On November 1, 1986, The Best Stop Supermarket opened its doors, marking the beginning of a remarkable journey. Lawrence and Robert, dedicated and relentless, committed themselves seven days a week to develop and perfect their recipes. Their shared goal was as straightforward as it was profound – to provide Louisiana with the finest specialty meats while creating a brand that would make their families and community immensely proud. Three decades later, the Best Stop vision continues to thrive with help of passionate fans like John and Robbie bringing The Best Stop to new states and cities like Katy, Texas.

Lifelong Friends Turned Franchise Partners

John Mendell and Robbie Abrusley, lifelong friends who met at the age of 11, forged a bond that remained unbroken throughout their college years as roommates and teammates on the UL golf team. Even when Robbie left Louisiana for Texas after college, the two stayed in touch and caught up when they traveled back and forth with John having family in Texas and Robbie in Louisiana.

John Mendell, born and raised in Lafayette, has Cajun culture running deep in his veins. A CPA by trade with a strong entrepreneurial spirit, John’s roots in Louisiana and his family ties to Texas set the stage for the Texan-Louisianan connection that fueled The Best Stop – Katy franchise.

On the other side of our partnership is Robbie Abrusley, a proud native of Oakdale in Central Louisiana. After college, he ventured into the world of real estate in Texas. About a decade later, he pursued the oil and gas industry to New Braunfels, TX, even joining up with John to create service businesses in the industry.

Like many who have ties to South Louisiana and Texas, Robbie  found himself at The Best Stop filling a cooler of boudin, cracklins and other Cajun specialty meats before making the trek back to Texas. On these trips he wished he could have the taste of Louisiana a little closer to home.

When Robbie heard that The Best Stop had franchise opportunities, he didn’t hesitate to share the venture with his lifelong friend and business partner. “I told John we have to do this, I don’t know what it’s going to take to do this, but we’ve got to do it. We saw the opportunity and just had to jump on it. And here we are, making it happen.”