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Nine Mile Road Dodge’s Convenience Store Shut Down Suddenly Tuesday
September 3, 2024
The Dodge’s Southern Style convenience store on East Nine Mile Road closed suddenly Tuesday morning.
All signage and branding were removed from the store, the parking lot was closed off, and vendors were apparently removing their products from the building.
NorthEscambia.com reached out to the company’s home office in Tupelo, Mississippi. We were told they would not make any comment to the media by a representative that then hung up the phone.
The Pensacola location of Dodge’s has been removed from the company’s website, and a Facebook page for the location says it is permanently closed. “Store Closed” signs were also posted at the entrance.
In response to a Facebook question we posted, the company confirmed, “…we are closing our Pensacola location.”
The location was constructed in 2001, according to Escambia County tax records.
Pictured: The Dodge’s Southern Style convenience store on East Nine Mile Road as seen Tuesday. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Comments
44 Responses to “Nine Mile Road Dodge’s Convenience Store Shut Down Suddenly Tuesday”
Was a very convenient location. My dogs will be upset when they hear. After havinggased up once a week I would buy them a double corndog deal as a treat for them. The store Workers wrre always nice and helpful. I hope they quickly find work somewhere good.
Dang Dodges ! I loved you so much! My5yr old kid loved you too! ..she is still asking me to look into why you went away …
Where am I going to use my slushi punch points at now,, and the variety of potato logs and eggroles with pizza sticks and burritos and a corndog and chicken on the side of course *♡ you will be missed and thought about
I stopped by a bit after they opened needed gas it was late afternoon pumping the gas I heard a announcement over the speaker try our fryer chicken and then went in to buy dinner wasn’t intending to do that but it sounds and smelt so good, it was a surprise and a good one no doubt
spoke with an employee at dodge’s sister location in Foley, AL and she said all the pensacola store merchandise was shifted to her location – and just a thought – but Wawa is buying up some of these ideal locations for future Wawa’s – they just recently did that in Loxley, AL at the corner of Hwy 64 and Hwy 59 where Burris farmer market has been located for years
I was their very first customer the first day they were open. I walked in that day and said, I didn’t realize yall had opened yet. They said, Yeah, We are open! I said, How long have yall been open? She said, Five minutes!! I laughed and said, I mean how many days? She said, Today, you are our very first customer ever! We laughed and discussed the fact that I should get chicken for life. But yeah, I felt special. Well, Happy trails Dodge’s.
Where can I get the orange creamsicle slush??? Please I’m at my wits end with this economy!!!
Well if the employees are looking for a job. Escambia County is looking for good drivers to drive the school buses. Check it out!
Sure going to miss the chicken
Imagine that…Dodge’s is DODGING questions.
My grandson love their corn dogs!!
@Brian
College students need to eat too. They need shelter and clean water and electricity, just like anyone else. If your business doesn’t pay enough to meet your workers basic needs, then you should be removed from the marketplace and be replaced by someone who actually can run a profitable business without requiring their workers to subsidize their company.
As for “raising wages just raises prices”: In Denmark, the minimum wage at McDonalds is the equivalent of $22/hour, with 6 weeks of vacation time, health insurance, and a pension. And the Big Macs there are *cheaper* than in the US. Are the Danes just better/smarter than Americans? Or are wages a very small part of the operating budget for a business, and can be increased by taking less profit at the end of the year?
As a former employee I hate to see this! As far as wages it’s more than fair. I left in May of 2023. Was being paid above minimum wage. I hope Crystal Cindy Dina and Roger all land on thier feet. Best crew ever!
This was bestselling place for gasoline prices and food for me
I loved dodges this really upset me
Weird cause the day before I got coffee from there and debated to keep the cup for some reason. I am gonna miss this place-the chicken and apple pie and those chaquitos that no one else has. Also it was the only gas station that was not a pain to get in or out off. Now nowhere to go at 2 am for chicken.
Wow, l never stopped there, but passed by several times a week. I wondered why there was a cover over the sign… just thought they were getting a name change or ownership . So sad the store is closing., and so sorry that the workers will be unemployed..,hopefully not for long..
I drive Uber and stop in for gas when I am low. I was there to get gas the same morning and when I came back in the afternoon to get my drink it was all taped up. I hope the workers and their families will go through the storm by faith. A family member of one worker said they gave them 2 weeks pay and told them the same day they are closing. I pray for both workers and owners because we never know what can happen when it comes to business. Only God knows!
The expansion of 9 Mile Rd and the increased development likely drove the cost up past the break even, much less profitable margin.
If Dodge’s didn’t own the property, as it seems, then the lease renewal likely made their business model obsolete.
Great folks worked there– been a patron since 2012. Sad to see them displaced and out on the tiles. Best of luck to all of the employees.
Change is the only constant.
@bob
You clearly don’t understand economics. I love how people are saying “living wage” when these jobs are not meant for older employees. I know older people need jobs sometimes but these are for college age and younger. Older adults need jobs that pay better.
By raising minimum wage all you do is raise prices on everything. Doesnt matter if you make 100 an hr if a gallon of milk is 50 bucks.
Don’t jump to accusations until you know the facts yet. I doubt it had anything to do with wages. But certainly somebody should know some answers by now.
Didn’t they just remodel this location? That’s a shame, because it was the best gas station on East Nine Mile.
@Tim Barberi
Florida minimum wage will cap out at $15 an hour in 2026. Current minimum wage is $12 an hour and will increase to $13 and hour on September 30.
@Tim Barberi
If paying your workers a living wage causes your business to fail, then you deserve to go out of business.
That’s what $15-20 minumim wage… All it’s gonna do is create more business closures and create more homeless people…
I live in Illinois, but come to visit my friend in Pensacola often. I always made sure to stop in and get Dodge’s chicken when in Pensacola. I was just there on Sunday and got two chicken legs. Two days later, I was driving past with my friend, and we thought they were just under construction. I checked their website and the Pensacola location was gone. I tried calling their number, no answer. That was so fast. I was wondering if maybe Chick-fil-A hurt their business, in addition to inflation. I’m sure the employees didn’t know it was coming either. It’s really too bad.
I credit them with keeping gas prices low.
A local person owns and leases the property to Dodges…I wonder if they decided to drastically increase the lease price. Or maybe they sold the property and property tax assessments doubled. This has happened to several businesses along 9 mile. One of my favorite was Revolve Fitness. Unfortunately, inflation keeps rising. And people keep rising prices to balance thier own pocket book out of need or greed.
I live in a neighborhood behind Dodges and I felt safe
Letting the kids to walk and get a corn dog and icee. Many of the kids walked there. The 80cent Polar Pop drinks ans Icees will be missed!!!!
I have thoroughly enjoyed reading some of these comments. The one about the i
icee’s and tater tots and corndogs, etc., were well written. I did not go to the store because it was not convenient for me, but I hate that y’all have lost a store that y’all loved
I’m in agreement with some of the comments about this store. They had some of the friendliest staff and the food was good. I had just started my second punch out card for my free soda. I going to really miss Dodges and the friendly staff. Some type of fraud or someone stealing from the company, to me is the only thing that will make a store close this fast and without notice.
Always the cheapest diesel in town; always stopped in for my gas. They were always busy and the folks inside were always so friendly. Hate to see this place go. Gonna miss it! No one could beat dodges!!
I would always go to Dodge’s every night. Lori would always great me with a smile and I didn’t even have to tell her what I wanted. She always knew exactly what I wanted, She always made people feel special. I remember one night there was a fight at Dodge’s and she literally defused the whole situation before any law enforcement arrived. She always could tell when something wasn’t right with someone and she always made the customers laugh and smile. Lori and the rest of the Dodge’s crew will be missed deeply.
Dodges was my GoTo place for corn dogs. Maybe the profits aren’t there anymore. My last couple of visits found the store parking lot almost deserted on a Friday night. I just couldn’t imagine the sales being that slow. The last time I was in there, there were enough corn dogs to feed a young football team. It’s one of your more safer places in town open 24/7.
Sad.
But someone knows the answer.
I was a regular here everyday super upsetting
When Dodge’s opened on that end of Nine Mile Road there wasn’t a lot of competitoin nearby as I recall. Now you got Krispy Kreme, Burger King, Panda Express. Chick-fil-A, Chipolte, Jersey Mike’s, Foosackly’s, Sonic, and who knows what else, all within 1000 feet. That is a crazy amount of competition.
I wonder if it has anything to do with the new CEFCO opening soon on Nine Mile, and the Wawa coming to North Davis.
There goes my icee connection. Man oh man. And my cards were all punched up for a free one. Bummer. What’s a girl to do!
Had decent fried chicken and friendly staff. Wish them the best of luck.
Vendors picking up their product is not a question mark. It’s a common practice amongst vendors to pick up product and credit the store upon closing.
Wonder if internal fraud. Venders picking up merchandise has a big ?MARK
Probably didn’t give their employees any warning either.
This is sad. A quick place to stop for some good chicken strips. Hope to join Paul Harvey for “the rest of the story.”
There goes my Tater log connection
Aww……I loved that store.