Top 12+ gas station hot foods to avoid at all costs

Nachos

They may not be the easiest snack to munch on while driving, but nachos are a popular gas station treat nonetheless. At a restaurant or food truck, nachos typically consist of crunchy tortilla chips sprinkled with melty cheese and loads of toppings. But at the humble gas station, nachos take on a whole new (and incredibly disappointing) meaning.

Here, nachos are merely tortilla chips — usually round, flimsy, and bland — topped with cheese sauce, and ... that's it. Yet the problem here doesn't rest in a lack of fixings. In fact, chips dipped in a cheese sauce makes for a perfectly acceptable snack when you're craving something vigorously salty. The issue, then, lies mainly in the quality of the so-called cheese. Some gas stations (including 7/11) are home to questionable machines that pump out cheese directly on top of your chips. Other gas stations serve the chips in a package alongside a microwavable sack of cheese goop (yummy).

The nacho cheese sauce often tastes as unnatural as it looks, as well. While its flavor may be vaguely reminiscent of cheese, it usually tastes like umami-heavy salt, with a texture resembling emulsified oil and nasty thickening agents. Of all of the hot treats from gas stations, this is one that will likely leave you feeling bloated from excessive salt consumption and regretful that you didn't opt for something a little more substantial.

Roller grill hot dogs

Ah, the humble gas station roller grill. Truckers and road trippers know the elusive allure of this infamous machine all too well. The sight of it sparks so many questions, but the most important question of all is: How long have those hot dogs been there?

For those fortunate enough to have never experienced this dastardly device, a roller grill allows cylindrical foods — primarily hot dogs — to constantly roll, allegedly keeping them warm on all sides until a customer plucks one off the grill with a pair of tongs. Of course, the main reason the roller grill has such a negative reputation is because the hot dogs are completely exposed to open air. Whether it's people touching them and then returning them to the grill, or dirt and grime getting kicked up into the air and coming to rest on the whirling sausages, there's no telling what potential germs the spinning dogs are exposed to.

The toppings bar typically located next to the roller grill does little to elevate hot dogs; these are likely just as old and low-quality as the dogs themselves, after all. But if you're not deterred by the grill's lack of protective covering or its old mushy toppings, you're apt to find these lukewarm dogs taste as unpleasant as they look. Even if you're craving a hot dog, it's best to avoid this hot food from gas stations.

Pizza

If you've ever asked a friend how they feel about the local gas station's pizza offerings, you might have gotten a love-it-or-hate-it response. Gas station pizza can be a polarizing topic, after all. Some folks swear by Kwik Trip's or 7-Eleven's pies over their local pizzeria, while others claim they would rather go hungry than have to endure a single slice — and I'm more with the latter group.

Gas station pizza is almost never hot enough; instead of warm, slightly stretchy cheese, the cheese sits on top of the pizza, becoming a thick, gelatinous layer. Since price and convenience are prioritized over quality at most gas stations, the meat and veggie toppings are almost always atrocious, turning an already sad slice into a mash up of heavily-processed mystery meat and flavorless vegetables.

If your need for pizza is so severe that you feel compelled to snag a slice after filling up your tank, stick with a topping-free cheese slice. Furthermore, see about nuking it in the gas station's microwave for a few seconds to make the cheese slightly more palatable, though the better option is to simply avoid it.

Bacon cheeseburgers

Some foods are still enjoyable even if they aren't made with quality ingredients or care. But a cheap, crusty burger will undoubtedly make you wish you'd driven the extra three miles into town and paid the additional few dollars for a significantly better meal. Interestingly enough, while it's best to avoid all gas station burgers, there's something particularly egregious about bacon cheeseburgers from these spots.

Don't be surprised if you don't see any crispy strips of bacon on your pre-made gas station burger. After all, many of these burgers come topped with a disturbing-looking bacon patty that appears to defy the laws of physics. The bacon patty resembles sliced bacon formed into a flat circle, to ensure it doesn't stick out over the edges of the burger. Sometimes this bizarre bacon retains a slight crisp, but other times, it looks more like a thin of old, diseased ham. Either way, it's guaranteed to have a texture, flavor, and appearance that's unlike any bacon you've ever experienced, making a mockery of everyone's favorite pork product.

Breakfast sandwiches

Breakfast sandwiches found at gas stations tend to span the fast food spectrum. Your personal favorite may be a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich from the local gasoline-slinging convenience store — and you'd be completely justified in that opinion. But while gas stations with dedicated kitchen areas (such as flat-top grills and storage for fresh ingredients) may offer delicious breakfast options, gas station convenience stores — particularly larger chains — generally don't have these areas. Many rely on a microwave to cook breakfast sandwiches, in fact, which is a recipe for disaster.

You've likely spotted these sandwiches wrapped up on refrigerated islands in the middle of the store, usually alongside items like fruit cups, single pickles, and yogurt cups. Not only should you avoid this gas station hot food at all costs, but you might be better off eating one cold rather than heating it in the microwave. The visual of a tough, plastic-like egg, combined with the unpleasant processed meat odor emanating out of the microwave, will undoubtedly destroy your appetite.