Drive-thru store in Oberlin under new ownership as ‘The Pit Stop Brew Thru’

A drive-thru beverage store formerly known as Rt. 58 Drive-Thru at 14340 Route 58 in Oberlin is under new ownership and has a new name.

The business is now called The Pit Stop Brew Thru.

The new owners are married couple Martin and Jessica McClellan, who also own Pit Stop Mini Mart, located a few miles away at 50470 US Route 20 in Oberlin.

Martin McClellan said he stopped at Rt. I bought a bottle of water a few years ago and had a conversation with the owner about a potential sale.

He said the deal finally came to fruition this year on June 14.

“Why here? It’s four miles from the other store,” McClellan said. “Employees can go to any location on a given day without having to travel too far, and I can go back and forth- returns.”

McClellan confirmed that customers can still get many of the same drinks, snacks and pizza offered at the store under the previous ownership.

He said the company is working to expand the food offerings and ultimately be open longer in the mornings and evenings.

“We need to operate the food side of the business,” McClellan said. “We’ll cook ribs and chicken out front during the summer; prepare new submarines for people who travel; make breakfast sandwiches for people on their way to work and be open so they can stop by again for dinner.

McClellan thanked the 22 employees at both locations for making it possible for customers to shop at the businesses.

“What we hear today is that it is not possible to find good help,” he said. “When you’re nice to your employees, I don’t know if it’s true.”

McClellan credited employee Margaret Shrader, who he said helped set up the Pit Stop Brew Thru during its early days under new ownership.

“She works all day, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., knowing we’ll get there one of these days,” he said. “It’s temporary, but she’s willing to put in the time.”

Shrader said she enjoyed working for McClellan, first taking a job at the Pit Stop Mini Mart on U.S. Route 20 a few years ago.

“It was the best decision I ever made,” she said.

McClellan said the Pit Stop Mini Mart has seen more than four times as much business as under its previous ownership.

The goal is to double traffic on Rt. 58th when the Pit Stop Brew Thru is fully operational, he said.

McClellan said achieving this goal requires building positive relationships with customers and the neighboring Oberlin community.

“We’re going to advertise with (Oberlin) College and we’re going to go on the radio with WOBL,” he said. “We’re going to advertise, but it’s also about following through and being upfront in what you tell people.”