Newton Service Plaza

Massachusetts (my home state) has the worst rest stops. But just compared to other McDonalds, this one is not good.

At some point, you’ll endure a day-​long cider crawl that culminates in seven hours of imbibing enough fructose to put you into diabetic shock, thus sending your impending hangover in to overdrive. Should that be on a Saturday night, and should you find yourself north of the river, needing to get to Gillette Stadium for a 4:25p kickoff, you may also find yourself requiring a midpoint salt and grease stop along southbound 95 with little time to be selective, let alone gourmet. Who knows, maybe you’re out of gas too.
Should all these cards fall, then — and only then — do I recommend the on and off convenience of the Newton Service Plaza, its resident McDonald’s drive-​thru and the sundries lining the shelves of its mini mart.
Just keep the motor running — we’re 90% sure we saw a drug deal transpire.

Horrible service. Actually, not even good enough to be considered horrible. Dirty facility, horrendous restrooms. Wicked sketchy parking lot, 89% sure I saw a drug deal goin’ down. Mini mart over flowing with disorganized overpriced crap. Cashier was talking on his phone in Creole during my entire transaction and didn’t look up or acknowledge me once. Extremely rude and unprofessional. (What happened to taking pride in your work?! If I have to be a grown up and do my job with professionalism what is everyone else’s excuse!?) If this is the service I get purchasing a bottled water, I can’t even imagine what the food service workers do. Gross. Unacceptable. Never again.

As with most rest stops there are people who make a home here but not nearly as many as the rest stop up the road. I did in fact see an old Asian man bring his desktop computer and monitor and set it up at a mcdonalds booth; all while a Mcdonalds employee who cleans up the tables stares expressionless at the mans face as if challenging him to eventually become self aware. It never happened. I’m pretty sure the old man left some time after 1 am.
The surprising thing about this place is that it’s only 8 miles from a rest stop on the 95 north that is essentially the same, but this place is actually better.
The guy at the convenience store is stern but nice to you if you’re nice to him (how people should be amiright?) and the employees at mcdonalds don’t glare at each person passing. They maintain faces of people who haven’t emotionally died yet.
So, despite the amount of people this place is pretty clean and doesn’t make you feel guilty for existing.