How Terrible Herbst Rose to Become the Best Bad Guy in the West

Featured image credit: Elizabeth K. Joseph

Few companies have risen quickly in the esteem of patrons by offering a truly terrible experience. It’s not the only distinction that sets Terrible’s apart from other businesses. You may better recognize the brand as Terrible Herbst or the Terrible Herbst Convenience Store; a mainstay of Las Vegas life since 1959. Terrible’s made its name by keeping people moving through their daily lives with an extra spring in their step. And they often deliver their countless services in quirky ways that fit the non-conformist anything-goes spirit of the city. Today, we take a closer look at the most terrible brand in the West. 

“The P.T. Barnum of Gasoline”

It was in 1938 that Edward R. Herbst opened the far less memorably named Martin Oil in Chicago. It was his first gas station and he already had big ideas for it. In those days, gas stations were primarily focused on providing gasoline to motorists. No false advertising there. But Ed Herbst saw an opportunity to provide a heightened level of service and accommodation. 

Thus, Ed became one of the first entrepreneurs to combine convenience stores with gas stations, serving busy Americans as they bustled through the workweek. Exhibiting a knack for unconventional marketing and some of the most competitive prices in the area, competitors came to regard Ed with as much frustration as respect. It earned him the colorful yet accurate descriptor of “the P.T. Barnum of gasoline.” 

What Makes Terrible Herbst So Terrible? 

That’s not all that the competition had to say about Ed. In fact, they gave his empire its eyebrow-raising name in a roundabout way. When success allowed him to expand, his subsequent arrival in Cheyenne, Wyoming was not a welcome one. With a reputation that preceded him, Ed created quite a stir when he’d bring his strange yet savvy marketing and cutthroat pricing to a new market. “Here comes that Terrible Herbst,” the detractors would vocally complain. And the name just sort of stuck. Leaning into the barb with a wink perfectly illustrated Ed’s maverick spirit. 

Terrible’s Finds Its Community in Sin City

Though Terrible Herbst recently dropped the “Herbst”, it continues to be a family-run business to this day. And it all started with Ed’s quick thinking innovation and sense of humor. In 1959, Ed’s son Jerry Herbst was given control of the Terrible Herbst empire, ushering in the branding and experience familiar to so many Las Vegas natives and tourists. Jerry had just completed his studies at the University of Southern California and oversaw the ushering of the Terrible Herbst brand into the Las Vegas market by opening three Vegas locations that same year. Much of what we’ve come to expect from our Terrible experience is a result of Jerry’s vision. 

“The Best Bad Guy in the West”

Possibly the most recognizable representative of this vision is Mr. Terrible, the company’s handlebar-mustached mascot. Jerry introduced the design during his run of the company, alternating between the Mr. Terrible moniker and simply “Bad Guy.” It leaned into the business’s reputation as lovable scoundrels perpetuating the rockstar reputation of Old West gunslingers. Mr. Terrible picked up the contradictory descriptor of “best bad guy in the West”; an honor to which Jerry and his father before him could relate. But these outlaws of the business world had more in common with Robin Hood than any dastardly devil tying maidens to train tracks. After all, their crime was simply delivering convenience to clients at lower prices than their competition. 

Building the Biggest Terrible Herbst Convenience Store in the World

A Terrible Herbst Convenience Store encourages patrons to think big. This is evident from the outset with each location’s trademark colossal American flag waving in the breeze. Jerry, a loud and proud patriot, wore his national pride on his sleeve. By 2017, nearly 85 Terrible Herbst locations flew enormous representations of Old Glory. Those flags flew at half-mast to honor Jerry in 2018 when he passed away at the age of 80, leaving the business in the hands of his three sons, Ed, Tim, and Troy. 

As if to indicate the momentum of the Herbst clan, Terrible’s opened its biggest venture yet the same year: Terrible’s Roadhouse. Stationed in the town of Jean just about 30 miles south of the heart of Las Vegas, Terrible’s Roadhouse is the world’s largest provider of Chevron gasoline. It accommodates travelers with 96 gas pumps, 60 bathroom stalls, and the mother of all convenience stores measuring in at 50,000 square feet.

Just Plain Terrible

In 2022, all 150 Las Vegas area Terrible Herbst locations dropped the Herbst family name for the simpler “Terrible’s”. The rebranding was in response to marketing research that indicated most people referred to the brand as “Terrible’s” already. 

Terrible Herbst is probably one of the few established companies that could shorten its name without a skip in their stride. But for the Vegas residents who grew up with Terrible’s, the comfortable association goes beyond a name. The Herbst family is intrinsically tied to the fiber of Las Vegas. And you can take that literally. The family’s original Las Vegas home stood where the MGM Grand resort now resides. 

More Than a Convenience Store

Even when it was known as Terrible Herbst Convenience Store, it was never just a convenience store or gas station. The Terrible’s brand has always been about delivering more. So, it’s no surprise that the family has had their hand in everything from gaming to off-road desert racing. Today, they continue to stretch their boundaries, opening car washes, casinos… even introducing the White Castle chain to Las Vegas. 

In 2024, the Terrible’s empire stretches across Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and California with over 180 locations and approximately 3,000 employees. Yet, Terrible’s is still largely considered a Las Vegas phenomenon. Showing no signs of slowing down, it’s highly possible that we’ll see Terrible’s expanding into other states with the same pioneering spirit that ingratiated them to road-weary Nevadans and commuters in need of quick convenience. Would that be such a terrible thing?