My dad is the kind of old-school character who arrives four hours ahead of departure time for a domestic flight from Miami to New York. All of his bills are paid via paper check, which he drops off in person. And, naturally, he’s a big believer in going into the gas station to pay the clerk directly before filling his tank with gas, putting zero trust in the card machines out by the pumps.
By design, gas stations are there to get us out of a range of tough spots: air when your tires are flat; bathrooms and tampons when you need bathrooms and tampons; crunchy chicharrones when the road snacks you packed are starting to lose their luster; a handy — even if unwieldy — vacuum when your homemade trail mix flies everywhere.
Mendez Fuel is a chain of Miami-based Mobil stations where customers are just as likely to peruse the racks of wine and beer as fill up their tanks. Twelve years ago, Michael Mendez bought the stations from a close friend. He called his brother, Andrew Mendez, to see if he was interested in working on the new project together. The plan was for Andrew to take over the Mobil location on 32 Avenue, since it was a bit far away from the other three, and the least convenient for Michael to get to.