LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — People are filling up more than just their gas tank at the Citgo - EZ Express Mart on Route 118 in Lehman Township.
They're also filling their dinner plates with what's being called the 'best crab cakes in the region.' Customers were busy Friday getting their fill.
"It's like, really, you're going to get seafood at a gas station?" laughs Kim Ashton of Lehman Township. "The crab cakes are phenomenal."
Richard Belmont of Dallas was taking an order home for his wife.
"They're delicious, they're the best in the area," added Belmont.
At the counter, where lottery tickets and smokes are usually sold, the owners are busy bagging up tons and tons of seafood. Owner Manisha Patel says she wasn't sure how the community would react.
"Seafood in the gas station, you know nobody knows what's going to take off," laughs Patel.
But, it definitely took off, completely by word of mouth. Debbie Wolff is the woman behind the secret recipe. Five years ago, she retired and started working as a cashier at Citgo. But that didn't last long.
"One of my other customers came in and said, 'Hey, can you make me some crab cakes?'. I said, 'Sure, but don't say anything because I don't want the headache.' and this is what I have now," said Wolff.
Now, the secret's out, and Debbie has the orders to prove it. She patted more than a thousand crab cakes over the holiday.
"We just had a crazy Christmas. I want to say we did 1000, 1200 crab cakes in a four-day stretch," added Wolff.
While at first, there are some skeptics about where the seafood is sold. People are now coming from all over the country to try the gas station delicacy.
"A lot of Maryland people. And they try here because they want to try the 'real crab' and this crab, and they all love this," Patel added.
Wolff makes every order from scratch. She says everything is made in-house, with the freshest ingredients and her own recipe.
"The wild thing is I just tweaked one off the internet," she stated.
"They have chunks of crab in them that are huge," described Ashton.
It's not just the crab cakes, the Citgo also has a Friday Fish Fry, and all of the coolers are stocked with every creature under the sea. It has options from shrimp to crab dip and bisque and stuffed haddock.
"The shrimp is really good, I've had the shrimp. oh! The clam chowder is really good, really good," said George Searfoss of Dallas.
Despite the crab cake craze, the CITGO is still a hidden gem in Luzerne County.
"It took a while, I think, for everyone to find it and realize it was special," said Mary Ann Friar of Shavertown.
Special, just like the woman whipping up some of the best seafood in the most unusual of places.
"Gas station crab cakes, I kind of like it!" jokes Wolff.
And people sure like it, too.
The store is open throughout the holiday weekend. It is open from 6 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Sunday. Monday, the hours are 7 a.m. through 4 p.m.
Orders can be placed at 570-310-1492. Availability is also posted on the gas station's Facebook page.