH BRUNSWICK — Gasoline, sausage and peppers and dry cleaning may seem like an unlikely match, but at Raceway Gas on Route 1, all facets of daily life go hand-in-hand.

The new Racemart convenience store by Thomas Avenue celebrated its grand opening on Saturday with complimentary snacks, a drawing for a free mountain bike and an appearance by former Cy Young Award winner Sparky Lyle.

“We don’t have too many stores like this, so when we have a store like this, we try to make an effort,” Michael O’Leary, Raceway Petroleum vice president, said of the celebration.

For the grand opening, Fiji Water raffled off a Fiji mountain bike; Lyle, the manager of the Somerset Patriots, signed autographs with the team’s mascot, Sparkee; and local radio station broadcasted from the parking lot.

The gas station has been open for nearly a year, but the store was added two months ago to provide one-stop shopping for commuters on Route 1.

PHOTOSBY JENNIFER AMATO Racemart offers a full service coffee bar, call-ahead pizza, specialty hot food, made-to-order deli sandwiches and specialty desserts at its 24-hour convenience store.PHOTOSBY JENNIFER AMATO Racemart offers a full service coffee bar, call-ahead pizza, specialty hot food, made-to-order deli sandwiches and specialty desserts at its 24-hour convenience store. “It is an ideal location for commuters. … Everyone’s lives are busy nowadays. When you head home this way, you can get pizza, milk and sandwiches at low-selling prices,” O’Leary said. “I think for us this is a part of an opportunity here to try to see what we can put into a store that can help people. Everyone is pressed for time … so we do everything we can to try to make things easier.”

Easiness includes call-ahead pizza, made-to-order deli sandwiches, hot food, packaged goods, a no-fee ATM and a 24-hour dry cleaning service.

“You can drop off your laundry and the next time you fill up you can pick it up. It is ready in 24 hours. People love it,” O’Leary said.

The made-to-order food is provided by Mama DaVinci’s, based out of Highland Park. Douglas Prestup owns the catering business and runs it with his girlfriend and parents. The deli and grill offers freshly made pizza, stromboli, hot food, beef patties, Boars Head cold cuts, hot dogs, soup and homemade desserts daily.

“It is an opportunity for him to get a good business,” his mother, Jane Prestup, said.

Another highlight is the early morning coffee hostess, Kelley Lancaster, who makes the coffee and greets customers daily from 5:30 to 10 a.m.

“I start your morning here. You always get a friendly smile, good conversation and a great cup of coffee,” she said.

O’Leary said that Raceway, known for its cheaper prices, purchases gasoline in high volume so that it can sell it at a low margin. The store is an extension of their high-quality, low-expense service.

“The gas sells itself. The clientele is already here to get gas, so we try to get them into the store,” he said. “It is really where the industry is going. At this point, with a location like this, you can’t build a gas station without anything around it.”

To celebrate the addition of the store, the 24-hour Racemart is offering several promotions this month for its customers. Any gallon of milk is $2.59, any size coffee or cappuccino is 59 cents and customers will receive $3 off of a laundry service of $20 or more.

“When you pull in you see we’ve made an effort for a brightly lit, clean gas station where you can do anything you want. Everything here is one-stop,” O’Leary said.

Raceway is also involved with community events. They sponsor a night at the Somerset Patriots for underprivileged children each year. Racemart is also collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toys for Tots through Christmas Eve.

Raceway Petroleum, of Piscat-away, currently owns and operates 35 locations across the state, with North Brunswick being the newest. The company will celebrate its 25th year in 2006.

“Gas is expensive enough as it is, we realize that. We are not beating up our customers. We give them the same products for the best price we can,” O’Leary said.