# Buc-ee's - world's largest service plaza **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 29, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309 "2023-06-29T19:36:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/41 "2023-06-30T15:12:46Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Googling, they have locations in Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as Texas. They skipped right over us in Louisiana šŸ˜ Buc-eeā€™s T-shirts have become favored road-trip souvenirs for N.O. area folks in recent years. Iā€™m surprised they only expanded out of Texas in 2019 ā€“ seems like theyā€™ve been in Florida and Alabama a lot longer than that (see article below). Lots of folks from the New Orleans metro area take car-ride vacations along the Emerald Coast between Gulf Shores AL and Fort Walton Beach, FL. Buc-eeā€™s built a location off of Interstate 10 east of Mobile Bay, roughly halfway between Pensacola and Mobile. Last time we were in Gulf Shores, we tried to stop at Buc-eeā€™s on the way home. There was a lengthy line backing up the highway _just to get into_ the Buc-eeā€™s lot. Had to pass on by. Suburban Baton Rouge was supposed to get the first Buc-eeā€™s outside of Texas in 2016, but plans fell through. Ever since, there are occasional rumors about this location or that location near New Orleans getting a Buc-eeā€™s. Right now, it looks like Mississippi has stolen out thunder ā€“ Pass Christian, MS (less than an hour from N.O. city limits) is currently slated to get a Buc-eeā€™s. Meanwhile, Ruston LA, in the northern part of the state, has a Buc-eeā€™s location under construction right now. It will serve Interstate 20 traffic ā€“ a lot of drivers going between Atlanta and Dallas-Fort Worth plus other sizeable Southern US cities. > **[As Buc-eeā€™s heads for Ruston, hereā€™s what itā€™ll take to bring one to south...](https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/heres-how-south-louisiana-can-bring-a-buc-ees-here/article_c1d12dc4-e9ec-11ed-bb31-231cef649ec7.html)** > > No matter where he goes, Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker is asked about the same thing: Buc-eeā€™s. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/42 "2023-06-30T15:32:32Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Lots of folks from the New Orleans metro area take car-ride vacations along the Emerald Coast between Gulf Shores AL and Fort Walton Beach, FL. **Buc-eeā€™s built a location off of Interstate 10 east of Mobile Bay, roughly halfway between Pensacola and Mobile.** Last time we were in Gulf Shores, we tried to stop at Buc-eeā€™s on the way home. There was a lengthy line backing up the highway _just to get into_ the Buc-eeā€™s lot. Had to pass on by. Yep. This article is from earlier this month, and it looks like the mob scene at this Buc-eeā€™s is still there: > **[Louisiana Travel Warning; This Buc-ee's No Longer Worth a Stop](https://k945.com/louisiana-travel-warning-this-buc-ees-no-longer-worth-a-stop/)** > > The magic of Buc-ee's may be lost at this location. > **The Buc-eeā€™s in Robertsdale, Alabama is Known as the ā€œBeach Expressā€.** > > There is nothing express about this experience. We added another hour and a half to our trip back to Shreveport. Not only was the line to enter the restroom complete havoc, but we ended up trapped in the parking lot for 45 minutes. My average trip to a Buc-eeā€™s is maybe 30 minutes at the most. This was supposed to be a quick bathroom break and filling up the truck. > > **If You Can Add An Extra Couple of Hours to Your Trip Stop Here.** > > There was a point where people were getting out of vehicles to direct traffic. We were convinced that we were going to be stuck in a Buc-eeā€™s parking lot for the rest of the day. Where did all of these cars and people come from? If youā€™re eager to get back home and you are okay with a mediocre bathroom and youā€™re not crazy about snacks just stop at any gas station. Iā€™d still like to try it one day if Iā€™m ever out that way on a weekday, or in mid-winter or something like that. EDIT: Lots of photographs of Buc-eeā€™s fare in that article for anyone wanting to get an idea of what theyā€™ve got. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/43 "2023-06-30T15:32:50Z")
Give Buc-eeā€™s credit for what they are and what they do. Theyā€™re not running a charity organization to feed orphaned whales. If you judge them by that standard, they fail. Theyā€™re running truck stops. And they do a really good job at running truck stops. They provide good service and pay their employees good wages. Iā€™m as anti-MAGA as anyone. But Iā€™ve never felt a political vibe at Buc-eeā€™s (other than what you feel in the entire state of Texas). So Iā€™m okay with Buc-eeā€™s. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/44 "2023-06-30T15:49:02Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Theyā€™re running truck stops. And they do a really good job at running truck stops. They provide good service and pay their employees good wages. But sans trucks, right? That place looks really overwhelming to me. Not the crowds, I mean the selection. Seems like a place youā€™d visit very rarely. I would have such a hard time trying to decide what to get! Because I wonā€™t be back soon. So I would end up buying either way too much (gotta get me some Beaver nuts!) or nothing at all cuz I canā€™t decide. Although, I know for sure Iā€™d buy some kolache. Iā€™ve always wanted to try some. Because [Texas Czechs](https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/11/28/502088150/the-czech-pastry-that-took-texas-by-storm-and-keeps-gaining-strength) are not like the [rest of the Czechs](https://www.cooklikeczechs.com/easy-kolacky-cookies/). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/45 "2023-06-30T15:50:11Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > There was a lengthy line backing up the highway _just to get into_ the Buc-eeā€™s lot. Had to pass on by. That is ridiculous. The whole point of a service plaza is that it should be easy to get in and out of. Especially if one of the attractions is the bathrooms. Iā€™m trying to imagine sitting there in that long line with a full bladder. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/46 "2023-06-30T16:01:31Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > That is ridiculous. The whole point of a service plaza is that it should be easy to get in and out of. Especially if one of the attractions is the bathrooms. Iā€™m trying to imagine sitting there in that long line with a full bladder. That was my first time ever seeing an actual Buc-eeā€™s location ā€¦ so I didnā€™t know if that was typical for a Buc-eeā€™s or if conditions that day were atypical. OK. So now knowing that the first non-Texas locations opened in 2019 ā€¦ the Robertsdale, AL location mustā€™ve been brand-new when we passed it Labor Day, 2019. The novelty of ā€œBuc-ees!ā€ was still well in effect. And we were trying to go there right at the tail end of a holiday weekend. One of the peak weekends for any beachside resort community and especially so for Gulf Shores. Iā€™m willing to chalk it up to unfortunate timing. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/47 "2023-06-30T16:04:42Z")
I can imagine that a lot of people stopped just because itā€™s new, but once the novelty wears off, it should be a quick in and out. In the Northeast, like where I grew up in Connecticut, there are travel plazas along some interstate highways. They have gas stations, restaurants and clean bathrooms. And usually itā€™s easy to get in and out. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/48 "2023-06-30T16:08:22Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Although, I know for sure Iā€™d buy some kolache. Iā€™ve always wanted to try some. You want to go to Hruskaā€™s on Rte 71 in Ellinger. Best kolaches in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/49 "2023-06-30T16:38:20Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You want to go to Hruskaā€™s on Rte 71 in Ellinger. Best kolaches in Texas. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, there. Whoa. Whoa. Themā€™s fighting words. šŸ™‚ While West leans too hard into the kitschy ā€œCzechness,ā€ I like the Czech Stop for a sweet kolache and Slovacekā€™s for savory. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/50 "2023-06-30T16:45:45Z")
> [@flurb](#): > > While West leans too hard into the kitschy ā€œCzechness,ā€ I like the Czech Stop for a sweet kolache and Slovacekā€™s for savory. I will check them out the next time Iā€™m in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/51 "2023-06-30T16:58:25Z")
Buc-ees has become a family thing for us. Well, for portions of our family. My oldest son (almost 30) is a Buc-ees fanatic. LOVES the place. To the point that our annual trip to the Gulf Shores / Orange Beach area in Alabama had to be re-routed once the Robertsdale Buc-ees location opened. My college-aged son got a job at one of the newest Buc-ees in Auburn. Heā€™s one of the brisket-slingers. He and my oldest son have created a conspiracy to put a new Buc-ees bumper sticker on my car every time we go to the beach. They claim ā€œhooligansā€ do it, but we all know better. Currently three of the things adorn my rear bumper. I like the store okay, but the Malthusian levels of people in the place are overwhelming. And I, too, have waited at the off-ramp of the interstate for about 10 minutes to get into the parking lot. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/52 "2023-06-30T17:05:36Z")
Someday Buc-ees will expand into our area. Until then, we have to remain content with [Eddie World](https://eddieworld.com/) and [Terribleā€™s](https://lasvegassun.com/news/2018/jul/10/terribles-road-house-jean-touted-worlds-largest/). I like Texas. Itā€™s just most Texans I canā€™t stand. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/53 "2023-06-30T17:29:27Z")
I thought their kolaches were only okay, but my theory is that your preference in kolaches is heavily influenced by the first ones you have (like many other things). ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/54 "2023-06-30T18:28:17Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > [@flurb](#): > > > > While West leans too hard into the kitschy ā€œCzechness,ā€ I like the Czech Stop for a sweet kolache and Slovacekā€™s for savory. > > I will check them out the next time Iā€™m in Texas. I pass by there monthly (at least). But medical stuff has kept me home for a while. Last time I passed it was closed because a car crashed _inside the store_. I hear theyā€™re reopened though. Iā€™m headed down there a week from today so I guess Iā€™ll find out. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2023, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/55 "2023-06-30T18:42:49Z")
Iā€™ve never been to Buc-eeā€™s. The closest Iā€™ve been is [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3lJWp6zp9M). ---
**Author:** ![sweeteviljesus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@sweeteviljesus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sweeteviljesus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/56 "2023-07-01T03:31:30Z")
Buc-ees is a great place to take a dump. For some reason, I canā€™t buy diet Mountain Dew there. Their jerky, nuts and fudge are pretty good, although their BBQ is pretty mediocre. Itā€™s not Bill Millerā€™s but itā€™s not Franklinā€™s (or even Rudyā€™s IMHO). For those that donā€™t know, if you swallow Bill Millerā€™s, do not induce vomiting and seek medical attention immediately. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/57 "2023-07-01T03:37:28Z")
> [@sweeteviljesus](#): > > , although their BBQ is pretty mediocre. Same as anywhere else - itā€™s going to depend on the specific location and pitmaster. Ditto the kolaches and baked goods. ---
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/58 "2023-07-01T15:06:54Z")
We hit the location just south of Jacksonville, FL on I-95. A madhouse. Hard to get into, even worse to get out. Added 30 minutes to our trip over a regular stop. I never saw the inside but the wife got some snacks. I was too busy edging through the gas lines and trying to park after I filled up (folks would just stop at a pump and wander off???). This was mid-afternoon on a Thursday - holy-hell if it was the weekend. Iā€™ll go to about anything else after that ā€œexperienceā€. The food thing isnā€™t on my radar. ---
**Author:** ![Lancia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lancia/32/17174_2.png) [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/59 "2023-07-01T15:23:00Z")
Thereā€™s a clothing brand called RSVLTS that make fun and flashy Hawaiian-style shirts that Iā€™ve fallen in love with. They have a line thatā€™s exlusive to Buc-eeā€™s but, since I live 40 miles from the Pacific, I have no ability to go check them out. My bank account appreciates this, my students do not. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2023, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309/60 "2023-07-01T16:10:27Z")
But what are the bathrooms like? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/buc-ees-worlds-largest-service-plaza/986309.md?page=4)