As a matter of fact, the bird on Wawa’s logo is intended to be a Canada Goose. Supposedly “Wawa” is an Ojibwe word meaning “goose.” At least according to the information the company puts out.
Wawa and QuikTrip are both chains of convenience stores, but I wouldn’t call them “small.” Both companies have stores that are fairly good sized–not as big as a Buc-ee’s, but somewhat bigger than the average gas station. They both tend to be built at highway exits, have a good number of gas pumps, sometimes EV chargers, keep their restrooms pretty clean, and sell a large selection of snacks and drinks. QuikTrip sells hot dogs and stuff like that, while Wawa has a more extensive menu of hot and cold sandwiches, and some of their stores have tables so you can eat inside.
I find both chains nice to use as a stopping point on long road trips. Not as much of a hassle as Buc-ee’s, but still reliably pleasant to spend time in.
BTW, there is a completely separate chain of convenience stores called Kwik Trip, which is no relation to QuikTrip. I have never been to one of those, and cannot speak to their quality.
Nah, these were quick trips with the q because they were also called qts.
Not to mention, all of these were in Arizona, where I lived for 35 years. I did check Kwik trip just in case, but there are none in Arizona.
QT is what I was thinking of, we had a ton of them around our house, maybe they differ from state to state? They were a little more than a convenience store in arizona, maybe they’ve expanded since then, I suppose they were a little bit bigger than a convenience store, maybe about the size of two 7-Elevens put together? But it’s seriously only had a gas station for the same number of vehicles that your local AMPM or gas station would have.
But maybe QT have bigger locations in other states that I’m unaware of?
In any case, it’s very interesting and thank you for telling me the trivia about Wawa.
The one I visited had a men’s room with about 15 stalls and 30 urinals. And one guy who seemed to just go from one end to the other non-stop. Got to one end, went back to the other, and started again.
Kwik Trip (based in Wisconsin, and pretty ubiquitous there, as well as in Minnesota) is pretty similar to QuikTrip: gas stations with usually fairly sizeable convenience stores (but, as noted, not nearly on the scale of Buc-ee’s or Wally’s), featuring a big range of hot food, baked goods, and a big beer section, as well as the usual c-store offerings. Some of them, located at highway exits, are also full-service truck stops.
Also, in several states (Iowa, Illinois, North Dakota, South Dakota), they brand their stores as Kwik Star, to avoid confusion with QuikTrip.
Kwik Trip’s HQ is La Crosse, WI. In addition to general HQ stuff they have a huge bakery, dairy, and other stuff*. In addition to the (pretty good IMHO) hamburgers, chicken, and such they also have microwavable meals (one of my faves is cheesy chicken casserole which is typically $5.99 and I can get 1.5 - 2 meals out of it)
Brian
* They are taking over the northside industrial park. One place I worked at is now a parking lot – it would not surprise me if it it becomes another production plant.
I’ve driven in the Northeast quite a bit and many of these states have service plazas or travel plazas, with gas stations, multiple restaurants (usually fast food) and clean bathrooms. Apparently, new travel plazas are banned by federal law but those existing prior to 1960 were allowed to continue. That law may be a big reason for the success of businesses like Buc-ee’s.
In northern Ontario, “Wawa” is the name of a town. It’s on Highway 17, about three hours north of Sault Ste. Marie, and an hour east of White River. There is a big statue of the town symbol, a Canada goose, at the tourist information centre you’ll find if you turn off the highway.
Only the ones on public property along federal interstates. If it’s on privately owned land, new travel plazas are fine. Perhaps the relative lack of privately owned land that isn’t already used for something else in the Northeast?
That’s basically the business model for Pilot Flying J’s, Love’s, Travel Centers, etc. Those are all over the place. Buc-ee’s is a bit different from those in that they don’t allow 18 wheelers and market more to families
Sorry, yes, service plazas or travel plazas aren’t allowed on the interstate highways. The ones that are on the interstate are really convenient; pull in, park, get food, use the bathroom (clean in my experience) or get gas. And then just use the on-ramp to get back on your way.
Iowa 80:
Not as many pumps (for cars: can’t speak for the truck diesel pump islands)
Normal bathrooms (never had to wait myself)
good parking
Good stores, but a but more like an airport mall or touristy.
but..largest selection of truck accessories I have ever seen
Good food choices, independent franchises
Pleasant, friendly atmosphere
Really nice free affiliated museum of trucks just across the parking lot
Any random Buc-ees:
a gazillion pumps (but people seem to leave their cars there a lot more)
1000 bathroom stalls (never had to wait myself)
Parking is a bit farther away
Many food choices, but their own stuff
And more snack food than you knew existed
Ginormous soda pop wall full of choices
I hear the brisket is awesome, and the fudge looked good
Huge crowds
Many trinkets and stuff to buy, but a lot is “novelty store” quality, or has a Buc-ee logo
They don’t have a museum, but they do have a vintage pickup full of stuffed Buc-ees
I think they are comparable in sq footage, it’s just assigned differently. I think I prefer Iowa 80. But then, I like trucks. Buc-ees is fun, but it’s like going to a county fair. I’m not sure you’d need to go more than once, unless you really like their food.
Shortly before the grand opening Monday of the Arizona Buc-ees a local TV station ran a 36-minute tour of the store hosted by the company’s pitmaster. Being a Texan he’s a bit maniacal but for those curious you get an extended view of what’s inside.
As an EV owner I am interested in seeing these open up. They are including charging stations and, owning a Bolt which charges half as fast newer EVs, a station that offers a place to pee and a bite to eat while I’m waiting thirty or forty minutes.
Looking at the Plug Share site it is slated to have 17 CCS1 and 18 NACS chargers. It looks like they are still being installed because there are no reports of where they are located on the site, never mind a successful charge.
I do. The nice thing is I often find a 75 or 150kW charger open because the fast boys turned their noses up at it, but honestly if there’s no line when I roll up and a 350kW slot is the only one open I’m gonna take it rather than wait for a lower-rated one to free up.
Every place with a freeway has big gas stations/truck stops located at some exits of the highway. There’s usually a huge sign so you have enough warning to take the exit.
What I never saw until I got to the northeast is service plazas that aren’t at a proper exit from the freeway. Out west they have rest areas. You take the ramp off the freeway, park (separate lanes for cars and trucks), use the restroom, maybe buy some snacks from the vending machine and take the dog for a short walk. When you’re ready to go again, you get back in your car and the only place to go is back onto the freeway. It’s a closed system.
Service plazas in the northeast are like that. There’ll be restrooms, a couple of fast food options (maybe open 24 hours), gas pumps, and a little convenience store. When you’re done, the only place to go is back on the freeway; or more accurately, back on the turnpike, since I see these most often on toll roads. The gas is usually more expensive there, probably because they have a captive market. It used to be a pain in the neck to exit the turnpike, probably wait in line at the booth, pay the toll, gas up, then get back on the pike. You pay for the convenience. And I expect the companies that operate there are paying the state to have that concession.
I’ve seen headlines that Massachusetts is seeking bids to remodel/renovate their service plazas, so there are still a going concern here.
I’ve been thinking more and more about getting an EV, and as part of that thought process I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos by EV owners doing long road trips. A lot of those folks really love Buc-ee’s, precisely because they usually seem to have large numbers of fast chargers, and plenty of stuff in the store to occupy your time while your car charges.
That is an advantage Buck-ee’s has. I also use EA chargers. They’re often at a Wal-mart, giving you a place to use the facilities, even if they’re not as clean as Buck-ee’s.
I see they still are, also, on western toll ways, like in Kansas and parts of Oklahoma. They often put them in the middle between the directional lanes.
I love “bridge restaurants”. My brother took me to the “oasis” ones in Chicago on the turnpike, when I was little, and they made a big impressions. Sit above the traffic and watch them go by! The (formerly) World’s Largest McDonalds is one such on I-44.