Wawa truck stops may be the next big thing

Picture a Wawa on steroids. Most “legacy” Wawa stores are less than 4,000 square feet. Even the so-called “Super” Wawa locations are typically under 6,000 square feet.

Picture one: 8,400 square feet. Now picture it with not only 20 spaces for gasoline but also six lanes dedicated just for diesel.

Yes, Wawa, the convenience store so prolific in New Jersey, is expanding into truck stops. The first travel center is being built alongside a highway in Fayetteville, North Carolina. It will have free parking for tractor-trailers, well-appointed bathrooms, and even a relief area to walk your pet.

Plus, it will come with indoor and outdoor seating areas. Perfect for traveling families or truck drivers.

“Our Wawa Travel Center is the latest concept we are testing,” said Walt Poplawski, Wawa’s chief real estate officer. “Wawa has a 60-year history of innovating and evolving our store design to meet the changing needs of our customers.”

The Wawa Travel Center prototype is taking shape in Hope Mills on Chickenfoot Road. It’s expected to be opened in mid-2025.

Will these take up too large a footprint to catch on in New Jersey? I don’t think so. You have a ton of truck traffic just passing through the Garden State as we’re part of the northeast corridor. They could do well here. One drawback I see is New Jersey’s ridiculous prohibition against self-serve gas. Wawa would have to fill a lot more positions for a travel center here in our state than others.

But if they don’t come here, you might catch a Wawa travel central on a road trip. Wawa now serves eight states and Washington, D.C.

Watch out Buccee’s they might just come after you!

The best supermarkets in New Jersey

These are the highest-rated supermarkets in each of New Jersey's 21 counties. The ratings are based on reviews left by customers on Google. To be included in the top, a supermarket had to have a substantial number of reviews (typically at leas a thousand).