Fill your tummy while filling your tank at the Marathon gas station in Melbourne
In the realm of food, gas station fare has its niche as a quick, easy alternative to “making dinner,” as the eternally stressed out Frankie Heck of TV's “The Middle” used to say while delivering fast food to the family table.
You gas up your car and you pick up some fuel for the family while you are it. You’re not looking for gastronomical delights, but rather a meal that keeps the folks back home satisfied.
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Marathon gas station must be keeping a lot of folks’ tummies satisfied, because the Melbourne facility has plenty of regulars who hail far, far away from its Harbor City Boulevard location, yet they stop by to pick up the chicken meals Marathon serves.
“We have people from Vero who buy our meals on a regular basis,” said owner Joe Lukose.
Lukose may be part of the reason why the food is popular, for as a partner in Taste of India, he thoroughly knows his way around food.
The menu at the gas station he has operated for 20 years is neither fancy nor expensive, just as you would expect, but it is filling. Hey, you’re at a filling station, so why not fill yourself while you’re at it?
Chicken and shrimp are the primary attractions.
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A two-piece snack box meal combo, with one side and a fountain drink, will only set you back $4.99. For $6.99, you can enjoy five pieces of chicken tenders, plus one side and fountain drink. If you want more than the snack box but not as much as the combo meal, go for the three-piece chicken dinner box combo, with one side and a beverage for $5.79 or the three-piece chicken tender combo meal, also with side and drink, for $5.29.
If you would prefer to forego the drink, you can order chicken meals that range from $4.39 for a two-piecer with one side to $11.99 for the eight-piece bucket with two sides.
The store also offers seafood in the form of shrimp meals ($5.59) and shrimp buckets at $4.19 for small, $7.19 for medium and $13.3 for large. A fish meal, drink included, is $5.19.
Lukose additionally serves gizzards and livers ($2.39, $4.19 and $7.99), as well as sides such as fried okra ($1.89), potato logs ($1 and $1.99) and corn dogs or egg rolls at $1.09 each.
Note that pretty much the entire menu is fried, so if your wish is broiled or something else, Marathon may not be your place.
Need dessert? Ice cream cakes are available. Voila! You’ve made dinner. Frankie Heck would have loved how hassle-free this kind of “cooking” can be.
Have you tried
What: Chicken dinners
Where: Marathon gas station, 2903 S. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne
How much: $4.39-$11.99
Info: 321-956-0060.
Email toastofthecoastfloridatoday@gmail.com.