Move over, hot dogs: The most exciting new convenience store treat in Missoula is Indian food. The recently constructed Jay’s 1 Stop in East Missoula features a hot food bar with a pan-Asian lineup of takeout dishes including orange chicken, yakisoba, basmati rice, chicken curry and Rajma curry.
Jay’s 1 Stop owner Jesse Sandhu says he was born and raised in India, and wanted to bring some of those dishes here. He’s optimistic about the demand he’s already seeing from locals who happen to stop by.
“There’s a huge demand for Indian food in Missoula,” he says. “Down the road we’ll have more varieties of things.”
“There’s a huge demand for Indian food in Missoula.”
Rajma masala is a kidney bean vegetarian curry made with onions, tomatoes, and spices — a style of northern Indian cuisine that Sandhu grew up with.
Jay’s 1 Stop reflects a national trend in convenience stores and gas stations offering more multicultural food options, especially as trucker demographics shift. The North American Punjabi Trucking Association estimated back in 2021, as reported by public radio station KVPR, that about 20 percent of American truckers are from the Punjab region, prompting a growth in gas station Indian food. Punjabi truckers are also common in India, inspiring Bollywood trucker dance sequences.
Dhabas, or Indian gas stations, aren’t easy to find in the Rockies, but a road-tripping Missoulian looking for more tasty curries should make note of the Fancher Food Mart in Spokane Valley, Wash., where locals rave about the butter chicken, or the Speedy Singh south of Dillon, Mont., which offers a wide selection including samosa chaat, curries, naan and chai.
Sandhu says he’ll expand the snacks, curries and chutneys at Jay’s 1 Stop depending on what customers are interested in.
Find Jay’s 1 Stop on the corner of Highway 200 and Highton Street in East Missoula. Hot food served from noon to 8 p.m. daily. A takeout container of curry and rice will set you back $9.99.
