Within Akal Travel Center, a truck stop operating around the clock on Wyoming’s expansive plains, the fragrances of sautéed garlic and rich curry powder fill the atmosphere. It’s a cloudy, blustery day in late January, and Ediquis Brown has parked his truck at the fuel station along Interstate 80, roughly 20 miles from downtown Laramie, Wyoming. He strolls past shelves filled with candy bars and quirky souvenirs to the checkout area, where he places his order without even glancing at the old whiteboard menu. His regular: tandoori chicken, garlic naan, one mango lassi, and two cups of rich chai.
Headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Brown journeys from east to west each week in his 18-wheeler, frequently completing 11-hour shifts and dining in his truck to keep on track. He is among the many drivers who visit Akal daily for homemade servings of perfectly charred naan, golden butter chicken, and biryani adorned with carrots and peas.
“We draw in customers with the lowest diesel prices—and the food,” states Gurjot Singh, who has managed the truck stop since 2014, just two years after owners Mintu Pandher and Amandeep acquired the site. All 10 of their staff members moved to Laramie from the Punjab region of northwest India and currently live in a housing facility behind the gas station.
