Was going to mention this in another thread, but thought hey, this place deserves it’s own thread. How many Buc-ee’s fans are on the forum? Do you have a must try? Is it the most American business in all of America?
I have no idea what that is.
Buc-ee’s is a strange cultural phenomenon. Their fans are sometimes almost cult like. Not too many retailers get that kind of love. Maybe Wawa? Do any other retail brands come to mind that get that kind of love?
It’s only the greatest gas station in the world. A product of Texas that is spreading throughout the South and now into the Midwest.
Here is am article about the newest one open on the interstate exit near Gatlinburg, TN
If it’s not near by, it’s not gonna be “most American” in my book.
Wherever you are they will be nearby in a decade. My business sense tells me they are a goldmine so no reason not to keep building them in new areas.
GSMNP near the Sevierville area is on the list of potential 2024 road trips. I’ll check it out if that happens.
For the Chicago crew heading south:
It’s in Pontiac IL so you can also get your kicks on Route 66 nearby.
well . . . then they’re 10 years away from being potentially “most American”. Until then, they’re some regional phenomenon.
Stop by there quite frequently. The only place I’ve found that carries Pibb Zero.
But there’s two other locations, IIRC. One is near St. Louis; I think the other one is dowm by the Ozarks.
Basically the Walmart (maybe Target bc they seem nicer/cleaner than most Walmarts I’ve seen) of gas stations. They are generally good about having clean bathrooms so a good place to stop on a long road trip. There is also a decent variety of (mediocre) food so good if traveling with picky people. But they are so massive it is not a quick place to stop to gas up.
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Buc-ees looks like it started in the Dallas area with a few locations in Appalachia regions.
The mega gas stations are a brilliant business to get into right now. With a hundred pumps and a nice facility, you can eventually capture the electric vehicle market by converting over whatever % of pumps makes sense as the market transitions. I don’t think it is difficult to spend 10-15 minutes at one of these places… and spend a lot of money while you are there.
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Buc-ees is awesome. If you’re traveling, it’s the #1 choice for clean bathroom, putting McD and the newer truck stops to shame. And the food is good.
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We’re planning a long road trip through the southern part of the country next summer, so I’ll have to check them out.
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They ahve a wide varieyt of beef, jerky.
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Fixed, for accuracy.
If they want to come to California, all they need to do is buy some closed down shopping malls.
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Bucees is good but a bit over the top.
I have stopped at Buc-ee’s. Most of the time I’d choose a regular gas station on a road trip as I’m typically gassing up and moving on, but if you want a combined stop of gas, bathroom break, lunch, and/or shopping for tchotchkes it’s fine. They are huge, so traffic getting in/out can make even just a simple gas stop slower. The BBQ isn’t bad, but you can definitely do better in most of the areas where they currently are. If you are a jerky lover you definitely need to stop there at least once.
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That’s the second mention of beef jerky. If I ever pass one of these, I’m in!
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They have a jerky bar with several selections they package to order, plus a big display aisle of prepackaged jerky.
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For those not familiar with Buc’ees, a few more tidbits:
They generally put these Walmart sized gas stations out in remote areas near expressways. You likely aren’t getting one in your city/suburb unless you are way out there near a highway.
As others mentioned, there are massive numbers of gas pumps and clean bathrooms. A huge number of people go through hourly. It’s a mini traffic jam in remote locations.
You’ll see billboards promoting the location for many miles out. Think 10-25 or more for 50+ miles. They are sometimes funny.
The fans buy lots of their merchandise on their pit stops. Hats, shirts, stuffed animals, etc… I imagine the gas is low margin business at high volume, but people come in and hang out, buy food, buy crap, and overall revenue is probably a big multiple of what other big stations bring in.
In my state they are hiring and putting signs up in each location for quite high salaries for the 'po at all levels.
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Why become an actuary when you can work at buc ees instead