A Great Store with Great Food

Dateline July 12, 2019

On Friday July 12, 2019, the Suncook River Convenience Store on Route 28 in Allenstown, NH held its Grand Re-Opening.

Owners Jay and Kunal Patel were on hand to greet customers and serve them their special fresh-cooked entrees and other popular items.

Mr. Patel said he "wanted to introduce people to the best quality of food available in the area. The store has always maintained high standards and takes pride in the food they serve."

The interior has been given a complete makeover and feels more spacious than it used to. The flooring has been replaced with special tiles that look like old fashioned wood flooring.

As part of the renovations, the kitchen was totally rebuilt and a large walk-in cooler was installed in an addition at the rear of the building. This allowed them to store food supplies as close as possible to the cooking equipment. Formerly, the food was stored in the rear of the beverage cooler, making for a lot of walking across the store.

As a replacement for the handwritten menu boards, a set of five electronic signs were installed above the counter to display all the freshly prepared food items one can order, and even includes the calorie count! The counter was rebuilt and the facade was covered with an attractive tile reminiscent of classic lunch counters.

One hot selling food entree is their Krispy Krunchy Chicken. Some customers claim that it's as good or better than the chicken you can get from "The Colonel."

The store has been operated by Jay Patel and his wife, Kunal Patel, since 2004 (that's 15 years). They had leased the building through various landlords, and eventually purchased the property in August 2018. After taking over, they decided to upgrade the building to current industry standards.

The Patels originally emigrated from India, lived in Florida for a time, and then moved to New Hampshire. They now operate six convenience stores in New Hampshire, as far south as Wyndham and as far north as Newport, making this an amazing success story. They currently employ over 30 people at these stores and are grateful that many of them have worked for them for years.

Store hours are typically from 5 or 6 a.m. until 10 p.m. Mrs. Patel is often at the store at 4 a.m. preparing breakfast sandwiches for the morning customers. Yes, customers actually come in as early as 5 a.m. to grab some of those sandwiches on their way to work.

They love the Allenstown community and hence decided to invest in the property and continue to serve their large loyal customer base.

What You Can Do

The next time you are traveling Route 28 through Allenstown, look for the sign and stop in. You are sure to find something you will like.

The store is located at 270 Pinewood Rd. (Rte. 28), Allenstown, NH.
Phone: (603) 485-2242