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Terrible Herbst, Inc.
Terrible's
Company typePrivate
IndustryService station
Founded1959
Headquarters3440 W Russell Rd, Paradise, Nevada, U.S.
Number of locations
176 (2022)
Area served
Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona
Key people
Ed Herbst (CEO)
ProductsGasoline
Convenience stores
RevenueIncrease US$395.3 million (2022)
Number of employees
2,100 (2022)
Websitewww.terribles.com

Terrible Herbst, or Terrible Herbst Oil Company, is an American privately held gas station company based in Paradise, Nevada, United States.

The company operates gas stations in Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona.

History

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The company's roots go back to a single Chicago, Illinois, gas station in 1938.[1] The owner of Martin Oil, Edward R. Herbst, was credited with becoming "the P.T. Barnum of gasoline" by engaging in unusual marketing strategies, undercutting the competition with low prices, and pioneering the convenience store model.[2] According to his son, Jerry, each time the elder Herbst would open a new gas station, competitors would bemoan the move: "Here comes that terrible Herbst", inspiring the chain's nickname.[3] Alternatively, the name is traced to a specific incident that occurred in the late 1940s as Herbst was moving to the western United States; when applying for a business license in Cheyenne, Wyoming, one of the city councilmembers (who owned a competing gas station) was overheard saying "If we let that terrible Herbst in, we'll all go under!"[4]

Ed (1910–66) and his wife Lorraine (1909–73) had two children: Dolly (1932–2001), a model who married actor Wild Bill Elliott, and Jerry (1938–2018), a businessman. The site of the Herbst family's original Las Vegas-area home is now part of the MGM Grand Las Vegas resort property.[5] Jerry graduated from the University of Southern California in 1959 and returned to Las Vegas to help with the family business, rebranding it as the Terrible Herbst Oil Co. that year.[6] Both Dolly and Jerry had executive positions in Terrible's.[5] Jerry is credited with the design for the company's mascot, known alternatively as "Mr. Terrible"[7] or "Bad Guy",[8] a cowboy wearing a black hat and a handlebar moustache.[6] Jerry himself was credited as being "the best bad guy of the West".[9]

The Terrible Herbst company is run by Jerry's sons, Tim, Troy, and Ed Herbst.[10] The company's headquarters is located at 5195 Las Vegas Blvd South, Las Vegas, Nevada 89119. Its stations are typically of the Chevron brand. In 2018, the company opened Terrible's Road House in Jean, billed as the largest Chevron in the world, with 96 gas pumps, 60 restroom stalls, and a 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2) convenience store.[11]

Affiliates

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Herbst Gaming

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Main article: Affinity Gaming

Herbst Gaming was a slot route operator and casino company owned by Jerry Herbst's three sons. It was formed in 1987 to service slot machines in the Terrible Herbst stores. In 1997, it began opening and acquiring full-fledged casinos, many of which were branded as Terrible's casinos. It operated two casinos in Pahrump before opening a third casino (on the site of the old Continental Hotel and Casino) in Las Vegas in 2000.[12] However, a ban on smoking and weak gasoline prices hurt the company's profits.[13] The company went into Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, and the Herbst family gave up its ownership stake. Herbst Gaming subsequently changed its name to Affinity Gaming and dropped its use of the Terrible's name.

Terrible Herbst mascot sign at the Neon Museum

JETT Gaming

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JETT Gaming is a slot route operator and casino company formed by Jerry Herbst in 2011, after the family lost its ownership of Herbst Gaming.[14] In 2012, JETT bought out the slot route contracts for Terrible Herbst stores from the former Herbst Gaming, and also acquired the Terrible's casino in Searchlight, Nevada.[15][16] In 2015, JETT bought the Gold Strike Hotel and Gambling Hall in Jean, Nevada from MGM Resorts International for $12 million;[17][18] the property was later rebranded as Terrible's Hotel & Casino.[19] The company also acquired a second casino in Searchlight, the Searchlight Nugget, in 2015.[20] Terrible's Hotel & Casino in Jean announced its indefinite closure in November 2021.[21]

Terrible Herbst Motorsports

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  • 2004 SCORE Laughlin Desert Challenge[22]
  • 2006 Las Vegas Terrible's Cup II Pit Crew Challenge winner[23]
  • 2007 Las Vegas Terrible's Cup II Pit Crew Challenge winner[24]

References

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  1. ^ Benston, Liz (April 16, 2007). "Herbst family looks south". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved September 9, 2011.
  2. ^ Briggs, Joe Bob (April 17, 2001). "The Vegas Guy: Terrible Casino". UPI Archives. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  3. ^ Millward, Wade Tyler (November 27, 2018). "Terrible Herbst's Jerry Herbst has died at 80". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  4. ^ Curtis, Anthony (February 11, 2021). "Question of the Day". Las Vegas Advisor. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  5. ^ a b "Terrible Herbst Oil family member, Dolly, dies". Las Vegas Sun. January 9, 2001. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Funeral, memorial service set for Terrible Herbst owner who died Tuesday at age 80". News 3 Las Vegas. December 1, 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  7. ^ @TerribleHerbst (May 5, 2021). "AHHH did anyone else see the Mr. Terrible mention under the mascots category on @Jeopardy tonight?!?" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  8. ^ "Top 202 Convenience Store Chains: Terrible Herbst". CSP Daily News. 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  9. ^ Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (November 27, 2018). "Terrible Herbst founder Jerry Herbst dies at 80". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  10. ^ Stutz, Howard (March 23, 2007). "Commission likes Terrible ideas for Primm properties". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on October 24, 2012.
  11. ^ Akers, Mick (July 10, 2018). "This Terrible's in Jean, touted as world's largest Chevron, aims to be tourist draw". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  12. ^ "Fireworks open Terrible's at old Continental site". Las Vegas Sun. December 7, 2000. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  13. ^ Benston, Liz (March 4, 2008). "Herbst's profits burned up by smoking ban, gasoline prices". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
  14. ^ "New slot route business gets control board's backing". Las Vegas Review-Journal. May 5, 2011 – via NewsBank.
  15. ^ Cy Ryan (February 24, 2012). "Herbst approved to buy slot route, Terrible's Searchlight casino". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  16. ^ "Affinity Gaming announces closings of its sale of its slot route and Pahrump and Searchlight casinos, and acquisition of Golden Casino real estate in Black Hawk, Colorado" (Press release). Affinity Gaming. March 1, 2012. Retrieved 2019-03-08 – via BusinessWire.
  17. ^ Form 10-K: Annual Report (Report). MGM Resorts International. February 29, 2016. p. 78 – via EDGAR.
  18. ^ Richard N. Velotta (April 23, 2015). "Gaming regulators OK sale of Gold Strike to Herbst family". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  19. ^ Wade Tyler Millward (October 16, 2018). "Gold Strike hotel-casino in Jean to be rebranded as Terrible's". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  20. ^ Howard Stutz (June 25, 2015). "JETT Gaming's takeover of Searchlight Nugget approved". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  21. ^ "Terrible's Casino in Jean Hints at Permanent Closure". 28 November 2021.
  22. ^ "Herbst hoping to start New Year with win". Retrieved 2007-04-10.
  23. ^ "Terrible Herbst Motorsports Wins SCORE Las Vegas Terrible's Cup II Pit Crew Challenge". Retrieved 8 September 2011.
  24. ^ "Terrible Herbst Motorsports wins Pit Crew Challenge again With record effort to start SCORE Las Vegas Terrible's Cup II". Retrieved 2007-03-13.
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