Gas station gourmet: Conway fuel stop serving up restaurant quality Indian food
Inside Conway’s 4-Way Fuel, customers can find normal gas station offerings such as lottery tickets, cigarettes and hot dogs on a roller machine.
But next to the front counter, there is a serving station with tandoori fried chicken, rice and butter chicken.
Lovey and Laxmi Vaid, the husband-and-wife owners of 4-Way Fuel at 1600 4th Ave., started serving Indian food a couple times a week about a month ago, Laxmi Vaid said. The couple decided to switch it up, so Lovey Vaid, a trained chef, started cooking up Indian food.
Lovey Vaid said when he told his customers that he wanted to get his kitchen up and running, they asked him to cook his “kind of food.” Before the couple moved to Myrtle Beach in 2015, Lovey Vaid had worked as head chef at an Indian restaurant in New York City.
“We started with the hot dogs and the small bites, the grab-and-gos, tandoori bites and so forth. And he was like, ‘Okay, let’s just do the whole shebang of the kitchen,’” Laxmi Vaid said. “He’s a professional cook and why not bring it out?”
Lovey Vaid cooks his food with care, putting great time and effort into developing flavors. He said he makes his own spice mixes, purchasing spices like cumin whole, toasting them in a pan then grinding the aromatics into a powdered garam masala or tandoori mix.
For the tandoori chicken, Lovey Vaid marinates the meat for multiple days. Laxmi Vaid said 24 hours is usually good enough, but the longer the better.
When looking to create a menu, the Vaids wanted to make sure it appealed to their Southern clientele. They decided to create fusion dishes like tandoori fried chicken and decrease the spice level.
“The only thing we fixed is the heat. I don’t add too much chili because not a lot of people go ham with the chili. But we keep the spices authentic,” Laxmi Vaid said.
For now, 4-Way Fuel is serving Indian food a one or two days a week as they get the kitchen up and running. Laxmi Vaid said customers can check the gas station’s Facebook or TikTok page to find out when they will be serving food.
The gas station’s Facebook ads have been reaching customers across the Conway area. On Aug. 8, Chase Xander stopped by for lunch while running in between appointments. While ordering, Xander told Laxmi Vaid he was excited to see Indian food in Conway, as he has fond memories of going to Indian buffets in New Jersey.
Xander said he heard about 4-Way Fuel’s new offerings through Facebook. For now, the only place to grab Indian food in Conway is 4-Way Fuel. But know the food is steps above the typical gas station hot dog or slice of pizza.
“His talent was just sitting there. I was like ‘Come on, let’s make some money off of it,’” Laxmi Vaid said with a laugh.
This story was originally published August 13, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
