I do, since I need premium and they’re one of the few chains left which have a spread significantly lower than $1.00 over regular (usually +60 cents).
The rest stop rodent will not be denied! Your will is ebbing, need brisket. 
Wright’s BBQ is actually on the way to my nearest Buc-ee’s. I’ll stop there instead.
Mebane, NC, is on the list of new locations. Even though it’s almost 60 miles from Raleigh to Mebane, local Raleigh news has had numerous stories and updates on the Buc-ee’s like it’s the Second Coming. I get the impression that we’re all supposed to drive over to see it like it’s going to be a natural wonder or something…when it opens in 2028.
“C’mon, kids! Screw the train ride at Pullen Park! We’re going to Buc-ee’s!!”
I saw a meme (or something) on Facebook about Buc-ee’s declaring that they would only be opening new stores in red states from now on, so they could be in places that weren’t “hostile to business,” etc.
Along with the reply: “The great thing about blue states is that they have actual cultural attractions, and don’t have to pretend that a gas station is one.”
You laugh, but there are people like this.
I’ll stop if I need gas, a charge, or to pee. Otherwise, there are too many people.
Mebane is right outside of where my mom lives, and I swear to God if this dollar store Carowinds makes traffic more difficult when I’m visiting her…
Wow. I looked on Google News and that’s pretty much what the president of the company said. Now I’m much less likely to visit one of their stores even if I’m ever again near one. And as I said upthread, I don’t like that they don’t provide any place where I can sit down to eat the food. The service plazas on the interstate highways in the Northeast (mostly blue states) also have clean bathrooms, food to eat, gas to buy and have places to sit and eat.
Ohio (or at least Ohio Reddit) is pissed at Buc-ees, for the reasons outlined in the Jon Oliver segment (going after stores with long-standing beaver logos). They have one in Huber Heights - the Dayton area - and that’s what spurred the lawsuit. I think Ohio’s pushback is what made the owner make his statement about “red states” and he’ll be taking his ball and leaving Ohio. Except the one place that he’s already got set up and I’m sure is making money.
But he dasn’t try to come any further north in Ohio. We’re not having it.
I thought Ohio was a red state?
Yeah we’re going through an identity crisis. Turns out when you fuck with the rural convenience store, the rural people get mad.
I haven’t been yet. Its only been open a couple weeks. There is a lot of excitement locally that buc-ees is here.
I had assumed buc-ees was primarily a tourist attraction. Something to experience on a long trip.
Apparently it also draws a lot of local people. I guess their prices are reasonable?
https://www.kark.com/news/local-news/buc-ees-opens-its-doors-in-benton/
I’d correct that to “The grand openings draw a lot of people.”
I’d bet some locals who live right nearby will continue to buy gas there; it’s usually a tad cheaper than others nearby. Most won’t.
But as a local convenience market it sucks. Too huge and too many people. And mostly not that sort of merch / food. As fast food goes it’s slow and no drive-thru.
Does anyone here know how the gas prices compare to, say, Costco? Is Buc-ee’s the lowest cost option?
They had originally wanted to open the Buc-ee’s somewhere in Orange County, just south of Mebane but IIRC there were a lot of protests about getting the proper zoning for the location they wanted. Of course, Orange County is one of the blue zones in NC.
What the Buc-ee’s president said:
Foxoids have been trumpeting that statement as indicating the chain won’t build in blue states, but that isn’t exactly what the corporate bozo said. It does suggest that if there’s significant local pushback and the governor of a state doesn’t fawn over the opportunity to welcome them, they’ll go elsewhere.
It’s not a good business move to pre-emptively wipe a lot of potential expansion areas off your planning map.
I don’t much care if there aren’t any along my routes, though it’d be beneficial if they stuck one in Connecticut, which is an Interstate traveler’s food desert.
Except that there are large service plazas along I-95 in Connecticut. And small ones along Route 15.
Plus the land acquisition costs and high labor costs would make it expensive for Buc-ee’s to operate.
I drive right by that one when going to/from work. Stopped by once. Not sure what the big deal is.
As gas station/convenience stores go, it’s fairly impressive, but at the end of the day it’s just a gas station/convenience store. If you’re traveling and want to stop somwhere for gas, snacks, and a place to use the restroom it’s not a bad choice. And as busy as Buc-ee’s is, it doesn’t take any more time to go there than it does a Love’s or Casey’s unless you decide to browse. I get why people like it, but I don’t really get the hype either.
And, as I think I noted upthread, they are building a new Buc-ee’s in purple Wisconsin.