Bionic caught up with Jeanette and Katie from the Midway Truckstop in Whitchurch, a roadside diner that is popular with locals, long-distance lorry drivers, and even a resident robin. 

The Midway Truckstop has been serving customers for the best part of 50 years, with Jeanette and her family running things from 2017. 

So, what made the Wood family want to take over this well-established eatery? What have been Jeanette's biggest successes, greatest challenges, and does she have any words of wisdom to pass on to the next generation of small business owners? 

And how did it feel to win the Bionic Insurance Prize Draw? 

Read on to find out the answers to all these questions and more. 

Old business, new life 

Jeanette was in the market for a campervan that could serve as a food truck (her son is a chef) when she saw the “For Sale” sign at the Midway Truckstop. It’s a place the family had frequented in the past, and they took the plunge and bought it. 

Nine years later, business is still booming. But how did it feel to become the owner of a local business that you and your family had frequented so much? 

“It was surreal. It was like being thrown out of a plane without a parachute. You’re dropped in, and suddenly 108 customers are waiting to be served.” 

For anyone who’s never worked in a restaurant, a cafe, or even a truckstop, 108 covers is a lot. So, what’s it like when the place is full? 

Katie: “It’s chaos. But good chaos. You only see a ticket. So, when you get the chance to pop your head out and see it’s full, and people are waiting to be seated, it’s crazy.” 

“You’ve got people chatting, the [order] numbers being shouted out – it’s go, go, go, go.” 

But don’t be misled by Katie’s chaos. The Midway Truckstop is a well-oiled machine. 

Katie continues: “It’s not a cafe. This is a pit stop. You know in Formula One racing, when they go into the pit stop and get the new wheels on and – BANG – they’re gone. That’s us.” 

A home-from-home for happy customers 

If you need proof, then consider the Truckstop adheres to a strict rule of “One minute and thirty seconds from till to table” – just enough time to sit down and catch your breath before you tuck in. 

But that doesn’t mean that Jeanette and Katie want customers in and out as quickly as possible. Far from it. On the odd occasion there is a lull in the kitchen, they’ll happily sit and chat with customers.  

Aside from the cheery company, customers are quick to praise the quality of the food at the Midway Truckstop. All ingredients are the best you can buy, and all meals are homemade – the Truckstop is more than a place for a fry up, serving homemade pies, lasagne, chilli, and more.  

And amid the (controlled) chaos, it's always nice to see the regulars and get feedback from happy customers, as Katie explains: "You see some people come through the door and their order is instantly cooking, as you know what they want already. And some customers bring their plates back saying, 'that was brilliant', 'that was great', and  'compliments to the chef'". 

Jeanette adds: "Some people leave little notes on the back of the ticket, like 'that was the best omelette I've ever had', things like that." (there's a special way of making omelettes at the Midway Truckstop, that I wasn't able to prise out of Katie or Jeanette. If they shared it, I was told I'd not be allowed to leave the building). 

If you're not familiar with Whitchurch, it's a historic market town in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, which makes for some interesting and unexpected regulars. 

Jeanette explains: "We've got a Robin. He comes in at the front door, he hops in, comes all the way up here [to the back of the dining area] and flies out the back door." 

Katie adds: "And he does this every day. It's like he's getting on shift, I suppose." 

But back to those 108 covers. Regularly keeping that many customers fed, watered, and happy is a massive achievement, but what does Jeanette consider her biggest achievement as a business owner? 

“Making it a homely atmosphere. I want customers to feel that they can come in here anytime they like, buy a cup of tea and bring their paper, and stay all day if they want.” 

And being a Truckstop, it’s a waypoint for lorry drivers who need to freshen up, get a bit to eat, and have a conversation with someone that’s not the radio DJ.  

Katie adds: “The lorry drivers who crave that human conversation. They’re long-distance [drivers]…and they want someone to talk to, especially when they’re staying over in the car park overnight.” 

Jeanette adds: “It’s a home-from-home, [to Katie] it’s certainly our home-from-home. It’s probably our home.” 

A helping hand from Bionic 

As with many small business owners, this isn’t a nine-to-five. Which leads us on to the biggest challenge of being a business owner – time. 

The truck stop is open 12 hours a day during the week (13 hours on Thursdays), and up to eight hours on weekends. And it only closes for two days of the year – Christmas Day and Boxing Day. 

Then there’s the fact that running the Midway Truckstop is more than keeping customers happy – the team take care of cleaning, maintenance, and repairs, as well as all the admin that comes with running a business. 

And that’s where Jeanette appreciates a helping hand from Bionic, especially her account manager, Callum. 

“It’s good to just have the one person to deal with because you don’t need to keep repeating yourself. 

“And I always worry when it’s online, you wonder ‘Am I insured and I’ve just paid all that money when I press that button?’” 

“I just told Callum everything, and he said ‘Right, leave it with me. I felt safe to leave it in his hands.” 

Kaite added: “Especially when you’re running a fast [paced] business, you just don’t have the time to sit down and go through things” 

As Jeanette puts it: “We cook the dinners, they do the insurance.” 

And Bionic puts the Truckstop in pole position when it comes to insurance renewals too. 

Jeanette: “They [Bionic] always remind me. Because I’m so busy, the insurance being due can feel like a chore, but I don’t feel like that with Bionic.” 

So, how did it feel to win free insurance for a year? 

Once Jeanette realised the call from Callum, business insurance account manager for the Midway Truckstop, wasn’t bad news about a Direct Debit or some other problem with her cover, she was delighted with the news. 

“I was made up, I really was. I’ve never won anything in my life, but I’ve won that, and that’s all that matters. I really felt good.” 

Facing the challenges 

Jeanette has owned the Midway Truckstop for nine years, but it’s been serving customers for close to 50 years. Was there any trepidation about taking over such a well-established business? 

“In Whitchurch, everybody knows everybody and then all of a sudden, I turn up with my family. We were outsiders coming in, but everyone was really, really accepting and that was nice. And we’ve made some good friends.” 

It’s clear that Jeanette loves life as a business owner and puts her heart and soul into it, but what’s been her biggest struggle? 

COVID was a big struggle. Jeanette and her family had been in charge for just a couple of years when the world turned on its head. The business closed for ten weeks. But, as Katie pointed out, you need to go through the tough times to appreciate the good ones. 

“You’ve got to have the struggles because you’ve got to see the growth. You got through Covid. Looking back, it was a struggle, but it is better now.” 

Having seen the good and bad of running a business, what advice would Jeanette give to someone starting a business? 

“If your heart and soul aren’t into it, then it’s not going to work. You can’t just come to a business, pretend you work there and go home. 

“You have to be absolutely everything. If someone breaks a toilet seat, we put a new one on. If the drains are blocked, we’ll clear them. It’s not about ordering people around, it’s about working with them. 

“You just do it because you’ve got pride in your business, in your building, in everything.” 

Having spent an hour or so in the company of the staff and customers at the Midway Truckstop – and sampled a sensational sausage and egg butty – Jeanette has a business that she and her family should be very proud of.