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If you happen to see one that's still in business, rural small town/crossroads mom & pop general stores often make some surprisingly good, thick, cold-cut sandwiches dressed to order. Some offer traditional breakfasts and things like homemade chili, veg soup, etc., at lunch, too.

I usually make sandwiches out of what I have in the house rather than toss it. I make them minus the condiments. I put my condiments in a ziplock along with the sandwiches in my food cooler. I will put a few premade vac packed dinners I always have in the freezer in the cooler as well. I will microwave those in the hotel room.

If I see a place that interests me I will go out to eat. I avoid any fast food places if possible. If for some reason I do end up at a fast food place I keep it simple like a cheeseburger with mayo and ketchup.

If its a trip longer than a few days on the road I will only make a few days of sandwiches.on longer trips I carry everything to made sandwiches in the cooler. I stay off the junk food snacks and anything else im not used to eating.

Johnny Cash song comes to mind. But, he's been everywhere so no place is new.

2 for $1 hot dogs... and fuel at Sheetz

One for the dog... and one for the dog later...

My food/drinks are pre-packed typically.

The important thing is to eat lighter than usual. Heavy meals make you drowsy, and that's not good while driving. And stay away from "iffy" foods like gas station sushi.

watch out for the chili, it might just GIVE you the Sheetz!

if i'm solo its usually wendys drive through and back on the road again. if you can find an arbys, thats the king of fast food. never mcdonalds, ever. burger whore if i haven't eaten in 2 days.

if its a fambly trip then we usually would stop at a non chain diner and take our chances. i don't do much beyond 2-3 hours these days but if i was rolling solo, i'd do like we used to do back in my youth. fill a cooler with lunch meat and snacks and pop and keep the petal to the metal.

location, location, location,

For many years Denver was (I believe still is) the test market for many of the national eatery chains. For that reason those Denver outlets are often the best of the same-named places across the country. Denver is the one place where you can often fare better at a chain rather than at
a unique establishment.

Bringing a cooler? Check the road ahead for smokehouses and cheese shops (creameries). (I guess you can include bakeries but I'm personally not a big bread guy). If you are in the right areas of the country you can make your cooler as good as any deli.

On a recent trip to the Tulsa Gun Show my brother and I decided we were going to hit as many OK bbq places as possible. Some were chains, some not, but most were only so-so. The biggest surprise was that the very best of them all was a caterer way out on the panhandle (Guymon) that is only open Friday and Saturday nights. Hunny's.

Lots of chips and Soda.

Pepsi

Stuckeys..

Road trip= drive through and keep rolling OR stop and eat real fast and piss. I go for Wendy's, Jack in the Crack out west or Culver's here locally. Try and avoid the Mcdonald's for some reason. But I will occasionally stop for a full meal in a sit down joint if not in a hurry.

I haven't seen a Stuckey's in decades. Where are they prominent these days?

We haven't ate in one for years but Bob Evans restaurants used to be a pretty good place to stop and eat a good full meal while traveling. As I recall they were clean, had good food and enough menu choices.

I save my Speedy Rewards points all year and get a $75 or $100 gift card for my trip west each fall. I buy a couple emergency Red Bull’s and the rest I spend on light filling snacks like corn nuts, salami, crackers, & jerky to try and keep me on the road as long as possible between stops.

Those wide-mouthed 1-liter Mountain Dew bottles used to be a part of that list; very handy for full bladders. Sadly they don’t make em anymore.

Sometimes do a sit down dinner and then my choice is Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel.

Have not seen one in 25 years.Was trying the age test.LOL

If we're traveling we snack on things like;
Trail Mix, Corn Nuts, Sunflower Seeds
Beef Jerky (or real deer jerky)
Raisons, dried fruit, other types of nuts

If we stop along the way:
Chic-a-Fill
McDonalds
Wendys
Brums
Cracker Barrel (if we want to go in and sit down)

After we arrive
Hole in the Wall places (I agree with watching for work trucks)
Chain Steak Houses (Logans, Outback, ect)
BBQ Joints (I'm a sucker for these)
High End Steak or Seafood Houses ( usually at least once, Jack Rubys, ect)

Some of the restaurant choices depend on whether I'm traveling with my family or traveling with buddys. (hunting trips, gun shows, beer fest)

We usually always eat breakfast before hitting the road. Always carry a small cooler full of water and diet drinks. Sometimes we carry a sandwich, sometimes not. Snacks are usually limited to pretzels because they are lighter in calories and don’t make a mess. Often have a cut up apple in the cooler as well.
If we stop to eat a meal we always try to find a non chain place but that’s not easy to do. McDonalds is a frequent stop for coffee and a quick cheeseburger to split with the wife just to take the edge off. We try to eat lighter to avoid feeling sluggish.

I know one thing for sure, it's not the five buck lunch at Dairy Queen. The burger is not bad, but that fudge sundae is not so good when you are driving. Don't ask how I know.