MILESTONE: The Joplin Chamber of Commerce held a Ribbon Cutting for the new QuikTrip in Joplin at the intersection of I-49/249 and I-44 on June 25, 2020. A Grand Opening will be held at a later date due to the COVID-19 pandemic occurring.
(JOPLIN, Mo.) — “Details are a little rough on my Joplin history,” Mike Thornbrugh QuikTrip National Media Spokesperson tells Joplin News First. “One point in time we had roughly four locations in the Joplin area. And they all closed in the early, early 80’s.”
But fast forward to now and we are talking nearly 40 years later. And something fresh on our minds is the return of QuikTrip to Joplin, this time appearing at the intersection of I-49/249 & I-44, 6601 East 32nd/FF, Joplin.
This new QT location is going to be bigger than those of the past. It’s called a Travel Center with 20 gas pumps for cars and 6 semi bays. There will even be a scale for the trucks. “We call it a Generation 3 store, meaning our third style of store. We made an announcement about 10 years ago we were going to get into the fresh food side of the business. And this new design allows us to do a lot of preparation of various foods that QuikTrip makes on site.”
“I think a lot of [Joplin] people will remember us from the past or they have a pretty decent idea of who we are because Tulsa is not that far away. Plus our presence in Kansas City, St. Louis and Wichita.”
Joplin seems to be primed for QT, a facebook group started three years ago dedicated to the return to Joplin. It’s called the Joplin QT Movement . Thornbrugh tells us, “It’s fantastic we take that as a compliment. We appreciate the enthusiasm. We guarantee you.”
One of the biggest marketing moments in the history of the chain was birthed in 1977, Lamar the talking dog. “That really put us on the map,” he says. Lamar was a scruffy dog that talked back with the catchphrase, “Quittin time! Ain’t that right Lamar? WOOF!”
Will Lamar be returning to Joplin we asked Thornbrugh? He then laughs, “well who knows, we are coming back to Joplin so who know’s what’s next.”
