News that convenience store chain Wawa is set to open its fifth Alabama store this week generated some excitement, but also some questions – such as, “What’s a Wawa?” and “Why are people getting excited about a gas station?”

Here’s a guide to Wawa: What’s a Wawa, how to Wawa, why to Wawa, where to Wawa. As a bonus, there’s also an answer to the ever-popular “Is it like Buc-ee’s?”

What’s a Wawa?

Wawa started out as a humble dairy market that opened in 1964 in the Pennsylvania town of Wawa. Over the following decades it grew into a chain of more than 1,000 gas station/convenience stores stretching all the way down the East Coast.

As such, it offers much the same range of services as countless other gas/convenience businesses. But Wawa has generated a raving fan base where those other stores generally haven’t, and there are a few specific reasons for that.

Firstly, Wawa puts a big emphasis on the cleanliness of its stores, the friendliness of its service and the quality of its groceries. Secondly, its deli offerings – particularly those made-to-order hoagies – have a huge following. Thirdly, it’s a privately held company that has a reputation for treating employees well and letting them share in an employee stock ownership plan, so there’s a bit of a Costco goodwill effect.

Why to Wawa

In addition to the factors just cited, Wawa has something else going for it. It was a big and thriving chain, so lots of people in Mobile had encountered it in their travels and been favorably impressed, and lots of people who’d moved from Wawa territory to Alabama missed it dearly. Until quite recently, the closest Wawa to Mobile was six hours away in Crystal River, Fla. All of this added up to a forbidden-fruit dynamic. So when the company announced in 2022 that it planned a major expansion across the central Gulf Coast, it was big news for a lot of folks.

The fervor was on full display when Alabama’s first store finally opened. Some patrons drove for hours to be there. Most gas stations just don’t inspire that kind of dedication.

Maybe you’re thinking there are plenty of places where you can tank up and get a bag of chips. Maybe you’re thinking that there’s no shortage of sandwich shops in your neck of the woods, both chains and local operations. That’s all true. If you’re locked in on a favorite sandwich elsewhere, Wawa might not change your mind. But it does put some fresh new flavors within reach.

How to Wawa

Making the most of Wawa’s food offerings means making peace with its fancy touchscreen ordering system. Fortunately, this is easy. Start with the hoagies. There are cold ones and hot ones, different bread options and alternate form factors such as wraps and club sandwiches. There are lots of toppings to choose from (in Wawa-speak, a dusting of salt, pepper and oregano is called “spo”) and there are variations that might come with a surcharge, such as extra meat, extra cheese or caramelized onions. If you were exploring all this via a conversation with the person behind the counter, it wouldn’t be a brief chat.

Our experience showed that it pays to take the plunge on the touchscreen system. It’s all about finding the right balance of seasonings, toppings and extras. If you hold back, you’ll be left with an overly basic sandwich that leaves you wondering about the might-have-beens. You can also overload that breakfast bowl if you’re not careful. But you’ll get the hang of it quickly and begin finding new favorites. It’s a brisk process that’s completely under your control. And if you really have qualms, you can explore it at Wawa.com before walking into a store.

Also, it’s not all about the hoagies. There are bowls, wraps, quesadillas, burritos, soups and salads, and you also can order some drinks via the screens. Wawa’s menu is varied and the chain features a regular rotation of seasonal specials and coffee beverages. Right now they’re promoting a breakfast deal that gets you a Sizzli sandwich, hot or iced coffee and a hash brown for $5. The Sizzlis come on croissants, bagels, and for a limited time, French toast.

Where to Wawa

As of Thursday, Alabama has five Wawas with more on the way. The open locations:

• 18968 Greeno Road, near Fairhope High School.
• 21022 Ala. 59 in Robertsdale, on the south side of the city.
• 10040 Encounter Dr. in Fairhope, near the intersection of Ala. 104 and Ala. 181.
• 7095 Cottage Hill Road in Mobile, at the intersection of Cottage Hill and Sollie Road.
• 664 Schillinger Road S. in Mobile, a short distance south of Airport Boulevard.

Wawa vs. Buc-ee’s

How much do Wawa and Buc-ee’s have in common? Not a whole lot, honestly, aside from clean restrooms and fervent fans. A Buc-ee’s is a gas-and-grub superstore built along an interstate, designed for maximum brisket throughput but also stocking a bewildering array of kitschy merchandise. Wawas are much smaller and sites are chosen on a more wholistic community basis. A Wawa is a nice place for a pit stop on the way to your destination. A Buc-ee’s is a destination on the way to your destination.

The reason we’re comparing them at all comes from a cultural and geographical convergence. Buc-ee’s is a Texas chain expanding eastward, Wawa is an East Coast chain reaching westward. The Buc-ee’s that opened in January 2019 off I-10 at the Baldwin Beach Express was the first one outside Texas. When Fairhope’s first Wawa opened in April 2024, it was the first one in the company’s Gulf Coast expansion.

Buc-ee’s opened a couple of Florida stores in 2021, so Alabama missed out on being the first state to have both. But it’s still one of just a few states that do – and for many, the novelty hasn’t worn off.