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It’s safe to say that, like any real-life phenomenon, Buc-ee’s – the Texas-founded chain that’s part convenience store, part gas station – inspires both confusion and obsession.
A quick Google search yields as many questions as answers. What makes Buc-ee’s so famous? Why is it so popular? What is Buc-ee’s known for? These are just a few of the many current questions surrounding the chain.
Social media has everything you need to know. Reddit users described it as: “The #1 place to go, #2.” “What’s great and what’s terrible about America, all in one place.” “From the gift shop to the theme park without a theme park.”
And that’s where the store’s fame has skyrocketed. Its virality has led to it being tagged in TikTok videos over 84 million times. On Instagram, Buc-ee’s has over 380,000 followers.
With that fan base has come branding that rivals Disneyland: specialty lines like Bucky the Beaver nuggets (also known as corn puffs), pastries, Texas-made jerky, pickles, nuts, hot sauce, salty snacks and more. There are Buc-ee’s tumblers, stuffed animals, electronics, hats, T-shirts, pajama pants, hoodies and swimsuits.
Should we continue?
However you’ve immersed yourself in the store’s multiverse, an official Buc-ee’s analysis is long overdue. Here’s everything you need to know about the American chain, why everyone on the internet can’t stop talking about it, and when it’s coming to Ohio.
What’s going on with Buc-ee’s?
Before we get into the story, let’s first discuss why people are possessed.
Industry leaders 7-Eleven, Speedway and Circle K each have thousands of locations across the country. Buc-ee’s has about 50 locations. So why is the Texas chain so hyped?
1. Small town charm for everyone
The process of selling small-town charm as a franchise sounds like an oxymoron. But Buc-ee’s has done just that with its food and great service, allowing anyone to experience the chain’s roots from the comfort of their own main thoroughfare.
However, continued growth could come at the expense of this idyllic character, as Greg Lindenberg, editor of the convenience store trade magazine CSP Daily News, warned in 2019.
“Buc-ee’s has a reputation for being a rare place, so if they get too big too quickly, they could lose some of that charm,” Lindenberg told Texas Monthly at the time.
2. Really. Good. Food.
Which other gas station has its own chef?
With its Texas Round-Up BBQ counter serving brisket, deli meats, turkey and made-to-order sandwiches, Buc-ee’s has put an end to the stereotype of bad gas station food.
The breakfast menu alone includes Brisket Egg Taco, Hippo Taco, Gravy Beast Burrito, Beaver Tail, Rhino Taco and Breakfast Biscuits.
There are also 13 kinds of fresh jerky, 15 kinds of sour cherries and over 20 flavors of fudge. You know what I mean.
3. It might actually be the best place to go #1 and 2
In 2012, Buc-ee’s in New Braunfels, Texas, was named America’s Best Restroom by Cintas of Mason, Ohio. With 83 restrooms and a cleaning crew polishing the porcelain around the clock, it’s no wonder this location and many others have been praised for their sparkling clean restrooms.
A little Buc-ee’s history
Arch “Beaver” Aplin III was just 23 years old when he opened his first Buc-ee’s in Clute, Texas, a small town outside of Houston. The Texas Business Hall of Fame member created the mascot Bucky the Beaver by combining his childhood nickname with the name of his dog, Buck.
Aplin comes from a family of entrepreneurs. His parents, Arch and Mae Aplin, owned a general store in Louisiana called Arch Aplin’s Biggest Little Store in Catahoula Parish. They sold greens they grew on their own farm, syrup from their own sugar cane and other specialty products.
Aplin followed in his parents’ footsteps and opened the first Buc-ee’s in 1982. And he expanded the store to 3,000 square feet instead of the average 2,400 square feet, Texas Monthly reports. Over the years, Buc-ee’s grew larger and larger, with locations across Texas.
In 2003, Aplin opened the 17th Buc-ee’s in Luling, Texas, at the size that most consumers associate with the store today. There, Aplin began offering fresh barbecue and Buc-ee’s branded merchandise. The original Luling store has since been replaced with a new one. It is reportedly the largest convenience store in the world at 75,000 square feet and features a whopping 120 gas pumps (as the saying goes, everything is bigger in Texas?).
Buc-ee’s finally expanded outside of Texas in 2019, opening a location in Baldwin County, Alabama, which at the time was considered the state’s largest travel location at 550,000 square feet. The company has since opened locations in Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado and Missouri.
Is there a Buc-ee’s in Ohio?
Not yet, but construction is underway.
A ceremonial groundbreaking was held at the state’s first Buc-ee’s store on Aug. 8. The store, located at 8000 State Highway 235 in Huber Heights, a north Dayton suburb, will feature 100 fueling stations and 24 electric vehicle charging stations and will occupy 74,000 square feet of space, according to a statement from Buc-ee’s.
Construction on site will take about 18 months, with completion scheduled for late 2025, Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore told The Dispatch.
