Absolutely remember driving from NJ to Detroit in the ‘56 Buick, going thru the Penna (using the period-correct abbreviation!) turnpike tunnels (now all closed...Kitatinny Mountain, Blue Mtn, Rays Hill) my Dad hated HJ’s because it was the only place to eat on the road back then and he was not a fan of their food nor the captive kind of situation of having no choice.
Your Dad was right, turnpike food used to be the worst. No choices and since there was a captive clientele the food quality was always low.
The past couple of decades has shown a marked improvement in food quality and choices on the turnpikes, although the chains do run limited menus.
Actually, RaysHill was bypassed...the other 2 you mentioned were “twinned” to allow 4 lane operation and are still open.