Hey Wawa fans out there (and who isn’t one?), there’s a great news for you. Wawa reached an amazing milestone Thursday by opening it’s 900th store.

The big 900 is at 685 Morris Turnpike in Springfield, New Jersey. It’s interesting to open a new Wawa during COVID-19, and this was a store opening like no other. The store officially opened at 8 a.m. with an official ribbon-cutting outside the store, with employees standing 6 feet apart to adhere to social distancing guidelines.

But here’s what’s different: This grand opening featured a virtual experience. The store was introduced by a video with clips that showed enhanced safety measures, a virtual store tour and a salute to everyday heroes. Springfield Mayor Chris Capodice appeared in the video to build the first ceremonial hoagie. Customers were asked to watch the virtual grand opening on Wawa‘s Facebook page, and were invited to share their enthusiasm for a chance to win limited addition Wawa Springfield T-shirts.

According to the chain's press release, the company also unveiled some of its new initiatives to face the COVID-19 crisis head-on.

These include a new Wawa clean force, a cleaning “swat team” dedicated solely to cleaning and sanitizing stores. The chain is also providing masks and gloves for all associates, clear plastic safety guards at check out and food-service counters, even more frequent hand washing standards, and wellness temperature checks for associates before each shift. Also, social distancing will be made more user friendly, with visual markers and more hand-sanitizer stations have been added.

As is true in all of their locations, the new Wawa in Springfield is going to be your go-to stop for coffee, gas, food and great, fresh food every day.

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Judi Franco. Any opinions expressed are Judi's own.

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