Wawa held a groundbreaking Tuesday for its first store in Alabama. Or at least that’s what they called it.

It felt more like a pep rally amid bare red dirt at the corner of a prime intersection in Fairhope.

Wawa, for those who don’t know, is an East Coast convenience store chain that spread down into Florida over the last decade. In spring 2022, the company announced that a major expansion campaign would bring it across the Florida Panhandle and into coastal Alabama.

In early 2023, the company announced the first few sites in Mobile and Baldwin counties.

Related: Wawa is coming to Alabama. So what’s a Wawa?

What makes that a big deal is that Wawa has inspired a fan base whose fervor rivals that of Buc-ee’s, though the two companies’ stores could hardly be more different.

Where Buc-ee’s builds megasites with scores of gas pumps along major traffic corridors, Wawas have a much smaller footprint and are built to serve local communities and commuters, rather than travelers.

Wawa’s strong points include cleanliness, a reputation for good prices on fresh groceries and of course the made-to-order hoagies and other deli options. And then there’s a distinctive corporate culture, with an emphasis on philanthropy and a high degree of employee ownership.

Company representatives touched on all that and more in Tuesday’s ceremony, as they gave shout-outs to the neighbors, state and local leaders and some Wawa superfans who were on hand to cheer.

Alabama’s first Wawa will stand at 18968 Greeno Road in Fairhope. That puts it at the the corner of U.S. 98 and Twin Beech Road, on the south side of town and just north of Fairhope High School.

With the school’s proximity making it an obvious traffic driver for the new store, a Wawa Area Manager Charlene Harrell mentioned conversations with principal Jon Cardwell.

“He already said he was going to build a sidewalk so his teachers could walk over every day to get lunch,” she said.

Director of Store Operations Steve Hasher praised Fairhope as a business-friendly place but didn’t stop there.

“I’ve learned through my travels that this is the friendliest city, period,” said Hasher.

“Whether I’m getting a beverage at the Dragonfly or the Bone & Barrel, or enjoying one of the great restaurants in downtown Fairhope, what I find is that everyone is willing to strike up a conversation and educate me with the pride and passion your residents have for this city.”

Wawa CFO Kevin Wiggins provided the details likely of most interest to Wawa partisans.

The store being built at the location should open in the second quarter of 2024, he said.

Mobile’s first Wawa, at the intersection of Cottage Hill Road and Sollie Road in west Mobile, should get its own groundbreaking ceremony in October, he said.

Wiggins said more sites are coming fast, and the chain plans “to open seven to 10 in Mobile and Baldwin counties over the next three or four years.”

Baldwin sites that are under contract include lots at the intersection of Ala. 181 and Ala. 104 on the east side of Fairhope and Ala. 59 and Baldwin 48 in Robertsdale.

“To build each store, we invest about six and a half million dollars in each and every store,” said Wiggins.

“So if you do the math, over the next three to four years, in this local economy, we’re going to bring 45 to 65 million dollars in investment right here. … Once open, each store will employ on average 35 to 40 associates, creating hundreds of new jobs in the local economy.”

Among the local officials on hand was Fairhope Mayor Sherry Sullivan. “Thank you for the investment you’re making in our community, thank you for the investment you’re making in Fairhope,” she said.

Wawa’s philanthropic efforts focus on “health, hunger and everyday heroes,” Harrell said.

For this occasion, Wawa presented Prodisee Pantry with $2,500 to support a meal program aimed specifically at serving children during the summer.

The program will provide meal kits full of nutritious, locally sourced ingredients to 100 children, to be distributed through the Spanish Fort Public Library, a Prodisee representative said.