Buc-ee’s Traffic: Visitors to Buc-ee’s Convenience Stores may be surprised at the traffic created by the mega stores especially close to the building and around the 100 plus gas pumps. It’s not just a pit stop, it’s an experience! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Brisket & More: Fresh brisket, pulled pork and other varieties of hot sandwiches are served up in every Buc-ee’s mega store. Other cold sandwiches and fresh food are also available. The Buc-ee’s Stores make it a priority to serve fresh food. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
The small gas stations along Route 66 with their homey and inviting cottage style architecture was the feature in last week’s Post From the Road. The stations of today that travelers visit are completely different.
Rather than having garage bays the stations today are centered around a convenience store.
One brand of gas station/convenience store concept stands high above any other station or any other brand … that brand is Buc-ee’s.
Buc-ee’s stores began as a concept by founder Arch “Beaver” Alpine III. Business partner Don Wasek joined him. The first Buc-ee’s was opened in Lake Jackson, Texas in 1982. The modest station with a 3,000 square foot convenience store and a few gas pumps became popular in the rural area southwest of Houston.
For many years the brand grew in number of stores and spread its market a few miles within the region of Texas. In 2003, a major step took place when Buc-ee’s built their first mega Buc-ee’s facility along I-10 in Luling, Texas about an hour east of San Antonio.
The Luling mega Buc-ee’s store was 35,000 square feet, which is over 10 times the size of other Buc-ee’s stores. In addition to interior expansion the new store had dozens of gas pumps and ample parking. The mega-store was a hit and the beginning of a new chapter in Buc-ee’s history.
Another major step was taken in 2019 when the first Buc-ee’s outside of Texas was opened in Alabama. Since 2019 Buc-ee’s has expanded into six states in the southeast region. Earlier in 2023, a store opened in Springfield, Mo. – the first Midwest location.
In 2022 expansion plans were announced and the first Buc-ee’s in the western U.S. was announced for Johnstown, Colo. That facility is nearing completion and is scheduled to open in Spring 2024.
The mega Buc-ee’s vary in size but the largest store opened recently in Tennessee with 74,000 square feet and 120 gas pumps. The Colorado store will be 74,000 feet with 116 pumps and over 500 parking spaces. The largest store planned is in Luling, Texas, which will be 75,000 square feet and is under construction next to the original mega store build over 20 years ago.
What is so special about Buc-ee’s that makes them so popular? Travelers driving any distance have needs: fuel, food and restrooms – Buc-ee’s excels in these areas.
The Buc-ee’s business model is to provide clean restrooms, freshly prepared food, cheap fuel and provide outstanding customer service. All of the stores follow this model and it is working for them.
Clean restrooms are a barometer of how much travelers like a stop and if they will return. Buc-ee’s restrooms are “over the top” in size and cleanliness. At the mega stores there are two full time employees around the clock, which monitor and clean restrooms, one male and one female. It has been said that there are as many stalls in the restrooms as there are gas pumps outside! I don’t know about that but they are huge! To call the restrooms “award winning” is an understatement.
The stores also feature a mascot displayed on signage, store fronts and everywhere imaginable. The logo features a beaver with a big smile, buck teeth, wearing a red cap and red shirt with the beaver on the front. Billboards along the Interstates may not even mention the name Buc-ee’s but just show the beaver logo and that says it all.
When you enter a Buc-ee’s you immediately notice that everything is super-sized. The drink fountain offers a variety of choices and is probably 40 feet long. The stores feature the normal snack foods but goes far beyond. Numerous custom snack foods, a brisket station, which offers chopped brisket, pulled pork and other hot sandwiches, fresh pastries, an adult clothing department, children’s clothing department, housewares department, outdoor department, and of course a huge selection of clothing, accessories, and many items with the famous Buc-ee’s logo.
Since expanding in 2019, the brand following has grown exponentially and the presence of Buc-ee’s on social media has exploded. Their following has been referred to as “cult like” in many ways.
The fresh pastries as well as the hot sandwiches are all prepared in-house at each location. There are several other cold sandwiches and snacks, which are also all created in-house.
Today, for many, the stop for gas, refuel, and a snack has become a destination not just a necessity. Some followers have been known to travel from store to store in search of the next Buc-ee’s treasure!
I cannot explain a first visit to Buc-ee’s. One has to see for themselves but it will be far beyond any expectations. The convenience store on steroids will have a surprise around every corner for all ages. If you have never heard of Buc-ee’s, a quick google of “Buc-ee’s” will flood your computer with more than you ever wanted to know about the world’s largest convenience store and gas station!
We have visited many Buc-ee’s stores over the past few years since we began our RV travels. Every visit is unique and we look forward to every stop and I always take photos every time we visit a store. I am hoping that we are not traveling when the Johnstown, Colo. store opens. I want to be there with camera in hand! Come on up from New Mexico and join the party!!
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Pastries: Fresh pastries baked in-house are another popular spot in Buc-ee’s stores. There are several items to choose from in a variety of flavors. Another near by counter was stocked full of beef jerky for travelers to take and snack on while traveling. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Buc-ee’s Shirts: While there is an adult apparel department and a children’s apparel department, there is also an abundance of Buc-ee’s Shirts and clothing for fans of the store. Thousands of items are sold with the store logo or mascot, a buck tooth beaver with a big smile and a big red cap. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Outdoor: Besides needs for traveling and snacks Buc-ee’s has a wide variety of outdoor equipment and supplies. You will find anything from coolers to tents to hunting blinds for sale in the outdoor department. Another item Buc-ee’s sells is ice for travelers at a cheap price. Every store will have a line of ice coolers along each end of the building. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Buc-ee’s Merch: Besides all of the normal convenience store snacks and drinks Buc-ee’s carries full lines of other foods. Seen is a shelf stocked with a variety of Buc-ee’s preserves and jellies. Another shelf is stocked with Buc-ee’s drink cups, plastic plates and other things that visitors didn’t even know they needed until they visited Buc-ee’s! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Clothing & Personal: The clothing departments do stock a line of apparel without the Buc-ee’s beaver on them. Shown is clothing department with a large variety of tee shirts, hats, jewelry, and other items that appeal to shoppers. Another area shows a variety of bath and personal items that appeal to all ages. A full housewares department is nearby which stocks many items for the home as well as kitchen including cookware and supplies. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Snacks & Stuff: Snacks and drinks are staples in any convenience store but Buc-ee’s is not just any convenience store. The assortment and supply of snacks is endless and the amount of merchandise available for customers of all ages is crazy. Every Buc-ee’s mega store will have an antique truck or vehicle in store which is stocked full of merchandise, the most popular item being the Buc-ee’s beaver mascot stuffed animals in every size imaginable! Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com